2009 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon—A Crowd-Pleasing Value

My friend Linda recently brought over a bottle of the 2009 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon for a pot-luck Christmas party I was hosting. I had tasted this wine before but it had been a few years ago and I was happy to be reacquainted with this good value cab.

On the nose there was some big blackberry fruit backed up by some pleasing vanilla and spice. The wine was wonderfully mouth filling with flavors of cherry pie and earth. This was a surprisingly complex wine for its price (under $12.00) and it lingered nicely on the finish, a bit hot, but tempered with yummy mocha and stone fruit.

As you can imagine, our pot-luck buffet offered many pairing options. It paired well with the yam casserole and Linda’s roasted pork loin. It was equally tasty with the chocolate-coated éclairs.

If you are looking for an accessible Cabernet that will please most palates you can’t go wrong with the 2009 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon. And it’s cheap enough to share with all your friends!

2001 Cameron Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to preface this post by admitting that I am a big fan of Oregon Pinot Noir.

I love the big fruit flavors, the diversity of microclimates and soils, and the passion these winemakers bring to crafting wines from this challenging grape. So when I opened a bottle of 2001 Cameron Willamette Valley Pinot Noir the other night I did expect that I would like this wine. What I did not expect was how well it had aged.

Close to ten years in the bottle, I did see a clear lip when I poured the wine into a glass along with a slight brick tinge to the bright art glass color I was used to seeing in these pinots. But on the nose there was no hint of a wine in decline. I inhaled raspberry, cherry licorice, clove, sweet tobacco, and new oak.

On the palate I picked up the plum brandy flavor that I associate with some age, followed by bramble and mineral and a refreshing sparkling acid on the tongue.

This pinot finished long with a mild but lingering cherry pastille flavor. Yum, just the ticket for a cold, blustery night.

If you have a bottle of this wine in your cellar, I would recommend you liberate it— perhaps when there’s a turkey roasting or when you need just a little something…for medicinal purposes.