Covey Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Covey Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Covey Run's Cabernet Sauvignon is another in their Quail range of Washington table wines. I've liked their Covey Run Dry Riesling in the past. The Covey Run Cabernet Sauvignon is a fruit-forward, robust Cabernet Sauvignon that offers an interesting counter point to the Meridian California Cabernet Sauvignon. Both Cabs are from roughly equivalent price points, but each is very clearly marked by the different styles. The Covey Run is more fruit-forward then the Meridian California Cabernet Sauvignon, as you might expect but there's enough tannin support to keep the black cherry/plum/blackberry overtones of the wine interesting and provide a more rounded profile.

Covey Run's Cabernet Sauvignon is another of those Cabernet Sauvignons that's really a blend; in this case, 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Malbec. I suspect that the Merlot is at least partially responsible for the coffee-chocolate hint in the Covey Run Cabernet Sauvignon's finish, but I'm intrigued by the addition of the Malbec, and wonder about its effect in terms of the faint hint of spice in this wine. The grapes were entirely sourced from Washington's Columbia Valley, and the wine was aged for twelve months in a combination of French and American oak. The ABV is 3.89%1.

This is another reliable Washington table wine, at the $5.99 price point, on sale; you will see Covey Run's Cabernet Sauvignon in the $8.99 price range, but it's on sale regularly for less, and often discounted another 10% if you buy several bottles. It's a good pizza wine as well, as demonstrated by the number of Washington indie pizza restaurants with Covey Run's Cabernet Sauvignon on their wine list.