The 2012 Black Mountain Fat Cat Cabernet Sauvignon is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them (this is the 30th anniversary edition) by Bronco Wines (2 Buck Chuck). Trader Joe’s started in 1967 and Bronco in 1973. Black Mountain is one of Bronco Wines 60+ wine labels and the reason they can produce so many different wines at an affordable price is that they own 40,000 acres of vineyards in California’s Central Coast. As with the bulk of Bronco wines, there is no technical information about the making of this Cabernet Sauvignon, when you are getting the wine cheap, you shouldn’t ask too many questions. The alcohol content is a mild for a California Cabernet Sauvignon 12.5%.
The color is candy apple red with an almost clear halo. The nose is pretty good for a young Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe red berries, French vanilla coffee creamer, a little fudge brownie and plums. This is a soft, fairly rich, easy drinking Cabernet. It tastes of ripe black cherry, tart strawberry and a touch of unsweetened cola. The mid palate offers up a bit of blueberry, a slap of cranberry and a mild dash of vanilla. The tannins and the acidity are both subdued, a bit too subdued for my tastes, but I know folks who like the tannins and acidity to be on the soft side. The finish starts off strong and fades quickly, but never really goes away.
The 2012 Black Mountain Fat Cat Cabernet Sauvignon is just the ticket for those who want a tasty Cab, that is soft on the palate and easy to drink. I wouldn’t say that this is a good food wine, it is a little too light on structure to stand up to many dishes, but would excel as a patio sipping wine, soft and smooth with relatively low alcohol and at $6.99, it is hard to beat the price.
