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The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a wine I found selling for $13.99 it is sourced from the Goose Ridge, Painted Hills, Badger Mountain, and the Sportfisher vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State.
This is a wine brand from The House of Smith wines (Charles Smith) whose stated goal for this wine is to make the best Cabernet Sauvignon for under $15. He may be right since this vintage received 90 to 93 points from four major American wine reviewers.
I have been a fan of Charles Smith wines for years, they are one of the best wine companies that offer $150 100-point wines and sell excellent value-priced wine. These wines have been consistently excellent for a long time.
The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 came from a top-notch growing season in the Columbia Valley. The weather was warm and the growing season was long, producing excellent grapes.
This Cabernet Sauvignon used whole-berry fermentation. The grapes are destemmed but not crushed when placed into the fermentation tanks. It is the weight of the fruit that crushes the grapes.
Natural yeast is used for fermentation. Natural yeast is the yeast that floats in the air around the vineyard. This yeast is thought to be the best match for the grapes, so commercial yeast is not needed.
The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is aged for 11 months (on lees) in French oak barriques. 25% are new, and the rest have been used a few times before. They do this to get the right amount of oak influence for a drink-it-now wine.
On Lees means that the dead, spent yeast is left in the tank with the aging juice, this added flavor if stirred can give a creamy texture.
French barriques are Bordeaux barrels which are the traditional size for Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine barrels come in all sizes depending upon the intended outcome. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is clear, shiny black cherry red. The nose is vibrant, I could sense from a foot away, there were aromas of blackberry, spice, vanilla, dusty chocolate, strawberry, light herbs, and plum. The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is powerful on the palate, the flavors are full and the textures interesting.
This Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like blackberry, black licorice, spice, black pepper, chocolate, and plum. The mid-palate adds pomegranate, sharp spice, black cherry, and a tug from the tannins. A Good Cabernet Sauvignon needs good tannins, often value-priced Cabernet SAuvignon has its tannins reduced.
This is a wine that is soft and smooth on the palate, but fully flavored and rich.
The Summary
- The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is an excellent American Cab Sauv.
- You can pay more for your Cabernet but you probably are not getting better.
