Our Wine Nerd, Collin Flatt, awaited this bottle’s appearance in the PLCB for 3 months. It’s here. It’s $8. It’s amazing.

Finding a good Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t challenging. Head to Bordeaux or Napa Valley, of course. Average price for top flight American Cab is around $100 per bottle, double that in France. I don’t drink a lot of Cabernet for that reason. Sure the liquor store is rife with big red, but most of them suck. There’s no way around it. Whisper down the lane in the nerd circuit told me this bottle was on the way. We all knew the producer and the region. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

The hype was there, if for no other reason than value. A Mendoza Cab for $8 is what they said. Can’t be, we said. This bottle is the dollar-to-glass Queen Of Happiness. A great find in long supply. You’ll be drinking this far into next year, and better for it. Is it the greatest Cabernet in the world? Absolutely not. It won’t even cellar well for more than a couple of years. It’s not getting any more complex or sexier, and it’s as deep as it’ll go. But she’s primed for food, for love, and what more can you ask of $8? Cheaper than a drink at the Continental without the Tang.

It needs almost no time to decant, so pop it and work it. It’s a modern style wine, with big fruit on the nose, but it’s great fruit. Healthy berries made this sweetheart, and they didn’t oak the girl beyond recognition. Nothing to hide here, they kept it realz. She’s got a serious booty going on, a very full body to explore. She wears tight clothes because she wants you to look. You can even touch and taste.

The nose is big currant fruit and plummy goodness. The varietal aromas of green pepper and graphite shavings are muted, but wake up after the first sip. Your nose and tongue work this glass like a champ. The plummy, dark-fruited nuance is heavy on the wash, with a very fleshlike finish, and not overly tannic. That lack of structure is the reason this bottle won’t go much further; it doesn’t have a backbone. Without that grip-n-rip at the end, this glass won’t demolish your food. She’s balanced and ready to go toe-to-toe with your flank steaks and leaner meats. Go ahead, be rough. She can take it.

This girl is a classic without the pretense. She’s cheap. She knows it, you know it. There’s no real depth here, just pure enjoyment. Right now that’s all I need. She’s not flashy, a low-maintenance girl. Easy conversations about her favorite movies and clothes will probably get you laid, but I wouldn’t bring up politics. She hasn’t seen the world, born and raised in the town you met her. Great in bed.

The PLCB did us right by handing us a jewel of Cabernet Sexy for $8. That cannot be stressed enough. $8. $8. $8. Just now making an appearance in stores around town, it’s in LONG supply. Drink a case of this per month, and we still couldn’t make a dent. This might be my wine of the summer. The PLCB code is 28732.

- Collin Flatt

Collin Flatt is a former Beer Pong champ turned oenophile. Collin Flatt spends his tax refunds on wine. Collin Flatt has his Bachelor’s Degree in drinking and is getting his Master’s Degree in winemaking. Collin Flatt is working on an Arctic Splash Cuvee. Collin Flatt writes about wine for Phoodie.info.

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