Color: Clear, deep garnet
Aroma: Cola, cherries, and a slight spice Flavor: Ripe raspberry and cassis are contrasted by a hint of dried tobacco and leather. The wine finishes strong with lush dark chocolate.
Food Pairings
This wine will pair beautifully with dishes such as tri-tip, roasted duck, or cheesecake.
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
Even before the URGENCY vineyard was planted, Clay Shannon’s instincts told him that the blend of volcanic soils would produce full, rich flavors and the long, warm summer days would ripen the grapes perfectly. This special piece of dirt creates wines that do not require long aging, the lush flavors show well upon their release.
Why wait to enjoy it? Attack life with URGENCY.
The grapes used to produce our 2018 URGENCY Cabernet Sauvignon came from the hills and slopes of ultra-premium vineyards in Northern California. A blend from multiple vineyard sites was used to create complexity and balance.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 14.8%
Composition/Blend: 64% California - Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon
Winery: Shannon Ridge
Owners: Clay and Angie Shannon
Founded: 1995
Location: Lake County
At Shannon Ridge, we live in harmony with Mother Nature. The vineyards feed the sheep, the sheep feed the vines; lamb feeds the people, people drink the wine and wear wool.
We are dedicated to creating a family of wines that consumers love at top-quality and affordable prices. We are passionate about preserving our land, not only for great vineyard sites but for the wild creatures which share our property. Our sustainability practices integrate a flock of sheep that clean the vineyards, remove the excess canopy, and reduce the need for chemicals while providing natural fertilizer.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
Urgency Cabernet Sauvignon by Shannon Ridge
3 bottles for $44.99 $15/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
I bought the 2016 Urgency cab here on Casemates when it was offered, https://casemates.com/forum/topics/urgency-cabernet-sauvignon-by-shannon-ridge. IMO, It was a solid everyday cab, especially for the case price. Actually IIRC I liked it quite a lot, and will drink it when I want something nicer than an “everyday drinker”, but at “everyday prices”.
Hello hello, mates!
I got selected as a lucky lab rat for this weekend’s offer. I got to spend a couple nights with the wine, and here’s my thoughts on it.
First you see the violet crystal color. It’s a little translucent, but only when at a low level in the glass, or at the edge.
For me the aroma seems pretty shut down. There’s a dark note I can’t quite place, maybe a little oak, and some fruit behind that. I’m afraid I’m not one to always name the specific notes I smell and taste, and here I can’t say if there’s cherries, or plums, or other berries here. What I will tell you is the fruit pops out a lot more in the flavor than in the nose. There’s big, bright, bold, bountiful red fruits here. You can taste the sharp notes of acidity behind that, but subdued. The tannins come out in the finish, and they’re pretty smooth for as young a wine as this is.
On day 2, the aroma shrinks a bit more, the fruit settles down a bit, and the tannins come out more. Still smooth, but by the end of the evening they’re definitely present throughout the taste.
Most of what I enjoy in this is the big bright fruit. But it seems just on this side of balance; I think I enjoy it more when it settles down… perhaps also with a little more age in bottle? I can’t say for sure how that’ll impact it, though. But if you’re a fan of fresh, fruit-forward food friendly wine for your fine fare, this fits the bill. If you’d like to get a little spice from the tannins, decant it first and let it open up.
@kookie00 Well, I’ll say my palate is not the most well-developed. Interesting that we had such different experiences with the wine, though. I wonder if any other rats will chime in?
I was excited earlier this week to get that special email. Upon opening the box, I found a 2018 Urgency Cabernet, a new label/producer to me. From the reviews of prior vintages, I was hoping this would be analogous to a Ghost Pines (decent, mass market, drink now wine), but ultimately found it more in 2 buck chuck territory.
After letting it rest a few days, I popped and poured it Thursday night. From the first sniff, I was immediately disappointed. All I could smell was way overripe fruit. My fiancée remarked it smelled like “trash.” I double-checked the cork to make sure it was intact with no evidence of mold; the cork was fine. In the glass, it is completely opaque with a deep purple hue. The initial taste is pure alcohol, which, when it burns off, leaves just an impression of again overripe fruit with no structure or finish. In a blind taste test, I would have pegged this as a very cheap merlot, not a cabernet. The best comparison to the bottle in my experience is the bad red Delta serves in economy.
