Gallo of Sonoma Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 wine review by (PB)

This wine was a Gaiter/Brecher (Wall Street Journal) “inexpensive Cabernet” pick several weeks back. My wife found it for $14 and wanted to give it a shot.

The color of this wine is nice with a medium garnet hue. It has fruit forward bouquet with a nice touch of cinnamon “red hots” trailing after. It has a dark fruit nose though a bit closed on opening.

In the mouth this wine is nice right off yet a little tight. There is a nice gentle touch of vanilla, and a little spice and of course dark fruit. With a half hour of breathing this wine gets even better being full of ripe, dark berries with a touch of cedar.

My wife and I both liked this wine and think it a good value. What is weird is that the Wine Spectator reviewed this wine saying it had intense tannins. Their review was done in June. I remarked in my journal that the tannins were down right supple. Bottle variation or quick maturation in six months? Beats me—just raise a glass; this should be readily available.