Deep ruby-red. Strong oak character on the nose, displaying scents of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and cola, along with an exotic hint of fruitcake. Fine-grained, open-knit dark berry and cherry preserve flavors are complicated by floral and oak spice notes that fan out slowly on the back half. Finishes smooth, spicy and quite long, with supple, even tannins coming in late.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Paso Robles
Vineyard: Saunders Vineyard
Cooperage: 100% French oak (2 barrels new, 2 barrels once used, 2 barrels neutral)
Cabernet Sauvignon was first to be planted on the Saunders Vineyard in Paso Robles in 1992 by Jim and Debi Saunders. As a teen, sneaking out of the house during harvest nights to watch the party animals at the nearby cellar showed Scott Saunders the mysticism and intrigue of winemaking. After many years working on the vineyard and winery, Scott produced his first official brand of wines, Arbuckle Ridge Winery.
The Saunders vineyard in Paso Robles is what Arbuckle Ridge Winery is named after. The dominating soil type is Arbuckle. It is characterized as a magnesium-rich clay that is wonderful for moisture retention. There is a 500 foot elevation change between the bottom of the vineyard to the top.
Currently we are focused on making Cabernet Sauvignon that is true to the nature of the varietal. Our wines are made with an emphasis on balance, not letting one attribute outshine the other.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
STEAK NIGHT, STEAK NIGHT, STEAK NIGHT, AWESOME! That was my internal monologue when I opened up this lab rat’s special delivery and saw a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great excuse to buy some ribeyes, mushrooms, and make creamed spinach! So, that definitely happened, and I have good ol’ Casemates to thank for it. Thanks, Casemates!
When that wonderful event came to be, and I popped the cork on the 2017 pride of Arbuckle Ridge, I was not in the least shocked to find a dark ruby hued liquid gurgling forth (aerator) into the glass. It was served at 62 degrees F and also tried at room temperature (more on that later). I gave it the tiniest sip right away, and it definitely needed to breathe first. Came back 20 minutes later, and still a bit of the alcohol coming off of it, but not so much that it was offensive. It faded to “just right” over the next additional 15 minutes.
On the nose there was bright ripe strawberry, some cherry and plum, and a subdued hint of blueberry. It had a “bowl of berries” thing going on to me. I also got a tiny little bit of what my brain described as Juicy Fruit gum and Dr. Pepper. But only maybe.
For the tasting, I decided to try something different for me, and record the comments that me and Steak Eater #2 were saying, and then transcribe them here. So, here’s that:
“Tasty, ummmm. Bright for a cab? Lots of red fruits, but not as rich as I expected. Still dry, though. Really get the oak and tannins on the back end. Not bad at all. Good cab for people who don’t like super deep and dark reds. Crowd pleaser at a party.”
“I can’t say I love it…but, it’s pretty good. I could finish a bottle no problem. Maybe I almost love it?”
“You could totally buy a case of this to use as your ‘event red’, for like, holidays and weddings and dinner parties and stuff.”
“The dryness does a good job cutting the fattiness of the meal, works well as the typical Cabernet and steak dinner pairing.”
“Very approachable. I can’t stop coming back to the thought that it would be suitable to most palates, unlike some of the more rich and bold Cabs. It’s balanced and nothing jumps out to offend anyone.”
Side note about the serving temperature. When we tried this at room temperature, the nose was verrrry subdued. The flavors were narrowed down to only the most forward notes, and the tannins hit less appealingly. This wine requires a 62 to 67 degree F serving temp, in my humble opinion.
Overall, the tasting comments summed up would be, “Pretty dang good. Versatile for a cab. Pour me some more!”
It also leaves me wondering, how good could this get over the years? There’s a good amount of tannins, some acidity, and alcohol in there after all. What’s the potential for greatness in another 3, 5, 10 years? I’d love to here what the vintner has to say about this.
Thank you again to Wine Country Connect and Casemates for the nice bottle of wine. You made STEAK NIGHT happen, and I’m eternally grateful for my plateful.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Arbuckle Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - $20 = 8.32%
slightly acid (pH 6.2 - 6.5), and slightly alkaline. You’ll find Arbuckle along the west end of the Sacramento Valley as well as several intermountain valleys throughout Southern California.
Well, that is interesting.
