Hello everyone! My wife and I were walking around the wine section the other day and saw a bottle with a mythical-looking creature staring at us from a label. We talked about how colorful the label was and, as she walked down the isle, I stashed a bottle in the cart. Don’t tell her, but here is the info on the Messina Hof Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Reserve.
Name: Messina Hof Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel ReserveWinery: Messina Hof Wine Cellars, Inc.
Vintage: 2009
Region: Bryan, Texas
Alcohol by Vol.: 13.5%
Price: $10
(Price can vary on state, taxes, the store’s mark-up, the proximity of the moon, and who wins the next UFC main event.)
The aroma has a distinctive oak flair. It came off very fruity but I couldn’t discern any specific smell because of the oak accents. The wine had a full body, nice dark color, and good clarity. It was very pleasing to look at. Aerating the wine increased the oak scent, but didn’t help me detect the other flavors.
My first taste confirmed the oak that I smelled. The bottle describes the oak flavor a “luscious.” I think I would use another descriptor. I would say it was damn near overpowering. Even after drinking it for a while I still couldn’t get the wood flavor out of my mouth. I would (or do you mean ‘wood’ J) probably say this was more along the lines of a wood wine with hints of grape.
SPOILER ALERT: I am about to talk about the latest Batman movie. If you haven’t seen it by this point, then I can’t help you but you can skip to the end of the post for the rating.
I have a good analogy as to the strength of the oak. Do you remember the scene where Batman and Bane are fighting in the sewer? The oak is Bane and my palate is Batman. Though my palate took a beating, it will be back with a vengeance.
Rating = Try Again.
Despite the overwhelming oak, this wine is going to fall into my try again bucket. I think this wine could go well with some smokey meats. I don’t want to rule it out, but I might have to if I can’t find something to mellow out the oak. (If anyone from Messina Hof is reading this, I am open to suggestions on this and will post anything that you mention on the blog for others to enjoy also.)
