Saturday, February 9, 2008

Wine Corner Review #15: Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon

We Americans are picky creatures. Dang it, if we rise up as one and demand Quality And Value, we often get it, especially in these oft-troubled times. America had this collective Strange Idea just a few short years ago: Why can't we buy certified, bonified, genu-wine Good Wine at prices easier on the wallet that if we purchased it at our local wine shoppe? Response: America (sayeth Free Enterprise, in the form of Walmart, HEB, Kroger, etc) Here is the wine you requested: Quality With Value. Idiomatic Expression: Well, I Swanney, but I do believe I have broken a few of the Rules Of Grammar, really I do. (Orchestra: Warning Cue #87 for More of Scarlett's Pithy Sayings, and I don't mean Scarlett Johannsen the erstwhile New York Doll.) If any of you are still with me, know that such very good vinters as Chateau St.Michelle, Coppola, and as in this case, Toasted Head (a non-de-plume if you like for RH Phillips) took up the challenge and continue it to this very day, as embodied in Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon.

The robe of the Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon (red, not blanc) is a thunderously rich reddish-purplish maroon. (Many Good Reds boast a variation of a maroon robe or color.) The nose is many-noted, like The Call in Jack London's immortal Call of the Wild, with cavendish and cherries among it's treble clef of music. The palate is thoroughly rewarded with tobacco, coffee, chocolate, and the slightest touch of currant. (Yes, this last assessment bears remarkable similarity to the tasting notes, plus anise, plum, noble rot, raspberries and blackberries. Taste it: I dare you to deny that one could easily conclude such notes on their own.) Why such complexity in one so young and foolish (foolish as in, under $15)? Furthur research at www.toastedhead.com reveals answers: Touches of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Merlot make this here tipple a Bordeaux Claret American Style. All that, and it's readily available at grocery store prices. Try one of the uniquely-labeled bottles soon, and, yes,

LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD!!!

3 comments:

Donna said...

Toasted Head Cab is one of our favorite go-to red wines for a grocery store pick. Nice review, Czar.

Food Czar said...

Thanks, Donna. I know how solid your tastes are, so that is quite a compliment. I feel TH Chard and Merlot have a lot to offer as well.

Aaron said...

Has anyone noticed that the 2013 version of the Toasted Head Cabernet tastes *much* different than it did in previous years? I realize that there are good years and bad years, but this seems like a fundamental shift in the character of the wine. Toasted Head Cabernet has been my go-to evening wine for the past several years, but the new version (with the new label) is too "fruit forward" for my tastes. Not sure if it's just me or if other Toasted Head Cabernet fans feel this way.