The Folie à Deux Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is sourced from grapes grown in the Anderson Valley AVA inside the Sonoma AVA of Northern California. Folie à Deux translates from French to “the madness of two” or to translate a little further to “a shared psychosis“. Folie à Deux is one of the Trinchero Family Estates many brands. The Alexander Valley follows the path of the Russian River as it turns north, The Russian River AVA is the part of the river valley closer to the coast that runs east from the Ocean. This Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in French and American oak for 16 months. This is a wine that lists for $24 (a quick check of the web shows prices as low as $16, but most are closer to $20) and you can tell because the bottle weighs about twice as much as the typical value-priced bottle and the cork is a real cork, not some composite or faux cork. The alcohol content is $14.5%.
The color is a very dark (not see-thru) black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, molasses, black licorice, spearmint gum, plum, and spice. This is a full-bodied Cab, very approachable, with a nice bit of complexity. It tastes of rich, extracted blackberry, silky blueberry, milk chocolate, black pepper, and raspberry. The mid-palate shows a little dusty spice, along with tart cranberry, and breakfast tea. The tannins are silky, they provide solid structure but they don’t interfere with the flavor. The acidity is balanced and gives the wine good balance. The finish is full and lengthy.
The Folie à Deux Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is a fine example of a Sonoma California Cab. It checks off all the boxes, solid structure, a good display of oak seasoning, tasty, complex fruit, simply a terrific bottle of wine. Cabs above this price tend to be Estate fruit, storied Wineries, and rock star winemakers and the prices skyrocket. The Folie à Deux Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is in a good spot and solid, delicious Cali Cab at a good price.
