Review of 2005 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon

I haven’t been drinking many cabs lately. Most of the red wines I’ve had in recent months have been syrahs, pinot noirs, and a few good sangioveses. However, after meeting a woman last December from the family who owns Sequoia Grove winery, (in Sequoia National Park, of all places), and chatting with her about their wines, I made a mental note to give their cabernet sauvignon a try.

I found it at Costco here in Los Angeles for $28.99. The winery sells it for $34.00 in their tasting room. I’ve seen it listed as high as $46. The Costco price is the lowest I’ve seen.

I was pretty excited to try this wine. Wine Enthusiast magazine rated it 93 points. The Washington Times named it a Wine of the Week. Plus, the lady I met in Sequoia National Park said she and her family were very proud of it.

So what’s the verdict? Well, it’s a good wine, don’t get me wrong. I think 93 points is too high; something like 90 points sounds about right to me. The taste was good enough. In other words, it tasted like a good (but not great) cab should taste. However, it didn't really express that Napa Valley terroir that is so characteristic of the best cabs from that area.

Also, the color and clarity of the wine left a little to be desired. I was expecting a beautiful garnet color, but it looked a little muddled to me. The wine was racked twice. Perhaps one more racking would have improved the wines’ clarity and overall appearance.

The wine was nicely balanced, however. There was pretty good fruit, proper acidity, and the oak was evident, but not over powering.

I wasn't exactly disappointed with the 2005 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon. Underwhelmed might be a bettter word. In short, this is a good wine at a slightly inflated price. For about $10 less you can buy the 2005 or 2006 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. It’s just as good, if not better than the Sequoia Grove offering, and you'll save 10 bucks to boot.

I guess the bottom line for me is that while I wasn't overly disappointed in the 2005 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon, I wouldn't buy it again either.

If you do buy this wine, it needs to be decanted at least an hour before drinking because it's still very young.


Here’s some information about the wine and the winery for those who are interested:

Sequoia Grove winery is located in Napa Valley. Founded in 1980, the winery also produces sauvignon blanc, merlot, chardonnay, syrah, and a rose made from syrah.

The 2005 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon was made with 100% Napa Valley fruit from their original Estate vineyard, a newly acquired Tonella Estate Vineyard in Rutherford, as well as from other growers throughout Napa County.

Alcohol content: 14.2%

The wine was stored for 18 months in 45% new American oak. It was bottled on July 1, 2007, and released on June 23, 2008.

Hand-sorted fruit - 1-2 day cold soak - Inoculated with an assortment of French yeast strains - Small batch fermentations - Pumpovers 2-3 times per day - Malolactic fermentation in barrels - Racked two times before bottling

Michael Trujillo is the winemaker.