Redhawk, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
We deliberately paired this bottle with the Arcane Cabernet (see other review). Both are Cabs. Both are produced by winemakers near Salem. However, Arcane's grapes are from the south (Rogue Valley), and Redhawk is from the north (Columbia Valley). Oh, and to be fair, Arcane was a 2006 and Redhawk was a 2005.
The Arcane was considerably "oaked" and was therefore noticeably more "sweet" with that vanilla taste (not literally sweet of course) than this wine.
The Redhawk nose was leather, manure, and pepper. Robin said it smelled like a riding saddle. And yes, again, we're using "manure" to mean something good and enjoyable.
The taste was black cherry and pepper, and it finished that way too. The wine was noticeably more earthy than the Arcane Cab. Whereas the Arcane had a better mouthfeel and was smoother.
As I mentioned in the Arcane review, the group was split on which was better. I generally prefer earthier wines, and at the beginning I thought I liked this one better.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5