Aromas of blackberries and plums with tarragon herbal notes. Hints of vanilla and sweet spice round out this medium-bodied wine. Soft tannins on the palate lead into a long, balanced fruit finish. Ready to drink now or age in the cellar for the next 4 years.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Winding through the rolling hills of Central California is Hames Creek, nourishing the land for hundreds of years. Here, the pace is a little slower, the tempo is relaxed and measured. Crisp, sunshine-drenched days unfold into chilly nights allowing time on the vine for intense fruit flavors to develop while maintaining perfect balance and structure.
California
Known for its coastal climate, extended growing season and idyllic foothills, central California is the perfect location for growing premium wine grapes. Daily morning fog from the coast hangs over the valley protecting our vines from the hot California sun. Afternoons are filled with sunshine tempered by cool winds pulled down the valley. Blessed with consistently moderate temperatures and the absence of significant heat wave spikes, our vineyards produce fruit that is lovely, flavorful and fully ripe with great varietal intensity and balanced acidity.
Winemaking Notes
Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed, crushed and fermented warm at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. At dryness, the grapes were pressed and the wine left to settle in stainless steel prior to being racked off the heavy lees. Post-fermentation, the wine was aged on a combination of new French and American oak to add vanilla creaminess and spice complexity to the finished wine.
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: California
Alcohol: 13.5%
pH: 3.73
RS: .63
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
6x 2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Case:
12x 2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Al Scheid first saw untapped potential in Monterey County in 1972 when the wine region was in its infancy. What started as a grape growing operation that sold 100% of its production to other wineries today has evolved into a grapes-to-glass family business that crafts authentic and elegant wines. Our Scheid Family Wines portfolio now includes five unique and distinctive labels: Scheid Vineyards, District 7, Metz Road, VDR and Stokes’ Ghost.
With 12 estate vineyards comprised of 4,000 acres located along a 70-mile spread of the Salinas Valley, the array of microclimates and soils give us an incredible selection to work with each vintage. While our wealth of vineyard resources is exceptional, it is our employees that are at the heart of everything we do. Much of our workforce has been with us for over 25 years, with several of our vineyard managers employed for over 40 years.
The Scheid family – Al, Scott, Heidi and long-time COO Kurt Gollnick – along with our dream team of employees, are passionate about crafting the best wine possible and honoring our commitment to be good stewards of the land and supporters of our local community. We are proud to produce authentic products that sit on your dinner table and invite conversation, connection and warmth.
This product will be delivered in time for Thanksgiving
Pop and Pour (unscrew) first impression:
Medium-dark black plum color, long and thin legs. Cherry, blackberry and a sharp herbal nose. First swig, a bit acidic up front. A bit tannic mid-palate masking any fruit. Nothing really more on the back end. I’m letting it sit in the glass for a bit.
An hour later:
The fruity aroma has disappeared and replaced by alcohol. Some black fruit swirling around the acidity and tannin noted on the first taste. I would call it being medium bodied now. A brief tannic and alcohol finish with some hint of the black fruit. It would probably match well with the typical food you’d pair with a cab, but I am heading out to dinner.
Day 2 after a night on the counter with screwtop closed:
Blue purple fruit on the nose but not quite as pronounced. That cherry and herbal aroma is gone. Upon sipping, the wine has meshed quite nicely, rounding out the edges. Some acidity up front and mid-palate working well with the mellower tannin. I’d say the finish is the same and short as last night, and a touch mellower. Working well with cheese and nuts, but drinks well on its own.
Last taste:
With dinner, an unusual pairing-curry chicken, sauteed string beans and white rice. I was quite surprised! Cherry and berry flavors emerged, and the finish matched well with the curry aftertaste! Some nice fruit yet at the same time, dry.
Totally recommend this bottle. I would decant and give this wine some room to breathe, and it will also evolve with another year in the bottle. as an everyday drinker, it may not last long enough to find out. UPDATE
I was just about to upload this report, and saw the Casemate price and write up. Definitely a great value!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - $22 = 21.99%
So I got the email from Alice the other day about being selected to be a lab rat. Was super excited then realized my street was closed for maintenance the scheduled day of delivery. Big props to the UPS guy who walked the final 300 yards to make the home delivery.
