With the holidays quickly approaching, wine shops and liquor stores are abuzz with housewives and party-throwers searching for the perfect wine to serve at their holiday cocktail parties and Thanksgiving dinners. The 2007 Cabernet Franc by M. Cosentino may or may not be a terrific holiday wine for your get-together, as we learned during this week's tasting. We know one thing for certain, though - do not choose The Blue Dogs for your background music.
This was our first straight Cabernet Franc, so we weren't sure what to expect as we poured our glasses. The nose immediately screamed "sweet bread," so don't sniff this wine if you are watching your carbs. Aside from the bread, the nose had hits of berries, chocolate, and hazelnut coffee, giving the wine a warm and pleasant aura.
As for the music, Maggie chose this album from the Jazz section at Deaf Ear Records, hoping for something a little different than run-of-the-mill indie rock. Now that we've heard this record, we believe someone dropped "Halos and Good Buys" into the Jazz section on their way out, because this was certainly not jazz. This was straight-up, full-fledged, pop-driven country music. From the first track, "What's Wrong with Love Songs," we felt like we were listening to the Zac Brown Band's cheesiest song on repeat.
Blue Dogs "Halos and Good Buys" was a major disappointment |
Sipping the wine (and trying to tune out the music), we realized that we were getting very different textures out of the wine. Nick got a warm barbeque taste, with a bit of celery and veggies . . . basically, a dinner at Famous Dave's. Maggie's take on the wine was totally different--although the "warmth" of the wine was easy to agree with, she tasted vanilla, nuts, and bright berries--a completely different flavor color than Nick's interpretation.
The second pour helped us to reconcile our opinions. The taste of almond bark and white chocolate became more apparent as the wine opened up, and we both began to get plum on the nose of the wine. We figured the "barbeque" that Nick tasted was the same flavor that Maggie read as "berries," and the white chocolate and nutty tastes were both consistent with both of our palates.
Nick's Review
Audio
Not what I was expecting when Maggie told me she pulled this out of the Jazz section. Even the cover looked kind of jazz-like. After starting the music I even opened up the CD tray just to make sure we didn't get the wrong CD put into the case, but to my surprise it had the same title as the cover.
Again, all of these songs sounded the same. Some people may enjoy this album, if you like country music and want something in the background while you are doing other things that will keep your mind occupied this could be an okay album.
The album sleeve had a bunch of information on the guitars and amps that the band was using and you can tell the musicians are into their craft. This was evident in a few of the songs that had a bit more of a virtuosic spin, such as the beginning of track number 3 "Mr. Rain".
I will be honest and tell you I couldn't even finish this album.
2/10
Vino
Not a bad wine and definitely one that can be labeled as a crowd pleaser. Overly ripe for a Cab Franc which is typically a more delicate red wine that is light red and has some fruit with hints of greens. This wine was obviously blended, evident by it's dark color and very fruit-forward flavor profile. Maggie eluted earlier to the fact that it reminded me of Famous Dave's. It actually reminded me of this: Going to Famous Dave's for lunch and being very hungry, than you order a beer, this makes you even more hungry, than you eat you pork sandwich and every last crumb of your fries, than you eat a couple of pickles because you're still hungry. After all this you have had a few pleasant tastes on your pallet but you are still craving more and are forced to spend a few extra bucks on desert in order to satisfy your craving.
In a nutshell it was fun, but lacked complexity and left me wanting more. I definitely want to try another Cabernet Franc, but I will look for something a little less ripe for my next try. I am a big fan of M. Cosentino wines and I would highly recommend them as a pick that is a bit under the radar and also makes you feel like your not drinking the same old pour you had last weekend.
80 pts (decent gift wine/party wine)
Maggie's Review
Audio
There is very little I can say about this album, because I literally stopped paying attention after the first two tracks. The only track that held a little bit of hope for me was "Mr. Rain," only because it sounded more like modern rock at the beginning. Don't get me wrong--I can enjoy some good country music as much as any other girl, but this was terrible. It was obvious in every single song that this group was trying to make an album of hits. Every song sounded like it could have been released as a single: upbeat, mass-appeal, moderate tempo, and stale lyrics. Each song was formulaic, and they followed the exact same formula with every single song.
