2006 Beringer Founders' Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $11

The night before last, I opened this bottle of Beringer Cabs for tasting. I let it sit on the counter during supper to allow it to come to room temperature (the "proper" way to drink cabernet sauvignon), then poured myself a glass.

After a good swirl, this ruby red wine gave off tantilizing aromas of red berries, spice, and oaky vanilla. According to Kevin Zraly's method of wine tasting, I took one sip to get over the initial "shock" to the taste buds before beginning my tasting impressions.

This cabs coats the mouth with a healthy amount of tannins, lending it an astringent quality at the onset. It immediately provides just the right acidity--nothing "too" about this one. The mouthfeel is rich and suede-like, with a slight "furry" quality to it. [By the way, I definitely thought that word sounded gross when I first read it in a wine review too, but you just have to experience it to know it's not a bad thing!]

The flavor is big, bold, and peppery, with an abundance of red berries and oak. It achieves superb balance in a short amount of time, and has great depth and length for a wine of this price.

As with any cabernet sauvignon, you wouldn't want to pair this one with a weak dish due to its full body and high tannin content, because it would overpower the food. This wine would pair well with red meat, pasta with heavier sauces, or even pizza. Or, of course, you could do like I did and just drink it on its own! Either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Speaking of disappointment...I poured another glass of this last night and left it on the counter to bring it to room temp, but since my hubby was much later getting home than I thought he would be, it got a little too warm, so I stuck it in the fridge. BIG mistake. I had set it on a shelf inside the door where the gallon jug of tea had been, and closed the door. After we ate supper, I went to the fridge to put some stuff away, and as soon as I opened the door, my wine came crashing down and splashed all over the floor, the inside of the fridge, and me. Luckily, my glass survived the fall, but I think that's because all of our glassware, from iced tea glasses to my wine glasses and my hubby's beer mugs (and juice glasses, and water goblets...) are all Libbey brand. I have never (*knock on wood*) had a Libbey glass break, and they're all I've used for the past three and a half years.

Anyway, I was majorly bummed that so much of my wine had gone to waste, especially since we're talking about a big glassful. Oh well...You live and you learn--and sometimes you spill your wine!