On to the wine, a 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Hames Creek, central coast California. I usually love California Cabs. Poured a couple glasses about 30 minutes before dinner for my wife and me. Nice dark ruby color. Not many legs and nose kind of lacking as well. Dinner was a nice spaghetti Bolognese. Initial taste was more like a tame red blend to me. Smooth with little or no tannins. But then the finish was odd with a faint chemical taste of some sort. The glasses went down really slow which is rare in this house.
A couple hours later after the Saints smacked down Brady and the Bucs, I decided to try another glass. Much better after the bottle being open awhile. Smooth and the odd finish was about gone. Still tastes like a blend to me. This is a good budget wine. 2nd or 3rd bottle of the night, not the 1st.
Love what Scheid does for the money! My first interns came out of Scheid, and they turned me on to the vineyards, and later the wines, and my time at Steamboat PN Conference cemented that they are making some of the best aromatic whites in the Central Coast and their reds, as evidenced by this wine, are great value and flavor as well.
2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Tasting Notes
Cabernet Sauvignon
California
Winemaking Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $156/case MSRP
About The Winery
This product will be delivered in time for Thanksgiving
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Nov 19 - Monday, Nov 23
Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
6 bottles for $49.99 $8.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $77.99 $6.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Pop and Pour (unscrew) first impression:
Medium-dark black plum color, long and thin legs. Cherry, blackberry and a sharp herbal nose. First swig, a bit acidic up front. A bit tannic mid-palate masking any fruit. Nothing really more on the back end. I’m letting it sit in the glass for a bit.
An hour later:
The fruity aroma has disappeared and replaced by alcohol. Some black fruit swirling around the acidity and tannin noted on the first taste. I would call it being medium bodied now. A brief tannic and alcohol finish with some hint of the black fruit. It would probably match well with the typical food you’d pair with a cab, but I am heading out to dinner.
Day 2 after a night on the counter with screwtop closed:
Blue purple fruit on the nose but not quite as pronounced. That cherry and herbal aroma is gone. Upon sipping, the wine has meshed quite nicely, rounding out the edges. Some acidity up front and mid-palate working well with the mellower tannin. I’d say the finish is the same and short as last night, and a touch mellower. Working well with cheese and nuts, but drinks well on its own.
Last taste:
With dinner, an unusual pairing-curry chicken, sauteed string beans and white rice. I was quite surprised! Cherry and berry flavors emerged, and the finish matched well with the curry aftertaste! Some nice fruit yet at the same time, dry.
Totally recommend this bottle. I would decant and give this wine some room to breathe, and it will also evolve with another year in the bottle. as an everyday drinker, it may not last long enough to find out.
UPDATE
I was just about to upload this report, and saw the Casemate price and write up. Definitely a great value!
@irenegade thank you for the great detailed review.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Hames Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - $22 = 21.99%
So I got the email from Alice the other day about being selected to be a lab rat. Was super excited then realized my street was closed for maintenance the scheduled day of delivery. Big props to the UPS guy who walked the final 300 yards to make the home delivery.
On to the wine, a 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Hames Creek, central coast California. I usually love California Cabs. Poured a couple glasses about 30 minutes before dinner for my wife and me. Nice dark ruby color. Not many legs and nose kind of lacking as well. Dinner was a nice spaghetti Bolognese. Initial taste was more like a tame red blend to me. Smooth with little or no tannins. But then the finish was odd with a faint chemical taste of some sort. The glasses went down really slow which is rare in this house.
A couple hours later after the Saints smacked down Brady and the Bucs, I decided to try another glass. Much better after the bottle being open awhile. Smooth and the odd finish was about gone. Still tastes like a blend to me. This is a good budget wine. 2nd or 3rd bottle of the night, not the 1st.
@steverwrx Love how it paired well with the Saints/Bucs games. Thanks for the review
Ack! No VA!
Love what Scheid does for the money! My first interns came out of Scheid, and they turned me on to the vineyards, and later the wines, and my time at Steamboat PN Conference cemented that they are making some of the best aromatic whites in the Central Coast and their reds, as evidenced by this wine, are great value and flavor as well.
@jrbw3 budget-priced everyday with dinner Cabernet!!
Probably pass on this one,
But would highly recommend the first label
Scheid juice.