2007 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, it's been a busy day of running errands, groceries, dry cleaners, wine store, butcher, car wash, so much stuff to do, and so little time!  So now it's time to relax with a bit of wine as I make my dinner, and tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2007 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon!  This wine is sourced from three different areas of California that specialize in Cabernet, Mendocino County (47%), Lake County (37%) and Napa County (16%).  This particular bottle I bought about three years ago, when the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids closed their famous 1913 Room restaurant, and they sold off the china and more importantly the wine cellar in the lobby of the hotel!

The wine itself has some deep ruby color, with only mild opacity toward the center.  The nose is quite nice, with a good bit of leather, tobacco and spice surrounding a rich, jammy core of black fruit.  The taste belies the fruit in the nose, with only mild hints of ripe cherry and cassis up front, which transitions easily into some lovely spice notes with a bit of mint over the top.  The finish was bone dry, though not particularly overpowering, as the tannins were very subdued.  In my view, this is a very nice sipping Cabernet.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, as it's a nice wine, but it was also a good value as I bought this one for the princely sum of $12.75!  Tonight I am enjoying it with a first course of a baked stuffed scallop, followed by big ol' Angus T-bone, grilled rare, along with some haricots vert almondine and some steamed Klondike fingerling potatoes, so yummy!