If you are a golfer you’ll recognize the name “Callaway” as a manufacturer of golf equipment and golf balls.
I work at a golf course a couple of days a week as a Marshall and the golf cart lady does good business with beer but there is no wine in her cart.
So with a chuckle I see a bottle of Callaway Cabernet Sauvignon from California! Is it worth a bogey, par, birdie or eagle? The winery was founded by the late Ely Callaway…the real Callaway guy!
The wine’s label says it is California wine meaning all the grapes must come from California so as a vintner you better know your growers!
On the nose blackberry, woodsmoke and black cherry. So as far as aromatics go it gets a par. On the palate it is not particularly infused with tannins. I see little evidence of Cabernet Sauvignon here but this might be cleared up by the LCBO website saying there is also Zinfandel and Petit Sirah so in reality it is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend! There is some spiciness to the wine which is more a characteristic of Zinfandel than Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged in 90% American oak and 10% in French oak. It must be older American oak as the oak is very quiet in this wine. It is a bit sweet more than the 3 grams per litre as described in the LCBO website. The sweetness robs the wine of its fruit.
A clumsy effort. Is this why I slice Callaway golf balls! And at one point I used Callaway golf clubs until 15 years ago I had custom clubs made for me. I hold the old Callaway’s and they are about as good as this wine. Overall a double bogie.
(Callaway Cellar Selection 2018 California Cabernet Sauvignon, Callaway, McFarland, California, $17, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 17804, A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 84/100).
Photo: Lutz Fullgraf
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