Cameron Hughes Wines "Lot 102" 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
The wine is a bright ruby-purple in the glass, and offers a nice bouquet of dusty black cherry, blackberry, and currant fruit, touched with cedary oak and hints of eucalyptus and cocao. The smooth attack leads to a medium-bodied mouthfeel, with lots of forward fruit and surprisingly good balance and polish. Classic Cabernet cherry, blackberry, currant, and cassis fruit abounds here, with some cedary, toasty oak, and mild accents of earth, chocolate, and herb. Good acidity gives brightness to the fruit flavors, which are etched on the palate by ripe and fine-grained tannins. The finish is of decent length, full of flavors consistent with the nose and palate, closing clean and dry.
There is a lot to like here for $11. The flavors don't really evolve much, and the secondary notes are dominated by all the sweet, ripe fruit. But at the price point, this is one of the better Cabernets that I have had recently. A fresh, juicy young Cab is what you should expect for this money, and this one delivers the goods with great varietal character, and more finesse and refinement than you can generally get from a Napa Cab for this kind of money (if you can get anything at all). A great cooking wine - this one had obvious synergy with a bolognese sauce seasoned with a generous half cup from the bottle. Also a great stand alone. Definitely case-worthy as a casual, 'house' Cabernet.
