Oak Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon
Price: $3
Maker: Oak Leaf Vineyards, Ripon, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10
We’ve been hoping for a Two Buck Chuck beater to emerge, and it looks like Oak Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon may be it. This non-vintage offering is sold by Wal-Mart, and seems to be aimed squarely at the Charles Shaw wines sold through the much smaller Trader Joe’s chain. The nose is a rather unprepossessing mix of oak and vanilla. The flavor has lots of cherries and raspberries, along with vanilla. The finish is oaky with prominent tannins. Overall, this Cab is simple and juicy. It has a nice finish for a cheap non-vintage wine. There’s an unusual residual berry flavor, almost perfumy, that lingered on the tongue.
Overall, Oak Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon beats its $3-range competition like Two Buck Chuck and Tisdale. It’s all relative, of course. None of these are great wines, but to my taste this is the most drinkable one of the bunch. Plus, it has the advantage of widespread distribution via Wal-Mart.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Returned home today with a bottle of the 2007 Toca Diamonte Malbec/Cab and one Oak Leaf Chardonnay. Google turned up your site when I searched on the Toca. We are enjoying the Toca tonight, espeically in comparison to a $13 Bordeaux we tried last night. It has a nice black fruit palate and pleasantly sour finish. I think Argentina’s currency is one of the few down in relation to the dollar. For me this $4 wine outperforms it class. Could the 2004 you tasted recently be a bit out of date?
We’ll try the Oak Leaf Chard this weekend. I didn’t have the guts to buy one of the reds (Cab and Merlot) or the White (pink) Zinfandel. Guess I should have tried the Cab.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I have spent a lot of time researching Oak Leaf Vineyards post. It seems most people like the different option that Oak Leaf Vineyards has given us. At price you can afford to dump down the sink if you think it sucks. Many people have commented on my own site http://www.cheapwinecritics.com I personally have been looking for a good muscadine wine. Hit me up on my site if you know one!!
July 29th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Picked up a case of the Cabernet Sauvignon just for fun at Wal Mart in Carson City, Nevada. At $1.97/bottle, how could I go wrong. Was very impressed.. much better than the Charles Shaw which goes for $2.99 in Nevada Trader Joe’s. A wonderful value.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:28 pm
A few months ago, I tried the Oak Leaf Merlot and Cabernet. The Merlot was pretty awful; not entirely undrinkable, but certainly disappointing, and I won’t buy it again.
The Cabernet was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a pretty coarse wine, but was shocked to find a smooth, flavorful, easy-going cabernet, not bone-dry but definitely worth more than three bucks.
A while later, I did a blind taste-test with some friends, comparing Oak Leaf Cabernet Sauvignon against another (~$15) Cabernet (which shall remain nameless). My friends vastly preferred the Oak Leaf, and have now become big fans.
Try a similar experiment and see what your friends think–before *and* after you tell them it’s from Wal-Mart.
Cheers,
Scott