Robert Mondavi Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon Review
Whiskey barrel ageing food items has been a bit of a trend these past few years with products like barrel-aged coffees, hot sauces, honey, and maple syrups becoming popular to name just a few.
It’s also become a bit of a trend in winemaking where some bold winemakers have taken to whiskey barrel aging wine.
I have one such example next to me today and that is the Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon 2021.
It cost $13 and is widely available in supermarkets, liquor stores and wine stores nationwide.
I love both whiskey and wine but should they ever meet? Well, that's what I'm going to find out today as I taste and rate this bourbon barrel aged Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine Specs
So, a bit about the wine....
It’s made with grapes from California’s central coast vineyards. Parts of the wine are aged in a mix of new and used bourbon barrels. The used barrels are said to come from a renowned Kentucky distillery but a name isn’t given.
From the new barrels, we can expect the notes of oak to be picked up and the used barrels should impart characteristics of bourbon into the wine.
No details are given on how long the wine spends in barrels but I can't imagine it's long. Bourbon is a big, bold drink and any more than a hint of bourbon flavor is going to easily overpower the fruit in a wine.
Appearance
It's an inky, dark ruby with a little opacity. It looks to be medium to full-bodied.
Nose
I had two very different experiences with this wine and it's important that I tell both stories.
My first encounter was after letting it decant for an hour. There was way too much barrel influence and the alcohol was very apparent too. I had to work hard to find the fruit beneath the oak and bourbon influence.
I tried the wine again the next evening and it had evolved into something much more enjoyable.
The overpowering alcohol and oak had subsided and fruit was front and center, as it should be.
Dark fruit notes of blackcurrant, blackberry and red cherry were obvious this time. It started to smell like Cabernet Sauvignon when I wasn't so sure the previous day. There was also a light smokiness to it and a sweeter caramel note. It was like a campfire smoke and it wasn't there the previous day.
I guess the smoke and caramel notes may have been there before but were just well masked by alcohol and oak. A bit of air had worked wonders in developing them anyway.
Tasting
Again, I'll start with my first experience with the wine and then the next day as they're two very different stories.
On the night of opening the wine, just like with the nose, the palate was overpowered with bourbon. There was more than just a hint of bourbon influence and it took for the firm, grippy tannins to take hold to remind me I was actually drinking Cabernet Sauvignon!
It ended with a long bourbon flavored finish that I didn't enjoy. I mean if I wanted to drink bourbon I'd pour bourbon! I wasn't impressed and at the time I couldn't imagine pouring another glass.
However....
I did come back to it just over 24 hours later and the palate had too evolved into something much more palatable.
Like with the nose, the bourbon influence subsided. Jammy, dark fruit came through strong with that little bit of smoke that's a nice feature of this wine.
But, despite the dark fruit notes of blackberry and blackcurrant tasting jammy, this isn't a sweet wine. In fact, it's almost savory. It's much drier than these cheap red wines are usually and I applaud the winemaker(s) for doing so.
The tannins are very firm and there's a medium level of acidity. This wine has good structure and a big character. It's not a crowd pleasing, easy drinker like so many wines are at this price point.
It still feels a little hot though. You feel is warm your throat in almost the same way as a whiskey does. I mean it's 14.5% ABV which is by no means light, but the alcohol seems to carry a bit more weight.
Score
I've never had such polarizing opinions on a bottle of wine before. It changed from being a wine I genuinely didn't enjoy into one that I'd buy again!
It needs air and lots of it! The effect that oxygen had on this wine was amazing.
I wonder if it might even benefit from another year in the bottle. I'll pick up another bottle and find out.
I'll score it according to the positive experience I had but this score comes with an asterisk!
The Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon scores 7/10.
In the end, this was a wine I really enjoyed drinking. It was an interesting experience and I enjoyed the fact I was discovering new notes over time. While I wouldn't call this wine complex by any means, there were layers there that most wines supermarket wines don't have.
The wine's nature was also a welcome surprise. I'm so used to drinking slightly sweet red wines in this price range!
So, despite my travails, this is a wine that I recommend you try. Especially if you are a fan of bourbon. Just be sure to give it plenty of air first.
Have you tried this wine? How would you score it? I'd love to hear your opinion down below!
