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CAB + CONVERSATION

The Case for December consisted of Cabernet Sauvignons carried by the Napa Grocery Outlet. This time I decided to list the wines that the member tasting panel judged to be Excellent (a Value Star wine) and the Highly Recommended releases which ended up to be four out of the 12 bottles tasted by 12 members.

For our conversation, we focused on six posts of related articles from my CulturePlacesblog that deal with the fraught issue of group identity and control vs. individual identity and control (click on 'Read More' for the full article). They are used as "homeplay" meant to give focus to our dialogue They were not critiqued for their observations as such, but instead acted as a springboard or spark for our own observations.

Since we were pairing wine with focused discussion I chose an old favorite, Split Restaurant on 4th St. in the Yerba Buena neighborhood to host our gathering (I always want to be close to BART and a large garage)

Macrae Family Winery 2012 Sonoma Mountain Hidden Ridge $19.99

Smooth, dark, classic, dark berry body and pleasing raspberry finish. Easy to drink. Robust, full bodied but not fruit heavy like many Cali Cabs. Light tannins. Smoothly textured structure, impressive for a wine at this price

DELICIOUS ~ EXCELLENT - A complex, concentrated wine that balances lush fruit flavors with refinement

Hogue 2012 Columbia Valley Washington $4.99

Eastern Washington’s warm days and cool nights provide ideal conditions for producing Cabernet Sauvignon that is rich and complex. Nicely balanced. A distinctive bouquet with a soft and creamy palate. Pair with pork roast, barbecued baby back ribs, grilled sausages and spicy foods.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ~ VERY GOOD Displaying special qualities of finesse and flavor

Sunstar Vineyards 2013 California $5.99

Subtle yet distinctive earth tones. Balanced yet concentrated. Lovely bouquet with an inviting fruit forward body. Delightful lingering finish. More tannic than acidic which is true for most Cabs. Versatile wine for food pairing purposes including dishes with mushrooms.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ~ VERY GOOD Displaying special qualities of finesse and flavor

Pra Vinera Reserve 2014 California $6.99

An easy drinking, lively cab that's medium bodied with traditional Bordeaux tannins that stay in the background. Great for Tuesday night dinner. Demonstrates why you don’t have to pay over $10 for a pleasing wine. One of the favorites of wineconsumer.com tasting panel.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ~ VERY GOOD Displaying special qualities of finesse and flavor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rating System

(95+) LOVE IT!~EXTRAORDINARY Platinum Medal -

An exceptional, ravishing wine that sets the standard against which

other wines are judged

(92-94) SUPERB ~ REMARKABLE Double Gold Medal

(90-92) DELICIOUS ~ EXCELLENT Gold Medal-

A complex, concentrated wine that balances lush fruit flavors

with refinement

(87-89) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED~VERY GOOD Silver Medal

Displaying special qualities of finesse and flavor

(85-87) LIKE IT~ GOOD - Bronze Medal

A pleasing wine with varietal distinctiveness

(82-84) OK ~ SATISFACTORY Vin de table

Suitable for Tuesday night dinner

(80-82) NEUTRAL~ FAIR - A simple quaffer worth the price - plonk

(77-79) DISAGREEABLE ~ MEDIOCRE

Not worth the low price

(75-77) DISLIKE IT ~DEFICIENT -

An inferior, innocuous wine that borders on the flawed

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DECEMBER TASTE OFF