WineXpert Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

[davewaz]

Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon= So I used some of a bottle of mine today to top off another batch. This has aged for 4 months so far, 2 months in the carboy and two months in the bottle. My initial impression is that it is thicker than expected. Many reviews stated the cheaper kits lacked body/thickness. The flavor is good not great, still a tad juicy and leaving a slight chalkiness to my mouth. I think I'm gonna hold off on opening another bottle til I need a red to top off a new batch. Overall I'm happy with this kit so far considering it's price.

 

[jdeere5220]

Thanks for the review, I wish people would do more of that!

 

[MN-winer]

Thats good to know. I did a VR Pinot noir and was not that impressed. It never really improved a whole lot except when I left the bottle open for a few days early on..

 

[davewaz]

Well craked another bottle to top off my Chilean Malbec I'm racking. After another month the chalky taste is gone. Unfortunatly the juicy taste is overiding the flavor of the wine. It's not bad but not good. Doesn't taste like a cabernet, more of a blend taste, like a cheap-moderatly priced table wine. I won't touch it again til october, hopefully it will gain some complexity by that point.

 

[davewaz]

Well I didn't listen to my own advice and wait till October. Really wanted to drink red wine tonight and didn't go to the liquor store so opened a bottle of the Wine Expert Cab Sav. This is now getting close to 8 months old. Happy to report the juice taste is completly gone. Oddly enough this bottle also appears to have less body than I remember? The flavor is very nutty and smooth. I must say that age has improved it. I've read alot of recommendations that aging cheap kits doesn't do much but I beg to differ. I'm gonna leave the bottles I have left alone for a couple more months then report back.

 

[timothyg]

I just made this kit a week ago. I'm bulk aging it for 2 weeks then I will bottle. It's nice to hear a review. Let me know how it goes. I'll try and update you of my status, if it survives that long.

 

[robie]

I've read alot of recommendations that aging cheap kits doesn't do much but I beg to differ.

It is not that with less expensive kits, "aging doesn't do much", it is that in most cases aging does less than with premium or ultra premium kits.

The positive effects of aging continue longer for a wine that has more total dissolved solids (TDS). Less expensive kits generally have much lower TDS than the better kits. A low TDS wine will still improve, but will peak out much sooner than a high TDS wine.

(Very sweet wines will also age longer. They age because of the sugar content. They do improve with age, but don't necessarily improve in the same "manner" as a dry red. Rieslings can last 100 years.)

Just as an example, one low TDS wine will start improving and continue to improve for, say, the first year. By the end of that first year of aging, it might not get any better. It has peaked. (This is just an example!)

During the same year, a high TDS wine can do at least two of several different things:
1), it might improve at the same rate and be just as good at the end of that year. Side by side, the two wines may taste similar. However, the high TDS likely will continue to improve for several more years to come to get even better.
2), it might not improve at the same rate as the low TDS wine, so at the end of that year, it will not even be close to being ready to drink. However, each year it will continue to improve until one day you open it and think you must have opened a different wine than its last sampling.

Number 2 is usually the case for me and my wines and I would guess it is for most home wine makers..

So, IMO, in the end the higher TDS kits will most generally make the better wine. Of course it all depends on how long you want to wait. Sometimes, having to wait several years for a wine to be drinkable is a real chore. Sometimes it is a matter of how much we are able to spend. Either case is a valid point.

 

[timothyg]

(Very sweet wines will also age longer. They age because of the sugar content. They do improve with age, but don't necessarily improve in the same "manner" as a dry red. Rieslings can last 100 years.)

My first kit was a Riesling (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ELJK3M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20). It was a very cheap kit, as an experiment. I know there are a lot of factors, however how long do you think until this wine peaks?

I don't think my Riesling will last more then a 100 days, considering within the first 14 days 20 of the 30 bottles were given away (mostly) or consumed =). I was just curious. And at this rate I think I'm going to make another Riesling soon, so recommendations are always appreciated.

 

[terroirdejeroir]

Bottled my first ever batch a couple of months ago. Vintners Reserver Cabernet Sauvignon. Just drank the first bottle a couple of days ago and my reaction is a little mixed. There is still a bit of yeastiness to it, but the initial taste and mouthfeel is pretty good. Finishes with a little yeasty taste that I am hoping will lessen as it ages.

I am looking to try an ultra-premium kit next - anybody have any feedback about the Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet?