Dry Creek Vineyard 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley

Hung up on Napa Valley Cabs? Try crossing the border for Cabernet from Sonoma.

Dry Creek Valley – Home of Zinfandel – And Cabernet!

Dry Creek Valley in California’s Sonoma Valley wine region is best known for delectable Zinfandel from vines centuries old. The region is versatile and also produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and even Sauvignon Blanc. There’s plenty of vibrant sunshine and cool, foggy evenings.

Selecting a Sonoma Cab also gives us one of our favorite feelings – that of extra coin in our pocket. As Napa Valley prices continue to climb, Sonoma wines can be gotten at a sweet savings.

Dry Creek Valley Microclimate Friendly To Cab

If you are like me, you’ll be surprised to learn Dry Creek Valley has almost as much Cabernet Sauvignon planted as Zinfandel. Dry Creek Valley is often overlooked, but produces inspiring wines.

Two tasting team members, the Cabinator and Glorious T, recently visited Sonoma and came back raving about the quality of the wine and the friendliness of the people. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to visit Dry Creek Vineyard, one of our favorite producers in the area.

2012 A Standout Vintage

The 2012 Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 3% Merlot with a 2% dash of Cab Franc. The alcohol is at 14.5%, which is a bit “hot” for us.

We’re told that the 2012 vintage with near perfect growing conditions that resulting is Bordeaux varieties flourishing. It is good to know that a vintage is excellent, but for us the proof is in the bottle. Sometimes a winemaker’s skill can coax superb wine from a harvest that was labelled as challenging.

The proof was indeed pleasing. This is a rich, rounded glass that oozes black cherry flavors. It is a full-bodied wine with solid tannins.

The 2012 DCV Cab has a silky finish and a charm that leaves you disappointed when the bottle is empty. Luckily, there is an easy solution for that! With an SRP of $20, this is a solid California Cab that you can always afford to have on hand.

Full disclosure: We received this bottle as a marketing sample.

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