Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

While shopping at Whole Foods, I found the Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa priced at $9.99. I do not find much Cabernet Sauvignon priced at $10 or less that is worth buying but this looked promising. The sign said that this crowd pleasing Cabernet was consistently a Wine Enthusiast "Best Buy" and I noted the wine was a 2012 vintage (harvested spring 2012 in the southern hemisphere) with a high alcohol content(14.5%). Note: high alcohol does not necessarily equate to a better wine but low alcohol sometimes means the wine will be too sweet.

In researching my buy, I found that the Total Wines and More store across the street from Whole Foods lists this wine as a "Winery Direct" wine selling for $11.99, or $2 more than Whole Foods. This is another validation that Total Wines overprices their "Winery Direct" wines to allow for a coupon discount.

The Excelsior Cabernet is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. 40% of the wine was aged in a combination of French and American oak for 9 months. The wine is deep violet in color and has a jammy blackberry flavor. The only criticism is that the wine is a little overpowered by the high alcohol content. All in all, this is a very good Cabernet for this price range and I would buy it again.

SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

Comments

Dragon Vine, a novel by Steven Laine

It has been a year since I have posted to the South Carolina Wine Blog. However, I was provided with an advance copy of the latest novel by Steven Laine entitled Dragon Vine for my review. Mr. Laine writes novels with a wine focused theme and I reviewed Mr. Laine's previous novel Root Cause in 2019, which I greatly enjoyed. The synopsis of Dragon Vine is as follows: When his father dies in a wildfire, Carmine Cooper takes over the family winery in the middle of harvest, putting his dreams of becoming an architect on hold. He soon finds himself fighting with a vengeful neighbor, blackmailed by a local gang, harassed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, and the target of an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) investigation. Carmine’s only hope to solve his problems and finish his first solo vintage successfully rests in identifying an unknown grape variety his father grew and made into wine for a quarter century wit...

Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2018

I was aware of the reputation of Ken Wright Cellars for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir but had never tried one of their wines. The winery is most known for single vineyard Pinot Noirs but their entry level wine is a blend from several vineyards. When I have looked for wine from Ken Wright, I have either found the single vineyard wines costing more than $60 or I have found the entry level Willamette Valley blend priced significantly higher than the $22 price on the winery website. One well known wine shop in downtown Greenville actually sells it for $34. I guess that the wine must be really good to command higher than retail prices. Two things have recently happened. Costco has a Ken Wright premium Pinot Noir for around $40 and Whole Foods Market has the entry level Willamette Valley Pinot Noir on sale for $22 rather than their usual price of $27. I chose the entry level Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and I am sure glad that I did. Ken Wright Willame...

Cardwell Hill Cellars Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2016

After a recent shopping trip to Total Wine, they enticed me to come back with a 20% off coupon for their winery direct wines. I wanted to try a new Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, but I think I have previously tried every winery direct Oregon Pinot Noir under $20 in the store and never found one that I would buy again. So, I decided to search out the winery direct pinots up to $30 since my coupon would get me under $24. After some online review, I selected Cardwell Hill Cellars Estate Bottled Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2016 ($27.99 reduced to $22.40) and I really made an excellent choice. Caldwell Hill Cellars is owned by a retired Fleur Corp engineer and his wife who love both Oregon and wine. All of their wines are made with estate grown grapes and they use biodynamic farming practices. Dark cherry aromas greet you from the glass. A complex taste of cherry, dark cherry, raspberry and spice arrive first, followed by some oak and tannins. The fi...

South Carolina Wine Joe

Search This Blog