Warm Cabernets for Cold Winter Nights

It's snowing on the east coast, raining on the west coast, and wintery everywhere in between. Nothing suits this kind of weather better than Cabernet Sauvignon, and I've been tasting my way through a nice selection of Cabernets and Cabernet blends in pursuit of the perfect wines to complement soups, stews, and braises.

If you're looking for a red wine to warm up your winter evenings, look for one of these in a store near you, and try out some of these great recipes while you're at it!

2008 Bodegas Osborne Cabernet-Tempranillo Tempra Tantrum. ($11.99) Tempra Tantrum is a new line of Tempranillo-based from the people at one of Spain's oldest and most venerable wineries. This blend is hip, young, and cheerful (just like its maker!) Made in a modern style, the cherry and leather aromas are a nice prelude to a bright, cherry core with some blackberry depth in the midpalate. Made from 60% Tempranillo and 40% Cabernet, this juicy, fruit-forward wine would be great with grilled lamb dishes or paella--or with a zesty chicken chili. Very good QPR.

2007 Luigi Bosca Cabernet Sauvignon Finca La Linda. ($11) I liked this distinctive Cab from Argentina, with its blackberry and plum blossom aromas. There was a decided note of cigar box in the flavors, along with cherry and plum. The wine's smooth, satiny mouthfeel was accompanied by a mocha-inflected finish. Excellent QPR for those who like traditional, earthy Cabernets.

2007 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County. ($17) This juicy, fruit-forward wine has lots of spice and pepper, which helps it to stay focused. There are abundant, cherry, licorice, and smoky aromas and flavors which makes for an approachable Cab, especially for those who like traditional flavor profiles. Try it with this excellent slow-cooked beef minestrone soup my dad introduced us to. Very Good QPR.

2007 Blackstone Winery Sonoma Reserve Rubric Sonoma County. ($22.99) A wine blended from Cabernet, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Tannat, Merlot, and Petite Sirah it had smoky cherry aromas and a deeper, plummy flavor spectrum. The wine was made brighter with crisp white pepper notes that continued into the aftertaste. Very good QPR, even though the suggested retail is a tad over $20.

2007 Robert Mondavi Winery Meritage Private Selection. ($11) This Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Cab Franc has classic notes of tar, currant, and leather in the aromas. All these lead in to a red currant flavor, which opens up to richer plum and pepper. Give this bottle some time in the decanter, and you'll be very pleasantly surprised. Buy two bottles and make some braised short ribs. Excellent QPR.

2006 Rancho Zabaco Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bull. ($12) I'd already tasted this wine last February when it was at an earlier stage of its life cycle. A year on, this tasted quite different. Meaty, cherry aromas led to flavors of cherry, oak, blackberry, and a bit of baker's chocolate in the aftertaste. There is nice grip in the end, although the wine tastes quite smooth when it first hits your tongue. Very good QPR.

Full Disclosure: I received all these wines as samples. All prices given are the suggested retail prices. You may find them for less in your market. Clicking on the name of the wine will take you to various wine search engines, in case you are looking to buy a bottle near you.

Mysterious Meritage

In your travels you might see wine labeled "Meritage" and wonder --not surprisingly -- just what it is.

Meritage wines are California's answer to Bordeaux blends and to labeling restrictions that require at least 75% of a wine's juice come from a single grape (like Cabernet Sauvignon) in order that it be labeled Cabernet.

In Bordeaux, however, where fabled and sought-after reds and whites are produced, the blend of juice in a wine is often much more even--say 60% Cabernet and 40% Merlot. These wines are simply labeled "Bordeaux" after the place they were made.

Here is the US, where bottles made with a single variety are the norm, consumers have sometimes looked askance at blended wines and assumed they represented lesser quality. Not so, says the Meritage Association, an organization founded in the US in 1988 to promote and produce blanded wines in the Bordeaux tradition. Blended wines can provide wine lovers with greater complexity, age-worthiness, and also a more affordable price--so what's not to like?

I recently tried two very good QPR Meritage blends that I think warrant a second look if you are looking for an affordable red blend that will go well with winter foods such as soups, stews, casseroles, and roasts.

The 2006 Hayman & Hill Meritage Reserve, for example, is made from a blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc fruit from Monterey County. (sample; available from $12-$17) Upon first opening, I smelled the traditional Bordeaux aromas of cassis, plum and spice. Flavors of plum turned more towards cherry as you sipped, and there were some oaky notes and good acidity. Over time, with air, the flavors became much richer and plummier and developed milk chocolate notes. I would expect this wine to improve over the next 12-18 months, although it is delicious now.

The 2006 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, on the other hand, is made with 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Petite Verdot, 7% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc fruit from California. (sample; available for $8-$11). This is a very new release and was a bit hot upon first opening, but at 13.5% alc/vol I think this is a sign of youth. Once again I smelled the typical Bordeaux aromas of cassis and plum, and the flavors are dominated by rich plum. There are vanilla and mocha notes in the aftertaste which added complexity and contributed to the enjoyment of this easy-drinking red.

If you haven't tried Meritage and like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, you should give one of these blended reds a try.