Ironside Cabernet

September 18, 2014

At A Glance...

Color

$

Price

2012

Vintage

Body

Value

13.9

% Alcohol

This Cab, currently the only offering from Ironside Cellars, does a great job of what it set out to do – delivering a good Cab to the under $20 market.

To put it more simply, a Cab like this is a steal at the $15 we paid for it.

The 2012 vintage offers a nice 13.9% ABV. It’s full bodied with a deep ruby red color, but has a very gentle finish – perhaps a little too gentle, depending on your taste.

The wine is 85% Cabernet, combined with 4% each of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Petit Sirah, and finally 3% Merlot. The grapes are mostly from Paso Robles (40%) but also get a good mix of fruit from Sonoma County, Napa Valley and Mendocino County.

As you’ll notice from the cork photo above, Ironside actually cellared and bottled by 90+ Cellars. 90+ is another company owned by Ironside’s creators, and carries the same dedication to great, inexpensive wines.

Chad's Notes

This was a really good Cab for the price. The aroma is earthy with a faint hint of cocoa, but the sweet fruits take over on the tongue, leaving just a hint of earthiness underneath the sweet berries and a little bit of plum flavor. After that the flavors shifts to take on a slight tartness.

The only downside to Ironside for me was the limited finish. The flavor and body are phenomenal, but it just seems to evaporate in your mouth.

It did leave me wanting a bit more, but what it does have is good enough to make up for it. Overall, this is a great low budget wine.

Lynne's Notes

This Cab definitely had a couple of the things I tend to look for in a wine - a fuller body and a sweet (without being overly sweet) berry flavor. That being said, I would have liked a bit more of a bite on the finish, although that didn't detract from the overall taste for me. If you don't look for that bite in a wine, this might be a great choice for you.

I would certainly drink this wine again, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it!

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