The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by Miller Family Wine Company. The Caretaker brand has been available at Trader Joe’s since at least the 2009 vintage when CWF reviewed their Pinot Noir.
In the past, the Caretaker wines had the Central Coast Wine Warehouse as the producer, ten years ago they made a substantial number of Trader Joe’s exclusive branded wine. The Miller Family Wine Company owned Central Coast Wine Warehouse, which was their custom wine division. The MIller family has farmed in California since 1871 and today own some of the best vineyards in the Central Coast AVA.
The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a blend of eight Cabernet Sauvignon grape clones, which should give this Cab a variety of textures and flavors. The back label describes the soil in the vineyards which would suggest the grapes were sourced from a few vineyards rather than many.
The back label also mentions small lot fermentation which could be the individual lots of grape clones that were fermented separately. Miller Family has its own wines and accompanying trade assets, but the Caretaker wines are not listed on its website.
The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 was aged “on” French oak, 20% new oak. Using the term on rather than in oak barrels always confuses me. There are alternative ways of imparting oak flavoring into wine, the use of oak barrels being the traditional method. The alcohol content is a balanced 13.5%.
The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is a still see-through cherry red with black highlights. The nose full and spicy, there is blackberry, licorice, exotic spice, mint, a savory note, chocolate powder, and black cherry. The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is soft and smooth on the palate with rich flavors.
This Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like black cherry and herbs, light chocolate and licorice (not sweet), and black pepper and plum. The mid-palate offers raspberry, orange zest, a touch of vanilla cream, and pomegranate. The tannins are smooth and the acidity allows the flavors room to unfold.
The Summary
- The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a very tasty $9.99 California Cabernet, remember TJ’s has a price advantage a comparable Cab should be in the $14 range.
- There are wine critics that profess that Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is the equal to Napa Cabs, so the vineyards in Paso are solid.
- This is a Cab that is a bargain.
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