Hump Day Vices: Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon

Big, Bright, and Fruity

Tasting Notes:

Wine: Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2009

Price: $22.49

Producer: Cannonball Wine Company

Region & Country: California: 62% Mendocino, 32% Sonoma/ Dry Creek Valey, 4% Napa, 2% Other

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Place and Date Purchased: 11/6/2011 Whole Foods Market – Santa Monica, CA

Place and Date Tasted: 11/8/2011 Home – Los Angeles, CA

Appearance: Bright Grape-Juice Purple, extremely light legs.

Nose: Overwhelming aroma of fresh, juicy blackberries, ripe oranges, and pineapple

Taste: Extremely fruity-sweet with a medium-long tart finish.

Finish: Medium-long with progressively intense tannin

Overall Impression: I won’t deny it, this wine tastes great. The only problem is I couldn’t differentiate it from Welch’s Concord Grape Juice if my life depended on it. A good wine should exemplify and carefully explore all the grape has to offer. In the case of Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon the only way I know it’s Cabernet Sauvignon is by reading the label. You don’t get any of the dark, subtle, rich complexity of cabernet in this wine…you get big, dumb fruit and enough of it to keep a room of kindergartners very happy indeed. I wouldn’t be as critical of this bottle as I am were it not for the price…for $22.49 you can get 8 bottles of 2-buck chuck Shiraz and two 2-liters of Pineapple Fanta, mix it together and have about 12 times the drink with the exact same flavor (trust me).

Food Pairing: I’m rarely at a loss for a wine and food pairing but Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon is so insanely sweet it would steamroll anything with a similar flavor profile and would taste off compared to anything different. If you’re going to drink this drink it straight up.

Overall Rating (out of 100 points): 60

Overall Value (1-5 stars): 1 star

Pass, thanks.