Our Cabernet Sauvignon showcases the potential of this varietal when grown in the southern, more protected parts of Monterey County. Its opens with aromas of blackberries, plum, and currants with traces of mocha and violet. On the palate, it is deep, lush, and fruity with balanced acidity and perfectly integrated tannins. Powerful yet supple, the complex layers develop into a long, savory, smoky oak finish. This Cabernet pairs well with grilled steak, barbecued lamb, and savory stews.
Our estate fruit was picked at optimum ripeness during the night and brought to the winery in the very early morning hours. Upon arrival at the winery, select lots of grapes were carefully sorted, destemmed, crushed, and fermented dry in open-top containers. The firm cap of skins and seeds was gently punched down several times a day. After a 10-day fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine was racked clean for aging with French and American oak for 12 months.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Monterey, California
Climate: Warm with dramatic diurnal temperature shifts
Soil Type: Diatomaceous shale, Lockwood and Chamise shaly loams
Aging: 12 months - French & American oak
Alcohol: 13.5
Winemaker: Vincent Catalaa
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
4x 2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon
Case:
12x 2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $324/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Ranch 32 Wines
Location: Monterey County
On the west side of the Salinas Valley, directly in the path of Montereyās relentless afternoon winds, sits Ranch 32.
This is the place where we first planted vines in 1972 when wine growing was in its infancy in Monterey County. The specialness of the region was understood, but it would take a few decades for the vineyards to reach their full potential. Ranch 32 is about highlighting the natural characteristics of the terroir and conveying the taste of the place. Each vintage, we produce small lots of wines from our sustainably farmed estate vineyards that represent the best of the appellation. From the renowned Arroyo Seco AVA, we craft our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Further south from the San Lucas and Hames Valley AVAs, we bring you our Cabernet Sauvignon.
We had our usual tasters aka my family. We all like Cabernet Savingnons with some age to them. We have an equal mix of some who like big bold tanic and those who like a softer, more mellow Cab.
PNP
Aroma- We all had different glasses- (we all have our favorite) Most of us got unripe fruit, not very distintive. 1 of us got a very funky, canāt really describe, but it was not good at all. It was really weird, we have never before had such a different aroma between us.
Taste- We all agreed, very oaky/almost smoky. A bit bitter, like unripe berries. I got hints of Dark Chocolate
It has a strong, lasting hard to describe finish.
Medium light tannins
All agreed, not overly complex and very young tasting. Maybe with some age on this it will become more complex.
Mouthfeel- Thinner than we were expecting for a Cab. More of a Pinot feeling.
We had an assortment of Dim Sun for dinnner and we all agreed, not the best food paring for this wine. We didnāt think this one out. It did seem to pair a bit better with the buttery sweet desserts.
Vinturi
Increased the oaky/smoky aroma and taste. Did not really do anything to change our opinion of the wine.
Overall opinon:
This reminded us of a house wine you would get at a mid range Italian Restaurant.
This wine, unfortunately is not for us. It was to oaky/smoky, young.
We guessed price point to be between $10-15.
Thanks WD and Alice for the opportunity to try this wine!
Iāll check throughout the day if anyone has questions. Itās a testing day at our school, so I wonāt be able to check in as often as I would like.
I hope everyone has a great day!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon - $45 = 27.26%
My first thought, when I opened the box, was āA 2020? Thatās pretty young for a Cab.ā And from Monterey, not what I usually think of as Cab territory. Undaunted, I threw a strip steak on the grill and popped open the bottle. My first impression of the nose was that it reminded me of a Carneros Pinot Noir, lots of what we refer to hereabouts as āfunk.ā Not so much of that on the palate, though. Some dark fruits, maybe cassis, and a hint of leather. We drank about half the bottle with dinner, and found it more resembling a Cab eventually, but decided to save the rest for to have with a spinach salad letter in the evening. Roasted garlic, EVOO, Romano cheese, toasted pine nuts, fresh ground pepper, and baby spinach. We always accompany that salad with red wine, and this wine was just about perfect with it.
