WineLife365

Please put down the weekend section of your newspaper, pull up a chair, and grab a plate of spaghetti and meatballs along with a wine glass, because I want to share with you two wines this evening – a white, and one red that flat out pounded my taste buds like Ryan Howard taking batting practice.

First up, was a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.  By now, everyone should know that Marlborough is home to some of the tastiest Sauvignon Blancs on earth, right?  So, I came across a name that I’d never heard of before and decided to give it a “taste drive”.  This 2008 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was called Ponga.  I was drawn to this white wine for three reasons:  First, I love - I mean really LOVE New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; second, it was a new wine (at least to me); and third, it was priced under $10…which you don’t see very often when it comes to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

So how was the 2008 Ponga?  Well, not very good in my opinion.  It was of a lesser quality than many of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that I’ve tasted so far this year.  It lacked that familiar grassiness and crisp acidity that I love about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and it had a very odd tasting nectarine and citrus flavor that didn’t do much for me.  Finally, there was absolutely no finish in the finale of this wine to convince me to purchase it again.

Unfortunately, I have to give the 2008 Ponga 2 stars out of 4.  It wasn’t completely dreadful, but it was pretty far off from the delicious “Marlborough Gold” costing just a few dollars more.

Next up on this Friday evening was the red, which came from the Stags Leap District in beautiful Napa Valley, California.  It was a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon called Angels Landing.  If you didn’t already know, the Stag’s Leap District is home to some the finest made Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.  However, precision-made Cabs from this part of the Napa neighborhood, in normal economic times, usually fetch prices between $50 to ”the sky is the limit”.  But times are tough these days and everyone is feeling the pinch, even the wine industry.  Which is why this a great time to discover lots of wines at bargain prices, if you’re willing to look for them and give them a try!  Such was the case with this obscure looking Cabernet Sauvignon from Angels Landing.  This wine was priced at $19.99 a bottle and had a label that I had never seen before.  But I thought, $20 for a Stags Leap District wine – it’s gotta be at least halfway decent?!  So, I picked up a bottle of this “unknown” Cab to see for myself if it was indeed as “heavenly” as I imagined it.

So, was the 2007 Angels Landing Cabernet Sauvignon heaven on earth?  You bet your sweet bippy it was - and then some!  I only have one word to describe this California Cab - WOW!!  If you’re looking for a flawless California Cab, then this just might be the best buy on the market right now.  Again, I paid $19.99 for this California Cab and it tasted more like a $50 dollar bottle of wine.  I could go on and on about this wine, but I’ll stop right now to allow you to head straight over to your local wine establishment to buy as much of it as you possibly can!  This wine will blow your mind – trust me!

I give the 2007 Angels Landing Cabernet Sauvignon 4 Stars!  I would strongly encourage you to purchase as much of this wine as you can before it’s all gone.