Last year was the year of the Cab for our wine production. We crafted a barrel of 2012 Atlas Peak AVA Cabernet Sauvignon at Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland. The grapes were sourced from Stagecoach Vineyards in the Napa Valley. At home, we made a white Cabernet Sauvignon from first run juice we sourced from Thanksgiving Farm Wines in Harwood, Maryland. Now the White Cab is in the bottle while the barrel of Cab still rests in the barrel.

For #CabernetDay we decided to go to Tin Lizzie Wineworks and taste our Cab. The last time I tasted the Cab there was little oak influence and the fruit was dominant. What was most noticeable was the lack of a vegetative taste that was evident prior to racking into the Taransaud barrel. The Cabernet Sauvignon has now been in barrel for about ten months. The wine was a dark ruby color. One could not see through the wine. The predominant aroma and taste was cassis with just a hint of plum. The tannins let you know they were there being big, bold and chewy. I expect them to become silky while in the barrel for the next year. There was a hint of leather on the aftertaste. Overall, the wine shows promise for what it will evolve into after another year in oak and a couple years in bottle.

We opened another Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2012 vintage. Our fun wine from last year, a white Cab. The orange-colored wine surprised Dave Zuchero, winemaker, who thought that there may be a touch of oxidation. However there was no oxidation, and this white Cab had hints of red berry fruit on the aroma and taste especially strawberries and red raspberries. The finish was very crisp and refreshing on this humid 90º day. Dave commented that the wine was well balanced and he enjoyed it.

For our #CabernetDay we experienced two extremes. A California Cab and a Maryland Cab. A white Cab and a dark opaque colored Cab. One exhibit red berry fruits while the other cassis. The Cab in the barrel had very bold tannins while the White Cab had no tannins. It was certainly a tale of two Cabs.

Cheers,
Terry