Monday, August 18, 2008

Unbridled Passion: Wild Horse Cabernet


My boss Mark had bought blackberries from a farmers market yesterday and offered me a handful on his way out of the liquor store. I threw back the handful of blackberries and the delicious taste lingered in my mouth for the next ten minutes or so. The Wild Horse Cabernet Sauvignon had a similar effect on my taste buds and honestly tastes like the freshest blackberries with a slight hint of clove. It pours plum colored and full bodied in the glass which looks almost like a glass of grape juice...I guess that's what it is in the long run. When it hit my palate it was intense at first, but finished so soft and clean. This is definitely the best cab I have had from Paso Robles ( which means "pass of the oaks"-this cab is aged in French, American, and Hungarian barrels). Paso Robles is an appellation on California's Central Coast and is most popular for pinot noir. Wild Horse was actually one of the first wineries to make high quality wine in the area, but isn't the only company 25 years later. Estancia, J. Lohr, and Justin are other wine producers who have helped make the area famous with help from the soil, climate, and wide range of growing conditions that allow these wineries to basically produce any variety of wine. The Wild Horse website said the Cab could benefit from 10-15 years of cellaring. I must address this thought because I am not at a point in my life where I could resist drinking a bottle this good for ten years. It would sit in my cellar(assuming I had one) and literally call my name out every day/night until I finally caved and ended up drinking it straight out of the bottle. It was blackberry velvet in a glass and fully worth the price tag!

Any thoughts on this bottle or other Wild Horse wines??


Cabernet Sauvignon 91%, Malbec 6%, Blaufrankisch 2%, Syrah 1%
Alcohol: 13.9%
Case Production: 37,000
Release Date: January 2007
Suggested (CA) Retail: $20

*Big Red- thanks for this tasty treat!!

1 comment:

Ben Lenox said...

Great post, Zak.

I sampled this bottle with you, and was in agreeance with you from the get-go.
This wine showed a tremendous amount of fruit right up front, but the best part was the lingering finish that seemed to last a lot longer than most cabernets in this price range.
Also, how can you not think of the Rolling Stones song, Wild Horses.

"Big-Red", thanks for the delicious red wine from Paso Robles! The experience wouldn't have been possible without you and your enthusiasm.

Cheers!

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