4/10
Vino
I think I was slightly more impressed with this wine than Nick was, mainly because I do think it had a distinct personality and was a great holiday wine. I can appreciate the cozy aspect of this wine, which contained hints of white chocolate, hazelnut, and sparse berries. In addition to the holiday-esque flavors, it also had some light celery and veggie flavors. However, I agree with Nick that it wasn't a very complex wine, and after some of the wines we've tried, I was definitely left wanting more of a challenge. Great party wine, quite appealing, and it all came at a decent price. These would make great stocking-stuffers for your favorite party-throwers!
84 pts.
The second pour helped us to reconcile our opinions. The taste of almond bark and white chocolate became more apparent as the wine opened up, and we both began to get plum on the nose of the wine. We figured the "barbeque" that Nick tasted was the same flavor that Maggie read as "berries," and the white chocolate and nutty tastes were both consistent with both of our palates.
Nick's Review
Audio
Not what I was expecting when Maggie told me she pulled this out of the Jazz section. Even the cover looked kind of jazz-like. After starting the music I even opened up the CD tray just to make sure we didn't get the wrong CD put into the case, but to my surprise it had the same title as the cover.
Again, all of these songs sounded the same. Some people may enjoy this album, if you like country music and want something in the background while you are doing other things that will keep your mind occupied this could be an okay album.
The album sleeve had a bunch of information on the guitars and amps that the band was using and you can tell the musicians are into their craft. This was evident in a few of the songs that had a bit more of a virtuosic spin, such as the beginning of track number 3 "Mr. Rain".
I will be honest and tell you I couldn't even finish this album.
2/10
Vino
Not a bad wine and definitely one that can be labeled as a crowd pleaser. Overly ripe for a Cab Franc which is typically a more delicate red wine that is light red and has some fruit with hints of greens. This wine was obviously blended, evident by it's dark color and very fruit-forward flavor profile. Maggie eluted earlier to the fact that it reminded me of Famous Dave's. It actually reminded me of this: Going to Famous Dave's for lunch and being very hungry, than you order a beer, this makes you even more hungry, than you eat you pork sandwich and every last crumb of your fries, than you eat a couple of pickles because you're still hungry. After all this you have had a few pleasant tastes on your pallet but you are still craving more and are forced to spend a few extra bucks on desert in order to satisfy your craving.
In a nutshell it was fun, but lacked complexity and left me wanting more. I definitely want to try another Cabernet Franc, but I will look for something a little less ripe for my next try. I am a big fan of M. Cosentino wines and I would highly recommend them as a pick that is a bit under the radar and also makes you feel like your not drinking the same old pour you had last weekend.
80 pts (decent gift wine/party wine)
Maggie's Review
Audio
There is very little I can say about this album, because I literally stopped paying attention after the first two tracks. The only track that held a little bit of hope for me was "Mr. Rain," only because it sounded more like modern rock at the beginning. Don't get me wrong--I can enjoy some good country music as much as any other girl, but this was terrible. It was obvious in every single song that this group was trying to make an album of hits. Every song sounded like it could have been released as a single: upbeat, mass-appeal, moderate tempo, and stale lyrics. Each song was formulaic, and they followed the exact same formula with every single song.
4/10
Vino
I think I was slightly more impressed with this wine than Nick was, mainly because I do think it had a distinct personality and was a great holiday wine. I can appreciate the cozy aspect of this wine, which contained hints of white chocolate, hazelnut, and sparse berries. In addition to the holiday-esque flavors, it also had some light celery and veggie flavors. However, I agree with Nick that it wasn't a very complex wine, and after some of the wines we've tried, I was definitely left wanting more of a challenge. Great party wine, quite appealing, and it all came at a decent price. These would make great stocking-stuffers for your favorite party-throwers!
84 pts.
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