Have you ever tasted a wine you didn’t think actually tasted like wine?
During a marathon tasting session the weekend before Christmas, the good folks at Concannon Vineyard surprised us with a couple library tastings, their 1998 and 1999 Cabernets. The wines are available from the winery now at steep discount.
I can understand why. The 1998 vintage was, well… disappointing. Not even bad per se, just definitely not good. And this, the 1999. Freakin' weird.
But I liked it, quite a bit. Not enough to take advantage of their massive case discount ($10 per bottle when you buy the case on something that was $40 a bottle not long ago), but I liked it nonetheless.
So, what’s so weird about this wine?
It tastes like bell peppers.
Not even a little. I’m not saying that there is a hint or note of bell pepper. This wine tastes like bell peppers. Red ones, to be exact.
There are slight hints of other flavors, as well. On the nose I got kind of a fresh tomato, vegetable garden thing going on. But still, mostly bell pepper. Once I got past the bell pepper flavor after sipping, I noticed more of the tomato-y notes, this time with a bit of what seemed like garlic. Like I was tasting pasta sauce, a good, fresh marinara.
In no way does this make the wine “bad.” It’s just… weird. And, therefore, kind of difficult to recommend. But I did enjoy it, myself. Not sure how easy it is to get ahold of outside of the winery itself, but if you stumble upon some and are in for a walk on the wild side, go for it.
Verdict: 81/100