Overall, a pretty nice wine. Iād like to see what a few years of aging can do for it, but thereās so much wine in the cellar now that I hate to add more just on speculation. If youāre looking for a nice easy drinking mid-week wine, this could fit the bill.
@ddeuddeg
2020 was a pretty heavy year for fires in California and based on the previous report did you get any smoke taint? Or I should say just smoke?
@ScottW58 None that I noticed. Bahwm is particularly sensitive to smoke odors, and she didnāt say anything about it, so I think this wine is safe in that respect. However, maybe what we encountered as something akin to Carneros-style funk might have been smoke taint, and we didnāt perceive it as such. In any event, over the course of a couple of hours, it became far less noticeable.
2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $324/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 25 - Thursday, Apr 28
2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Itās been what, eight years, since we saw this, the '14, on the old siteā¦
but BevMo for every other vintage in between.
2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Savingnon Estate grown
We had our usual tasters aka my family. We all like Cabernet Savingnons with some age to them. We have an equal mix of some who like big bold tanic and those who like a softer, more mellow Cab.
PNP
Aroma- We all had different glasses- (we all have our favorite) Most of us got unripe fruit, not very distintive. 1 of us got a very funky, canāt really describe, but it was not good at all. It was really weird, we have never before had such a different aroma between us.
Taste- We all agreed, very oaky/almost smoky. A bit bitter, like unripe berries. I got hints of Dark Chocolate
It has a strong, lasting hard to describe finish.
Medium light tannins
All agreed, not overly complex and very young tasting. Maybe with some age on this it will become more complex.
Mouthfeel- Thinner than we were expecting for a Cab. More of a Pinot feeling.
We had an assortment of Dim Sun for dinnner and we all agreed, not the best food paring for this wine. We didnāt think this one out.
It did seem to pair a bit better with the buttery sweet desserts.
Vinturi
Increased the oaky/smoky aroma and taste. Did not really do anything to change our opinion of the wine.
Overall opinon:
This reminded us of a house wine you would get at a mid range Italian Restaurant.
This wine, unfortunately is not for us. It was to oaky/smoky, young.
We guessed price point to be between $10-15.
Thanks WD and Alice for the opportunity to try this wine!
Iāll check throughout the day if anyone has questions. Itās a testing day at our school, so I wonāt be able to check in as often as I would like.
I hope everyone has a great day!
@mommadeb Thank you for the rattage.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2020 Ranch 32 Cabernet Sauvignon - $45 = 27.26%
My first thought, when I opened the box, was āA 2020? Thatās pretty young for a Cab.ā And from Monterey, not what I usually think of as Cab territory. Undaunted, I threw a strip steak on the grill and popped open the bottle. My first impression of the nose was that it reminded me of a Carneros Pinot Noir, lots of what we refer to hereabouts as āfunk.ā Not so much of that on the palate, though. Some dark fruits, maybe cassis, and a hint of leather. We drank about half the bottle with dinner, and found it more resembling a Cab eventually, but decided to save the rest for to have with a spinach salad letter in the evening. Roasted garlic, EVOO, Romano cheese, toasted pine nuts, fresh ground pepper, and baby spinach. We always accompany that salad with red wine, and this wine was just about perfect with it.
Overall, a pretty nice wine. Iād like to see what a few years of aging can do for it, but thereās so much wine in the cellar now that I hate to add more just on speculation. If youāre looking for a nice easy drinking mid-week wine, this could fit the bill.
@ddeuddeg
2020 was a pretty heavy year for fires in California and based on the previous report did you get any smoke taint? Or I should say just smoke?
@ScottW58 None that I noticed. Bahwm is particularly sensitive to smoke odors, and she didnāt say anything about it, so I think this wine is safe in that respect. However, maybe what we encountered as something akin to Carneros-style funk might have been smoke taint, and we didnāt perceive it as such. In any event, over the course of a couple of hours, it became far less noticeable.
@ddeuddeg Thank you for the report.
Will hide a few of these from myself and see how they are in a year or so.
/giphy aware-abnormal-iron
