Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Price: $18
Maker: Universal Wine Network
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3 liter box
Our Rating: 8 out of 10
We were excited to find this new addition to our wine shop shelf. It’s not your typical bland box - the Killer Juice package is black with a flame logo, and it proclaims, “Wine with a Lust for Life”. Bill letters on the side advertise, “Punched Berry”, “Smoky Oak”, and “Black Cherry”. The legend explains that “killer juice” is winemaker slang for a wine they really like. With this buildup, we were ready for a spectacular experience. The wine is actually good, but I’ll leave the question of whether it is indeed “killer juice” to others. I found it to be medium bodied, with a mild spicy aroma and a flavor that’s a nice balance of berry and oak. A bit of acid in the finish adds some interest. Overall, it’s a wine that won’t offend anyone, and it might be a good choice for a barbeque or informal party where you’ll find the four bottle capacity of the box handy.
One minor complaint is the spigot, which is similar to some of the cheap American box wines - it tends to dribble out a drop or two after you have completed pouring. Not a huge deal, but there are better solutions on the market. This wine is from the Central Coast of California. We tried to check out Universal Wine Network, but the only web site we could find (uwnetwork.com) returned an error.
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May 15th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Found it next to my Black Box (The Box of Choice) It’s interesting as box wines go not as formidable as Black Box but certainly top shelf grocery store
June 21st, 2006 at 9:29 pm
[...] Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 [...]
July 20th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
[...] We tried the Killer Juice cabernet a couple of months ago and found it to be quite good, but we would have liked to see a broader sampling of wines to get a more valid comparison. Still, it’s one more validation that wine drinkers need not sacrifice flavor or quality to enjoy the convenience of box packaging. [...]
July 27th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
how does one order killer juice for Arizona?
July 28th, 2006 at 7:51 am
I’d suggest checking with a local well-stocked wine shop to begin with, or maybe a gourmet supermarket that has a heavy-duty wine selection (that’s where I found Killer Juice locally). Chances are the wine shop can order it for you if they don’t stock it. If Arizona allows mail order wine shipments, you could probably just Google it to find a mail order seller. Good luck!
October 24th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Killer Cab compares very favorably to Black Box, and is much tastier than it’s other boxy competitors… AND beats The Box on price… $14 at the local Costco. The biker graphics are just icing on the cake to a rider like myself. I have found my BOX!
December 24th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Found the 2004 & 2005 at a local shop in December. Bought the 2004. Certainly above average. The 2003 review still applies: not complex but does have some interesting qualities. Worth the price.
January 25th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Great wine but find it hard to find in Florida.Can you give me a location close to us in St. Pete. Area code 33715
March 26th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Where is Killer Juice available in Florida zip code 33715
March 26th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Gerald, try checking with http://www.underdogwinemerchants.com/ . Good luck! And let us know if you have any unusual boxed wines in Florida that we don’t see in the Midwest.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:40 am
Can’t help you in St Pete, but here in St Augustine, FL, one of the ABC Liquor stores carries it…SOMETIMES.
I like to keep an upper-level box (oxymoron?) of red and white on hand, “just in case”.
I am just finishing my first box of Killer Juice 2004 Cab. I pretty much agree with all that’s been said. Very servicable, not “special”, though.
I’ll have to check out the other reviews (and coments) on the site to get some suggestions for my next purchase.
I hope I don’t succomb to CANNED wine. Yeech!
As the store was out of KJ, I picked up a box of Black Box Merlot. I don’t normally go for Merlot…but, what the hell, it’s a box. I trust it doesn’t suck.
Black Box Chardonnay isn’t too bad. Again, nothing special, but for a box wine, not too bad.
Since moving to Florida, i find box wine to be particularly useful. When I lived in San Francisco, i found bottles of decent wine at such a low price, the box didn’t make much sense.
June 4th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Killer Juice Cab is a staple in our house. Simple and very smooth, it is a fantastic buy for everyday table wine. I have friends who laugh at me while they go spend $8 or $10 for bottles of Cab that are not nearly as good as this. Who’s laughing now?
October 13th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
stumbled on this box wine about 6 months ago maybe more but really don’t remember. It was a close out special, $5 for the box, bought one and upon tasting went back and bought them out - about 30 or 42 boxes - 6 per case not really sure how many cases we bought but at leat 6-7 cases. On our last box tonight, went to the packy and low and below he found one more case mixed amongst the chardonnay killerjuice - bought it less one, someone bought a box last night. Anyways, for 5 bucks a box this is the steal of the century. we drink a lot of wine, and for jug wine, this kicks ass.
PS Go Pats!
October 13th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
>>about 30 or 42 boxes
Wow, RJ, you make me feel like an amateur box wine drinker!
October 21st, 2007 at 5:31 am
Found it in a bottle at grocery outlet for 2.99 and enjoyed it very much, i just found out that i like wine recently and this bottle helped me turn the corner and see what an (in my opinion) above average wine should be.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Had a box of this “bad juice” CS-2003, after trying black box merlot. It was ‘cooked’ and if it had a cork, I would have said “”corked”".
Contacted “Killer Juice”, and told them about the wine asked for a RMA and also volunteered a box of “black box” so they could taste acceptable wine.
The would not give me a RMA, and declined the free box of wine, but said they would give me a voucher to replace it.
Its now 9 months, NO voucher, have resent their message to them every month with NO response.
I still have 6 bottle of 1966 Ch. Latour, so realize I have tasted good wine.
I would say they “SUCK”!!!!!!!!
December 19th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Sorry to hear about that experience. In general, if I get a bad box I’d return it to the merchant where I bought it. Boxed wines are usually fairly consistent, but they can be stored improperly (for example) and degrade more rapidly.
Let me know when you are going to crack open a bottle of the Latour so I can drop by for a taste!
Roger
January 30th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Does anyone know where to buy Killer Juice or Angel Juice in NYC?
March 17th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Wal-Mart carries Killer Juice…costs about $10-12.
March 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Thanks for the update on that, Garen. That’s a killer price, and a great distibution deal for Killer Juice.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Great value in this box. It opens, pours, and drinks easily. It gives off good dark fruit and oak, with a decent finish. Definitely better with food. The market still needs to improve on better quality but is on the right track. Scored 84/100 WCWG.