Given the initial poor taste, we reserved most of this for the next day, hoping some air would improve it. It improved slightly, as there are now some pepper notes with some tannins. But it is still just pretty awful. Most of this is going down the drain, unfortunately. It tastes like a bad bottle of 2 buck chuck. In the best-case scenario, they did not hand sort the clusters, and some rotten ones got in this batch. If not, someone made a big mistake in crafting this wine.
From my sample, I can’t recommend this for quaffing at any price point let alone at $15 or $30.
@kookie00 wow…2 very different reviews! I wonder if your bottle was corked (even though you didn’t see any issues with the cork…it still might have been corked). I quite like the 2016, which is not a big, bold cab, but is still very drinkable and enjoyable.
@TimW I can’t rule it out, but I did not get a hint of funk or must that I associate with cork taint. Also, it was fruity usually dissipates with a corked bottle.
@kookie00 “Corked” (or some form of tainting) was my initial reaction to your review as well. I don’t trust that I could affirmatively declare cork taint as the fault unless it was 5-10x above threshold levels, but I have had bottles that were exactly what you describe (off aroma, alcohol-forward, undrinkable) that were clearly off relative to a sister bottle opened alongside it.
As a follow-up, we went tasting locally earlier today and everything tasted great, so it was not our taste buds. Something was definitely off with the wine. (In case someone thought we had the corona or some other sort of virus that could alter taste).
@kookie00 You described the color as being ‘completely opaque’, worbx mentioned a bit of translucence. He also posted a picture - how well did it match with the bottle that you had? (Still sniffing at the ‘bad bottle’ scenario.)
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Urgency Cabernet Sauvignon by Shannon Ridge - $60 = 33.32%
@ScottW58 True, that’s the classic presentation. But at TCA levels lower than needed to give that impression, you can get a destruction of the fruit and nuance, overrepresentation of alcohol, and generally bland and disappointing. I’ve actually had that happen more often than full on wet cardboard.
@ScottW58@klezman One other thing to note about this is the cork is a Diam-style cork (not sure if actual Diam brand), which if treated properly should virtually eliminate the possibility of TCA. But of course there are other faults which could have occurred.
@klezman@worbx
I don’t know even in slightly corked wines I still get that unmistakable musty cardboard flavor that is hard for me to get out of my mouth, also seeing that it is a Diam cork chances are slim that it was corked.
@ScottW58@worbx Everybody’s sensitivity to TCA is different. But yeah, with the diam cork it does seem unlikely. Whatever. It’s not like this wine was of much interest to me anyway.
@klezman@ScottW58@worbx
The description sounds more cooked than corked but when would that have happened? Maybe it’s as simple as one man’s big, bright, bold bountiful red fruit being another man’s way overripe fruit.
I think based on the widely disparate reviews that something was badly off with the bottle @kookie00 had. I don’t trust my long distance analysis chops to try to say what is wrong, but something surely was.
Those of us who’ve been with wine.woot and Casemates for a long time know that winedavid just does not knowingly put anything as bad as @kookie00’s description on the site. Some, even many, wines may not be to any given wino’s taste (and I’m probably pickier than most), but they’re soundly made wines and represent (at least) good value for money - and are sometimes amazing bargains for amazing wines.
We’ve had a very, very few wines that were hugely inconsistent, with many bad bottles and significant bottle variation, but I can only recall two offerings in the past 13+ years that had significant and broad-based post-sale negative feed back for quality problems.
I would hope there could be winery participation to comment on what @kookie00 experienced.
Tasting Notes
Color: Clear, deep garnet
Aroma: Cola, cherries, and a slight spice
Flavor: Ripe raspberry and cassis are contrasted by a hint of dried tobacco and leather. The wine finishes strong with lush dark chocolate.
Food Pairings
This wine will pair beautifully with dishes such as tri-tip, roasted duck, or cheesecake.