First, I am slightly lost by how something can be slightly acid and slightly alkaline.
The « Arbuckle » thing, I did not know about soil taxonomies. but my father used to go duck hunting in the Sacramento Valley near the town of Arbuckle. So I’m assuming that might be the origin of the name of soil type. But strange that the same type is mentioned as Southern California, or in this case Paso Robles, which I always think of as « Central Calif, » if there is such a thing. But in any case a few hundred miles from Arbuckle, but perhaps similar soil type. Geology is fascinating.
@pmarin As a CA native I consider Paso Robles central (coast).
Then if you drew a line west to east just south of Santa Maria, that’s Southern California below it.
@michaelvella@pmarin And fwiw, the wine authorities say that Santa Barbara County is also Central Coast, which I think runs all the way up through San Francisco (i.e. includes the Santa Cruz Mountains). Then north of the bay it’s the North Coast AVA.
Tightly woven and fairly subtle on the nose, this bottling shows strawberry, dried and fresh herbs and a hint of carnation on the nose. The tannins are quite dry on the palate, yet present bright flavors of strawberry, red currant and elegant rose petals, clinging to a taut frame. MK 12/1/20
The tasting note up top is the Vinous review…92 Points. Deep ruby-red. Strong oak character on the nose, displaying scents of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and cola, along with an exotic hint of fruitcake. Fine-grained, open-knit dark berry and cherry preserve flavors are complicated by floral and oak spice notes that fan out slowly on the back half. Finishes smooth, spicy and quite long, with supple, even tannins coming in late. Josh Raynolds. Drink 2022 - 2029. Dec 2020.
This apparently is the first vintage for Arbuckle. Note the wines are sold by Hearst Ranch Winery which owns Saunders Vineyard and the winemaker is Scott Saunders who is Jim Saunders son, Jim being a part owner of Hearst Ranch. I think??
Happy to Rat again. And this time the bottle weight was spot on!
With the Mrs having two in the oven, the responsibilities fell on me alone.
TLDR: Easy drinking with some enjoyable characteristics. Would have guessed new world south Australia. but that’s not a bad thing. Fruit forward, no detectable flaws. I could see this be a great bbq wine, pairing with charred meat with some bbq sauce
WE tasting note:
Tightly woven and fairly subtle on the nose, this bottling shows strawberry, dried and fresh herbs and a hint of carnation on the nose. The tannins are quite dry on the palate, yet present bright flavors of strawberry, red currant and elegant rose petals, clinging to a taut frame.
Blind, on the nose: Grenache?, plum, red fruit, juicy- Cab… After some time, hints of rose and violet. A little ‘hot’ but would have guessed 14.5-15%
After about 30-45 minutes in the glass, more vegetable characteristics, in a good way, starting to show along with some oak,
finish; plum, red current, hot & fast. enough acid to clear palate.
My guess ~15-18$ Cabernet, would be happy to serve at a party or give as a holiday gift.
“Tightly woven and fairly subtle on the nose, this bottling shows strawberry, dried and fresh herbs and a hint of carnation on the nose. The tannins are quite dry on the palate, yet present bright flavors of strawberry, red currant and elegant rose petals, clinging to a taut frame.”
thing. Not accusing of plagiarism, but, well, yeah, maybe. Glad you got your wine but always appreciate where the info comes from, and it’s totally fine to do research and evaluate it along with your own opinions, as long as stated as such. Sorry I’m not the Labrat Polizei, though I guess I do sound like it. I think maybe first time online review posted as text inline with rat text.
@KingKoopa@knlprez@rjquillin Thanks, no hard feelings, and you only got a few minutes to edit before it’s too late… I guess Volunteer Mods are pretty cool!
@KingKoopa@knlprez@pmarin
There is only a 5 minute edit window, unless you still have it in edit mode, then I’m not sure when it expires; that is you are unable to save additional edits.
Glad I could help out.
I’m sure there was something early on which I missed… But how do you quote on Casemates? I tried standard Markdown formatting which doesn’t work, and the Mehdown formatting guide doesn’t have anything…
2017 Arbuckle Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
92 points ~ Vinous
91 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $480/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 2 - Tuesday, Aug 3
STEAK NIGHT, STEAK NIGHT, STEAK NIGHT, AWESOME! That was my internal monologue when I opened up this lab rat’s special delivery and saw a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great excuse to buy some ribeyes, mushrooms, and make creamed spinach! So, that definitely happened, and I have good ol’ Casemates to thank for it. Thanks, Casemates!
