Price: $6
Maker: Frei Brothers Vineyards, Modesto, California
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
We were pleasantly surprised by Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, an inexpensive Cab from Frei Brothers. The aroma has raspberry, cherry, vanilla, and pepper notes. The wine is medium-bodied, with a relatively robust mix of berry flavors, light oak notes, and well-structured tannins. The finish is nicely extended and becomes a bit spicy as it lingers on the palate. Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is a great value if you are looking for a fruit-forward Cab that offers reasonable complexity and a good finish.
The Barely Legal Substance blog said of the 2003 vintage, ” Even though I tasted some berries, and lot of smoke, I remain unconvinced that this wine was anything other than a mediocre Led Zeppelin cover band.”
The Redwood Creek website emphasizes the outdoors, and is replete with slightly annoying bird call sounds that never stop. The site is heavy with Flash images, but offers some different features like “explorer profiles” of wine lovers with interesting outdoor resumes, and a “wine blending” section that suggests how one might mix multiple varietals to concoct a new flavor. It even has a way to send email invitations to a “fireside gathering. It seems like they are trying a bit too hard on the woodsy/outdoor theme, but the wine itself is definitely worth a try. They’ve got three other reds, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.
You’ve got to be kidding me. I had this wine with dinner tonite and I loved it. When I came to this site I expected it to be quite expensive ( I bought this with alot of other bottles and had no idea of price) This is a great way to test wines and enjoy for the flavor not the price. I am buying a case tomorrow
Glad you agree this one is a great value, Tom.
I must confess, I’ve gone searching for Redwood Creek reviews and ratings and landed here. Circumstances have required me to look for an everyday wine that won’t run me the same $$ as La Crema, Hess and Cline, just to mention a few.
I have been surprised at the Syrah, Pinot, and the Cab. Great values, but equally important good balance, mouth, and smoothness.
I cooked some lintels with stewed tomatoes, bay leaf, onion, balsamic vinegar and cinnamon. Imagine my surprise upon opening the Pinot to find the same cinnamon tones and a great pairing!
I think this is a great “every-day” wine.
from a blogger at a wine tasting site:
[I couldn’t have said it better]
This northern California wine, and I use the term very loosely, is a fine example of why many people have no appreciation nor taste for red wine. This production under the Frei Bros. name is owned by Gallo, the largest producer of wine in the world and would be a better example of cleaning solvent than wine. It has a bouquet–if I can even use that term to apply to the smell of isopropyl alcohol with a subtle hint of grape underneath. There is a tinge of green aroma that carries through to the palate where alcohol is again the primary flavor. A mere hint of grape ever comes through and this is not a “corked” wine. This is a super mass produced wine with little concern for the consumer. At $7.00 it is overpriced by about $6. Now you may be thinking, “Well, you get what you pay for.” That is often true when it comes to wine but for $7, you can find many drinkable wines that actually remind you of wine and the specific type of grape used in the wine. This is a wine that should be left on the shelf. Raise a glass of some real wine and put this one behind you–forever.
Could you please NAME some other wines for $7 that are better? Wines give you a better sense of the varietal, the place, the ‘terroir’ if you will?
Cause I’m having a tough time finding these kinds of wines for $7
I enjoy this wine (2005 Redwood Creek CabSauv) very much and buy it by the case for $4.50/btl at my local military base. If you have a TRADER JOE’S near you, they have some decent private label wines (not the Charles Shaw). Try the 2005 Tres Pinos from Paso Robles (Maddalena Vineyards) for $5.49 – it is quite good if you like jammy, grapey wine. IMO, there are many good wines in the $7 range but the trick is finding them…
Interestingly enough, they are now serving the 2006 vintage in first class on US Airways…
The flight attendant gave me a bottle..haven’t had a chance to try it yet…looking forward to it though.
Cheers,
Matt Gulino
Redwood Creek is dang good! I like inexpensive red wine that won’t break my bank acct. Redwood Creek is just that wine. For not much money it tastes pretty darn good for the price. I had NO trouble having a second glass. The aroma is very nice and it’s smoooth, easy going and finishes nicely. It is NOT a $12-$25 bottle. But, it could easily be mistaken for a $7-$10 bottle.
Thanks,
david
I tried Redwood Creek red a few evenings ago – I cannot remember where I bought it – but it was absolutely lovely and I am trying to find the store which sells it – I have tried all my usual stores but I live in the UK and so far, haven’t managed to find it anywhere ……………. any suggestions anyone?
Just found the 2007 vintage cab at my local NJ Total Wines & More ($5.99). I found the wine to be a terrific sub $12.00 wine. When we’ve got 3-4 friends over this is great way to give them all a decent wine while we eat & laugh, without blowing through a $100.00 plus in upscale wine. We all know that when you’re entertaining, by the time people get to their third glass of wine, they could care less whther is cost $6.00 or $60.00. Sorry all you wine snobs out there, but you know I speak the truth…
Just a quick note to find out where I can purchase a few of your
“umbrella’s” for my patio! My neightbor has 1 and I got the name from it! She/They have it wired to the side of their porch! I heard that they stole theirs, but I’m seriously inquirind about a purchase of 1 or 2 of them, ang get an umbrella with a cement holder and have a few chairs out on my veranda.
Please let me know where and how to get thee with out stealing them like this neighbor dis