Wine Tasting: Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

In today’s wine tasting, I sample a bottle of Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from California’s Sonoma Valley.  Thank you, Kunde Family Winery, for providing a bottle to try out.

You can learn a little bit about a wine from the bottle.  For example, the wine label on the bottle of Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon shares that it’s 14.5% alcohol and it comes from Sonoma Valley.  Plus, it provides its own tasting notes.

Luxuriously layered with deep notes of raspberry and dark cocoa, our estate grown Cabernet reveals a palate of black cherry, fig and cinnamon spice wrapped in velvety tannins.  Pop the cork – your grilled rib eye or roasted lamb never had it this good.

You can learn even more about a wine from the winery’s website.  Here’s a few things I picked up from the Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 page.

• 2013 was an excellent growing season for Cabernet, with long, warm days, and cool nights.
• This wine was aged 19 months in French oak.
• The winery recommends enjoying with family alongside barbecue, burgers, and spare ribs.
• This wine costs $30 per bottle in the winery’s wine shop.

Let’s separate the marketing language from what’s actually in the glass.  Raspberry, cocoa, and black cherry?  You might be forgiven for thinking this was a box of assorted chocolates.  In the interest of helping people sort out the flavor and aroma notes in wine, wineries include these food-related comparisons.  Usually, these notes are not “in your face”; rather, they’ll drift into your consciousness if you take time to focus on the wine.

Here are my impressions.  While the recommended food pairings seem a bit broad (everything from lamb to burgers), they coalesce around a theme: strongly flavored meat.  Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is hearty enough to match the strength of even the most assertive meat dishes, all the way to barbecue.  Of course, you can’t go wrong when you pair this wine with beef of any kind.  It’s accessible enough to bring out for casual gatherings, but has enough sophistication to make you say, “Nice!”

Try these recipes with this Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon 2013.

Creole Beef Tenderloin

New York Strip Roast

15 Tasty Grilled Beef Recipes

Shop for Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon here.