Parducci “Small Lot” Cabernet Sauvignon – Big Flavor

I’ve reviewed a couple wines from the Parducci “Small Lot” series lately, including their pinot noir and chardonnay. Both of those wines impressed me as incredible values. So I wasn’t terribly surprised when I tried their cabernet sauvignon and again it delivers a lot of bang for the buck.

This wine comes from Mendocino County in California, which is one of the northernmost wine regions in California. It’s a fairly large and diverse wine region, but as the name of this wine suggests the grapes in this bottle come from a small lot within this large wine region.

The spices stand out on the nose of this wine, showing aromas like vanilla, allspice, fresh leather and even a touch of toffee. That’s not to say there’s not any fruit on the nose, as there’s plenty of cherry, currant and plum aromatics. On the palate that fruit really comes to life, delivering big plum, cherry, currant and blackberry flavors. The acidity is good. The mouthfeel is nice with a touch of tannin, but nothing too intense. The finish lingers on and on.

This wine is an incredible bargain. I’ve had Californian cabernet sauvignon that costs twice as much or more and wasn’t this good.

Wine: Parducci “Small Lot” Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 98% cabernet sauvignon, 2% merlot
Vintage: 2014
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $12.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.