Monterey and Cabernet... Galante Vineyards

Monterey County grows over 50 different varietals and yet it seems that most of them go unnoticed or at least uncelebrated as premium wines. Most people tend to think of Monterey wine tasting as one long procession of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and while that is a large portion of what is made and poured it is far from all that can be savoured.

Jack Galante takes us through a tasting

While we do really enjoy the wonderful Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that is made and poured in Monterey we also like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec as well as many other wines.With this being Cabernet month (Cabernet day is August 28th) we turned our attention to Monterey Cabernet and dinner time.
When thinking of Cabernet most peoples thoughts go immediately to Napa or even Paso Robles but you may be surprised to find some equally good reasonably priced Cabernet and Cabernet blends right in Monterey County.

With Cabernet Day just around the corner we at WineWalkabout decided that we would sample some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon poured in the local tasting rooms and let you know about what we chose to drink with our meals and that we really liked.

Food; BBQ Baby back pork ribs with Sonnies BBQ sauce
Wine; Galante Vineyards.
2011 Rancho Galante Red Wine. This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon,19% Malbec, 19% Petite Sirah and 11% Merlot.

Lets start by saying this is a prerelease bottle and we would recommend a little air to start this one off. Once it has relaxed this wine is a cracker. This medium bodied blend has a bright garnet color with a sweet, cedar-box raspberry and red fruit nose with a hint of cinnamon. The flavor on the palate follows the nose with slightly sharp tannins (air time softens them up) that provide a lovely medium long finish. This **** wine is a 6-7 on the scale and a great go to any night of the week. This wine went great with the pork ribs and it would probably go even better with some beef ribs or steaks or about any red meat.
This is also just one of a few Cabernets that Galante Vineyards produces. One in particular we tasted that was a real attention getter was the 2009 Red Rose Hill Cabernet. Get on over to the Wine Tasting Room and Western Emporium in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea. Located off Dolores between Ocean and Seventh Ave. Galante Vineyards was Carmel's first "Wine Tasting Room." so get on over and go thru a tasting and find your favorite.
The Galante tasting room is open 1-6pm Sunday through Friday 12-6pm Saturday Phone (831) 624-3800

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout.net

Kiwi & Koala