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The Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $4.95 Aldi exclusive wine made for them by some part of E & J Gallo wines. The Hwy 5 line of wines includes a Merlot, Pinot Noir, and a Chardonnay as well as this Cab Sauv.
This is Aldi’s mid-tier of inexpensive wines, the Winking Owl line is a few bucks less expensive, though upgrading to Hwy 5 is worth the extra money. Gallo is the largest family-owned winery in the US and one of the largest wineries in the world and is skilled at offering good quality value-priced wine.
Aldi does not offer any information concerning the Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 and most 5-buck wines do not have exciting production methods. One interesting note is the back label mentions cocoa and vanilla flavors, which come from some sort of oak seasoning.
Oak barrels can cost $1,000 a piece, a budget breaker for wine this inexpensive. Oak flavoring can be imparted into wine through the use of oak chips or oak powder, along with a few other methods. You do not want to see oak chips or powder in $20 wine but this is to be expected in cheaper wines.
You expect oak season in California Cabernet Sauvignon, wine without it can taste like something is missing. Adding oak influence in a $4.95 Red is much appreciated. The Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 has a couple of years of age which is a good sign for a value-priced Red and has an alcohol content is 13%.
The Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is still see-thru cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is blackberry, herbs, black pepper, and plum. The Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is soft on the palate, the flavors are not complicated, but are generally tasty.
This Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like blackberry, little sweet blueberry, a slap of sharp spice, and jammy strawberry. The mid-palate mirrors the body of the wine but does add sour cherry and red hard candy (not sweet). Both the tannins and the acidity stay out of the way.
The Summary
- The Hwy 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is better than a $4.95 wine should be.
- I think California Cabernet Sauvignon greatly improves at ten dollars and above, but Hwy 5 Cab is not a bad wine.
- When going very cheap I would focus on White wines many of those do very well with simple production methods.
