Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Price: $17
Maker: Delicato Family Vineyards
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 3 liter box, pushbutton spigot
Alcohol: 13.3%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was another vaguely disappointing offering from a brand that proudly proclaims its list of gold medal awards. The nose is mild but spicy. The flavor is slightly reminiscent of some of the 5-liter box wines, with a slightly sweet plumminess and chocolate and a moderately spicy finish. The wine, in our opinion, doesn’t show much varietal character – we aren’t finding what we’d like to see in a good Cab. This is one that you might have to try for yourself, as the wine isn’t entirely unpleasant and may appeal to some.

We checked out the Delicato website, and while the latest Shiraz has garnered some favorable attention, we couldn’t find any awards for Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Their notes talk about, “rich, well-developed flavors of cherry, blackberry and a hint of oak to compliment the fruit.” That seems rather unlike what we found in this particular box. Closer to our thoughts were those of Paxton at the Destination Unknown blog, who noted, “it’s missing the complexity that would be necessary to make it a good wine, though there is a dark plum flavor beneath the astringency.”