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
Even before the URGENCY vineyard was planted, Clay Shannon’s instincts told him that the blend of volcanic soils would produce full, rich flavors and the long, warm summer days would ripen the grapes perfectly. This special piece of dirt creates wines that do not require long aging, the lush flavors show well upon their release.
Why wait to enjoy it? Attack life with URGENCY.
The grapes used to produce our 2018 URGENCY Cabernet Sauvignon came from the hills and slopes of ultra-premium vineyards in Northern California. A blend from multiple vineyard sites was used to create complexity and balance.
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$382.50 for a Case at Shannon Ridge,/MSRP $30
About The Winery
Winery: Shannon Ridge
Owners: Clay and Angie Shannon
Founded: 1995
Location: Lake County
At Shannon Ridge, we live in harmony with Mother Nature. The vineyards feed the sheep, the sheep feed the vines; lamb feeds the people, people drink the wine and wear wool.
We are dedicated to creating a family of wines that consumers love at top-quality and affordable prices. We are passionate about preserving our land, not only for great vineyard sites but for the wild creatures which share our property. Our sustainability practices integrate a flock of sheep that clean the vineyards, remove the excess canopy, and reduce the need for chemicals while providing natural fertilizer.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI
Estimated Delivery
Friday, April 3rd - Tuesday, April 7th
Urgency Cabernet Sauvignon by Shannon Ridge
3 bottles for $44.99 $15/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Urgency Cabernet Sauvignon
I bought the 2016 Urgency cab here on Casemates when it was offered, https://casemates.com/forum/topics/urgency-cabernet-sauvignon-by-shannon-ridge. IMO, It was a solid everyday cab, especially for the case price. Actually IIRC I liked it quite a lot, and will drink it when I want something nicer than an “everyday drinker”, but at “everyday prices”.
Hello hello, mates!
I got selected as a lucky lab rat for this weekend’s offer. I got to spend a couple nights with the wine, and here’s my thoughts on it.
First you see the violet crystal color. It’s a little translucent, but only when at a low level in the glass, or at the edge.
For me the aroma seems pretty shut down. There’s a dark note I can’t quite place, maybe a little oak, and some fruit behind that. I’m afraid I’m not one to always name the specific notes I smell and taste, and here I can’t say if there’s cherries, or plums, or other berries here. What I will tell you is the fruit pops out a lot more in the flavor than in the nose. There’s big, bright, bold, bountiful red fruits here. You can taste the sharp notes of acidity behind that, but subdued. The tannins come out in the finish, and they’re pretty smooth for as young a wine as this is.
On day 2, the aroma shrinks a bit more, the fruit settles down a bit, and the tannins come out more. Still smooth, but by the end of the evening they’re definitely present throughout the taste.
Most of what I enjoy in this is the big bright fruit. But it seems just on this side of balance; I think I enjoy it more when it settles down… perhaps also with a little more age in bottle? I can’t say for sure how that’ll impact it, though. But if you’re a fan of fresh, fruit-forward food friendly wine for your fine fare, this fits the bill. If you’d like to get a little spice from the tannins, decant it first and let it open up.
Me:
From the front page:
Clearly I’m off the ball here, at least.
@worbx I did not get a hint of oak.
@kookie00 Well, I’ll say my palate is not the most well-developed. Interesting that we had such different experiences with the wine, though. I wonder if any other rats will chime in?
@worbx I hope so. I hope I just had a bad bottle, but a lot of our notes are the same (over-ripe fruit bomb with no structure).
@worbx Nice job. Impressive alliteration.
A most unfortunate lab rat here.
I was excited earlier this week to get that special email. Upon opening the box, I found a 2018 Urgency Cabernet, a new label/producer to me. From the reviews of prior vintages, I was hoping this would be analogous to a Ghost Pines (decent, mass market, drink now wine), but ultimately found it more in 2 buck chuck territory.
After letting it rest a few days, I popped and poured it Thursday night. From the first sniff, I was immediately disappointed. All I could smell was way overripe fruit. My fiancée remarked it smelled like “trash.” I double-checked the cork to make sure it was intact with no evidence of mold; the cork was fine. In the glass, it is completely opaque with a deep purple hue. The initial taste is pure alcohol, which, when it burns off, leaves just an impression of again overripe fruit with no structure or finish. In a blind taste test, I would have pegged this as a very cheap merlot, not a cabernet. The best comparison to the bottle in my experience is the bad red Delta serves in economy.