When that wonderful event came to be, and I popped the cork on the 2017 pride of Arbuckle Ridge, I was not in the least shocked to find a dark ruby hued liquid gurgling forth (aerator) into the glass. It was served at 62 degrees F and also tried at room temperature (more on that later). I gave it the tiniest sip right away, and it definitely needed to breathe first. Came back 20 minutes later, and still a bit of the alcohol coming off of it, but not so much that it was offensive. It faded to “just right” over the next additional 15 minutes.
On the nose there was bright ripe strawberry, some cherry and plum, and a subdued hint of blueberry. It had a “bowl of berries” thing going on to me. I also got a tiny little bit of what my brain described as Juicy Fruit gum and Dr. Pepper. But only maybe.
For the tasting, I decided to try something different for me, and record the comments that me and Steak Eater #2 were saying, and then transcribe them here. So, here’s that:
“Tasty, ummmm. Bright for a cab? Lots of red fruits, but not as rich as I expected. Still dry, though. Really get the oak and tannins on the back end. Not bad at all. Good cab for people who don’t like super deep and dark reds. Crowd pleaser at a party.”
“I can’t say I love it…but, it’s pretty good. I could finish a bottle no problem. Maybe I almost love it?”
“You could totally buy a case of this to use as your ‘event red’, for like, holidays and weddings and dinner parties and stuff.”
“The dryness does a good job cutting the fattiness of the meal, works well as the typical Cabernet and steak dinner pairing.”
“Very approachable. I can’t stop coming back to the thought that it would be suitable to most palates, unlike some of the more rich and bold Cabs. It’s balanced and nothing jumps out to offend anyone.”
Side note about the serving temperature. When we tried this at room temperature, the nose was verrrry subdued. The flavors were narrowed down to only the most forward notes, and the tannins hit less appealingly. This wine requires a 62 to 67 degree F serving temp, in my humble opinion.
Overall, the tasting comments summed up would be, “Pretty dang good. Versatile for a cab. Pour me some more!”
It also leaves me wondering, how good could this get over the years? There’s a good amount of tannins, some acidity, and alcohol in there after all. What’s the potential for greatness in another 3, 5, 10 years? I’d love to here what the vintner has to say about this.
Thank you again to Wine Country Connect and Casemates for the nice bottle of wine. You made STEAK NIGHT happen, and I’m eternally grateful for my plateful.
DIPLOMAT! RAT-A-TAT! FAT CAT! AWESOME!
@DanFielding
Interesting. What did the rest of the brain set to that part?
@DanFielding I want to have dinner at your house! Thanks for the nice write up!
@DanFielding Awesome rattage - thank you. Dang now I want a rib-eye with creamed spinach.
POPSOCKETS! SPROCKETS! DAVY CROCKETT! AWESOME!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Arbuckle Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - $20 = 8.32%
Arbuckle Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $XX.XX $XX/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $XXX.XX $XX.XX/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Arbuckle Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
[edit: pricing removed on vintner’s request]
Mr. Pibb perhaps?
Well, that is interesting.
First, I am slightly lost by how something can be slightly acid and slightly alkaline.
The « Arbuckle » thing, I did not know about soil taxonomies. but my father used to go duck hunting in the Sacramento Valley near the town of Arbuckle. So I’m assuming that might be the origin of the name of soil type. But strange that the same type is mentioned as Southern California, or in this case Paso Robles, which I always think of as « Central Calif, » if there is such a thing. But in any case a few hundred miles from Arbuckle, but perhaps similar soil type. Geology is fascinating.
@pmarin As a CA native I consider Paso Robles central (coast).
Then if you drew a line west to east just south of Santa Maria, that’s Southern California below it.
@michaelvella @pmarin And fwiw, the wine authorities say that Santa Barbara County is also Central Coast, which I think runs all the way up through San Francisco (i.e. includes the Santa Cruz Mountains). Then north of the bay it’s the North Coast AVA.
