Cellar No. 8
Asti Winery
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cost: $10.99 / bottle
Rating: 7.5/10
likely would buy again
The name of the wine is what attracted me to it in the wine shop. What I thought was a unique naming convention in my early days of discovering wine -- naming a wine after a bin or a lot -- is actually more common than I knew. Still, something about this No. 8 drew me to it. Maybe it was the price, maybe it was the label, maybe it was the idea that I had to try No. 8 because I wondered if the first seven were any good. Who knows. Regardless, I brought it home for the Gal and I to try as we wind our way though the wonderful world of wine blogging.
The initial impression of No. 8 wasn't what I had hoped for. It was a deep maroon color with hints of spice and a bit of fruit, but my initial taste wasn't a deep rich satisfying moment, it was more of a tart fruity sensation that left my mouth feeling a bit chalky after I swallowed. Of course I did the whole "Smell it three times in a deep wine glass" to get the wine's aroma down. I took a sip holding it in my mouth for the recommend 3-5 seconds (See Kevin Zraly's Windows On The World Complete Wine Course), and still something didn't feel right. I think I was trying to put too much thought into drinking the wine, and not just enjoying it.
So, to hell with the "how to drink" wine guidelines, I filled the glass and took in a mouthful of the deep red Cab to see if it was what I wanted to drink with dinner. As I swallowed, I felt the warm sensation follow the wine down my throat opening my senses to the peppery, fairly rich sensations the wine offered. Still though, it wasn't what I had hoped for. At least, not until I had it with something to eat.
The Gal brought home a fresh baked flax seed 9" round loaf from the bakery -- a treat we only rarely afford ourselves (fresh bread) as it's completely against every known diet recommendation, and we're actually trying to be good. The bread, dipped in virgin olive oil, was an excellent compliment to the wine. Add in a little pasta with red marinara sauce and the wine came to life. [What?!!! This, my friends, is "The Gal" proofing "The Guy's" grammar, etc. and he is SO not sure of what's going on with the bread I brought home - bought at my favorite "New Morning Country Store" literally taken off the truck from "Bantam Bread Company" - it is 100% completely organic wheat flour with flax seeds and oat and canola oil, etc., etc. , etc. NOT bad for you at all!!!!!! Of course, if you consume 3/4 of the loaf like he did, along with a half pound of pasta, it is bound to pack on the pounds]
When drinking the rest of my glass during dinner, I no longer noticed the unflattering dryness of the wine, nor the overabundant berry aroma. What I noticed was that it went well with dinner. Heavy foods like bread and a pasta with red sauce, put this wine firmly into the "will buy again" category after it's initial placement there was in doubt.
An interesting fact about the wine, aside being available under $15, is that it comes from a cellar founded by some old country Italians who settled in California and started a winery ... the Asti Winery. Now of course, what I've learned about the winery is that it was bought out by Beringer, and more recently by Fosters (yes the beer company). Not that that should turn you away from picking a wine, but it lost a little of it's personality, at least in my opinion, even though it still hails from a highly respected section of wine country in Sonoma County California.
From the label:
Cellar No. 8 wines are crafted at the historic Asti Winery in Somona County. Applying time-honored methods and expertise, founder Andrea Sbarboro[sic] and a group of Italian immigrants formed an entire community around the art of winemaking. Cellar No. 8 makes only red wines -- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel -- which deliver rich flavors of cigar, spice, leather, earth and chocolate. Whether relaxing in your favorite leather chair or barbecuing with your friends, Cellar No. 8 is a great discovery which just might become your next tradition.
From an article on bay area winemaking covering North Bay communities such as Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. NorthBayBiz.com, there was a bit more about Andrea Sbarbaro, and his establishment of the Asti Winery community:
Sbarbaro was a successful Italian immigrant in San Francisco. Among other ventures, he organized and managed numerous building and loan associations. Through his business acumen, the various organizations he headed were able to build over 2,500 homes in the Bay Area. Applying his building and loan principles to agriculture, Sbarbaro fashioned a plan for a grape growing and winemaking cooperative, but the families that settled in the villages of Asti and Chianti were not interested in shares of stock and commonly held property. They wanted their own land to farm and they were willing to save their wages to acquire it.
If you're a fan of Sonoma -- and you probably won't know till you try at least a half dozen different wines from the area -- then you may want to check out these other North County wineries or this map (right click to save/view in new window PDF)
After reviewing that list, I can honestly say I'm a fan and I never knew it. We (the gal and I) have had a number of wines from Sonoma including Simi, Ravenswood, Blackstone, Chateau St. Jean, Kendall-Jackson and more. It seems many of the hearty reds we tend to enjoy have their roots in Sonoma.
Back to Cellar No. 8.
Buy it, try it, it's worth the $10-12. You can get it online for under $10.00 and even less if you buy a half case or a case. I paid retail of $10.99. I wouldn't recommend it if it pushes the $15 barrier, there are too many other Cabernet Sauvignons out there at that price.
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