Given the initial poor taste, we reserved most of this for the next day, hoping some air would improve it. It improved slightly, as there are now some pepper notes with some tannins. But it is still just pretty awful. Most of this is going down the drain, unfortunately. It tastes like a bad bottle of 2 buck chuck. In the best-case scenario, they did not hand sort the clusters, and some rotten ones got in this batch. If not, someone made a big mistake in crafting this wine.
From my sample, I can’t recommend this for quaffing at any price point let alone at $15 or $30.
@kookie00 wow…2 very different reviews! I wonder if your bottle was corked (even though you didn’t see any issues with the cork…it still might have been corked). I quite like the 2016, which is not a big, bold cab, but is still very drinkable and enjoyable.
@TimW I can’t rule it out, but I did not get a hint of funk or must that I associate with cork taint. Also, it was fruity usually dissipates with a corked bottle.
@kookie00 “Corked” (or some form of tainting) was my initial reaction to your review as well. I don’t trust that I could affirmatively declare cork taint as the fault unless it was 5-10x above threshold levels, but I have had bottles that were exactly what you describe (off aroma, alcohol-forward, undrinkable) that were clearly off relative to a sister bottle opened alongside it.
As a follow-up, we went tasting locally earlier today and everything tasted great, so it was not our taste buds. Something was definitely off with the wine. (In case someone thought we had the corona or some other sort of virus that could alter taste).
@kookie00
LOL
@kookie00 You described the color as being ‘completely opaque’, worbx mentioned a bit of translucence. He also posted a picture - how well did it match with the bottle that you had? (Still sniffing at the ‘bad bottle’ scenario.)
@rpstrong I think it matches, but something was way off. Pic attached.
@kookie00 Even from different angles, they do look the same.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Urgency Cabernet Sauvignon by Shannon Ridge - $60 = 33.32%
Yeah imo the description didn’t sound corked to me, musty moldy wet cardboard with little to no fruit is what I get from a corked wine.
@ScottW58 True, that’s the classic presentation. But at TCA levels lower than needed to give that impression, you can get a destruction of the fruit and nuance, overrepresentation of alcohol, and generally bland and disappointing. I’ve actually had that happen more often than full on wet cardboard.
@ScottW58 @klezman One other thing to note about this is the cork is a Diam-style cork (not sure if actual Diam brand), which if treated properly should virtually eliminate the possibility of TCA. But of course there are other faults which could have occurred.
@klezman @worbx
I don’t know even in slightly corked wines I still get that unmistakable musty cardboard flavor that is hard for me to get out of my mouth, also seeing that it is a Diam cork chances are slim that it was corked.
@ScottW58 @worbx Everybody’s sensitivity to TCA is different. But yeah, with the diam cork it does seem unlikely. Whatever. It’s not like this wine was of much interest to me anyway.
@klezman @ScottW58 @worbx
The description sounds more cooked than corked but when would that have happened? Maybe it’s as simple as one man’s big, bright, bold bountiful red fruit being another man’s way overripe fruit.
Interesting that winemaker participation here is zilch.
@winedavid49
I think based on the widely disparate reviews that something was badly off with the bottle @kookie00 had. I don’t trust my long distance analysis chops to try to say what is wrong, but something surely was.
Those of us who’ve been with wine.woot and Casemates for a long time know that winedavid just does not knowingly put anything as bad as @kookie00’s description on the site. Some, even many, wines may not be to any given wino’s taste (and I’m probably pickier than most), but they’re soundly made wines and represent (at least) good value for money - and are sometimes amazing bargains for amazing wines.
We’ve had a very, very few wines that were hugely inconsistent, with many bad bottles and significant bottle variation, but I can only recall two offerings in the past 13+ years that had significant and broad-based post-sale negative feed back for quality problems.
I would hope there could be winery participation to comment on what @kookie00 experienced.