Budget Wine: Domaine Bousquet Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Tupungato Valley Mendoza

Another wine that requires some patience to appreciate. It had a distracting metallic aroma when first opened that gradually dissipates as the wine aerates and was gone by day two. Otherwise simple black cherry and blackberry aromas with some green notes in the background, a hint of menthol and subtle oak. The palate opens with simple dark fruit, but strong acidity and a core of minerality give the wine a lifted quality. It is sinewy and taut, not round and full as if all the flavor is being funneled and concentrated in the mid-palate. I enjoyed this quality. The tannins were soft; the finish peppery and acid driven.

Not extraordinary but sufficiently unusual and tasty to make it worth the price.

This is winemaker Jean Bousquet’s entry level wine made from organically grown grapes.

Score: 86

Price: $9

Alc: 14%