Dascomb Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

*What is it? ~ “Forehead”
Winery: Dascomb Cellars
Vintage: 2003
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Country: U.S.A.
Region: Central Coast, California

*Sight or Appearance ~ “Eyes”
Brightness: Bright
Intensity: Med (+)
Color: Ruby
Rim Variation: White Rim, slight haze to rim in 2nd level, it is 7 years old.
Viscosity: Medium (+)

*Aroma ~ “Nose”
Condition: Clean
Intensity: Med (+)
Aroma/Bouquet: Med (+)
Fruit: Black spicy fruits with concentrated black current.
Earth: When you dig deep in the bouquet you get a slight touch of wet dirt.
Wood: Expression of cedar with hints smoke
Other: Whiffs of baking spices like cumin and cinnamon.

*Palate ~ “Mouth”
Sweetness Level: Dry with a touch of sweetness
Body: Full, very well rounded.
Fruit: Blackberry, black plum, fig, Lots of black cherry and a hint of rose peddles
Wood: Like in the nose, the cedar is expressed up front then turns into black ripe fruits
Other: A hint of bacon fat drippings on the back end of the finish and as they say “everything taste better with bacon”.
Tannins: Medium
Complexity: Medium (+)

*Conclusion ~ “Finish”
Alcohol: Medium (+)
Acidity: Medium (-)
Length: Very long and then some with refreshing juicy fruits.

Pairing Notes: Because this wine is so heavy with bacon notes and black fruits, I would pair this with a Prime Rib. Skip the veggies. Go straight to the chocolate with what’s left over. Perhaps even a warm flourless chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream. In the words of Emeril ~ “BAM”.

DWE Notes: This is a wine that I would love to share friends. It’s complex from the nose to the finish. I reviewed it over a two night period and it tasted so much better the second night, not that it didn’t taste great the first night. On the second night, all the fruits and fats of the wine were expressed more deeply. It’s a big wine and has a really full, well rounded body. This wine is very well balance which is one the highlights. It’s smooth and transitions from nose to pallet to finish really easily. It doesn’t bounce around like some of the other 2003 Central Coast Cabs I’ve experienced recently. It has age, but it has aged well and could last a few more years in the bottle in my opinion. This wine is only available at the winery but fortunately it's not that far from Los Angeles; only three hours north on the 101 and its a great weekend getaway.