@klezman @pmarin AVA-wise, yea. Although the AVAs themselves are broken down quite a bit per the region. https://www.cawineclub.com/california-wine-regions
Available in 41 states… and, of course, Rhode Island isn’t one of them.
If anyone along 95 between MA and central Maine would like to split a case, I’ll be back and forth throughout summer!
and the “pros”:
Wine Enthusiast…
Tightly woven and fairly subtle on the nose, this bottling shows strawberry, dried and fresh herbs and a hint of carnation on the nose. The tannins are quite dry on the palate, yet present bright flavors of strawberry, red currant and elegant rose petals, clinging to a taut frame. MK 12/1/20
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/arbuckle-ridge-2017-cabernet-sauvignon-paso-robles/
Vinous…
The tasting note up top is the Vinous review…92 Points. Deep ruby-red. Strong oak character on the nose, displaying scents of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla and cola, along with an exotic hint of fruitcake. Fine-grained, open-knit dark berry and cherry preserve flavors are complicated by floral and oak spice notes that fan out slowly on the back half. Finishes smooth, spicy and quite long, with supple, even tannins coming in late. Josh Raynolds. Drink 2022 - 2029. Dec 2020.
This apparently is the first vintage for Arbuckle. Note the wines are sold by Hearst Ranch Winery which owns Saunders Vineyard and the winemaker is Scott Saunders who is Jim Saunders son, Jim being a part owner of Hearst Ranch. I think??
fwiw
/giphy unpleasant-burgundy-match
@cocacola08
/image the log knows
Happy to Rat again. And this time the bottle weight was spot on!
With the Mrs having two in the oven, the responsibilities fell on me alone.
TLDR: Easy drinking with some enjoyable characteristics. Would have guessed new world south Australia. but that’s not a bad thing. Fruit forward, no detectable flaws. I could see this be a great bbq wine, pairing with charred meat with some bbq sauce
WE tasting note:
Blind, on the nose: Grenache?, plum, red fruit, juicy- Cab… After some time, hints of rose and violet. A little ‘hot’ but would have guessed 14.5-15%
After about 30-45 minutes in the glass, more vegetable characteristics, in a good way, starting to show along with some oak,
finish; plum, red current, hot & fast. enough acid to clear palate.
My guess ~15-18$ Cabernet, would be happy to serve at a party or give as a holiday gift.
@KingKoopa Two wee ones coming?? Mazal tov!
@KingKoopa Thank you for the report but more importantly, congrats on the twinsies. Super exciting.
@KingKoopa
Did you mean to include the W.E. tasting note?
“Tightly woven and fairly subtle on the nose, this bottling shows strawberry, dried and fresh herbs and a hint of carnation on the nose. The tannins are quite dry on the palate, yet present bright flavors of strawberry, red currant and elegant rose petals, clinging to a taut frame.”
@knlprez Ha! No pulled it after finished my tasting, curious how my notes matched up.
@KingKoopa
Gotcha! Always interesting to see if you can grab the same notes as someone else!
@KingKoopa @knlprez Recommend Italics or the
thing. Not accusing of plagiarism, but, well, yeah, maybe. Glad you got your wine but always appreciate where the info comes from, and it’s totally fine to do research and evaluate it along with your own opinions, as long as stated as such. Sorry I’m not the Labrat Polizei, though I guess I do sound like it. I think maybe first time online review posted as text inline with rat text.
@KingKoopa @knlprez @pmarin
done
@knlprez @pmarin @rjquillin thank you, was unable to edit (or couldn’t figure out how to) once posted.
@KingKoopa @knlprez @rjquillin Thanks, no hard feelings, and you only got a few minutes to edit before it’s too late… I guess Volunteer Mods are pretty cool!
@KingKoopa @knlprez @pmarin
There is only a 5 minute edit window, unless you still have it in edit mode, then I’m not sure when it expires; that is you are unable to save additional edits.
Glad I could help out.
@KingKoopa @pmarin
I’m sure there was something early on which I missed… But how do you quote on Casemates? I tried standard Markdown formatting which doesn’t work, and the Mehdown formatting guide doesn’t have anything…
@KingKoopa @knlprez @pmarin
You start the line with the > character
The label looks cool
@canonizer it really does. As a fan of the Garfield comic, I have a hard time taking something called Arbuckle seriously, but the label helps…
/giphy compromising-precocious-skin
