A Great, Cheap Cab

Like steak? Great! So do I. Sometimes I like a good beer with a steak … Sam Adams and Guinness immediately come to mind. There’s countless others, too.

I’m one of those kinda-rare guys (pardon the pun) who likes wine just as much as beer. And there’s some situations when I like wine more than beer. A great cabarnet sauvignon with the perfect medium-rare steak? I’m a happy man for days afterwards.

The problem with a lot of good, deep cabs is that they’re pretty damned expensive. It’s that deep, almost chewy kind of cab that you want with your sort-of bloody USDA Prime. It’s certainly what I want.

I’m usually happy with a $20ish bottle. But recently I’ve discovered a brand in the $10-$12 range that makes my toes curl upward in the direction nature did not intend for them to go.

It’s Gotham McLaren Vale Cabernet 2008. It’s from Australia. Every time I try wines from down under, I’m more and more impressed with them. Australia is really putting it to California and the Old World winemakers.

Don’t let the fact that it’s young scare you. It’s great right out of the bottle. Even better when you put it through a Vinturi aerator.

Here’s how Gotham itself describes it:

Black as ink to look at and on the nose it screams blueberries, crème de cassis, and liquorice, cedar, and spice box. The oak is dominated by the lavish, extravagant amounts of fruit and glycerin. This intense, full-bodied, surprisingly pure and elegant Cabernet should last at least a decade. A meal on its own.

(”Liquorice.” Them Australians sure do talk funny, don’t they, Hollywood?)

I’d agree with the description. It really is chewy, and it’s just oaky enough. I like it with most any cut, and it even goes with a hunk of meat that’s been marinated in some simple spices and/or olive oil and vinaigrette.

Even your wine-hating razor-stubble buddies might think twice about dissing the grape ever again, after tasting this with a good slab of beef. It’s that good. And it’s damn inexpensive. A perfect combination, in my mind.

And yes, it’s a screw cap. Repeat after me: Screw caps do .. not .. equal cheap, sugary wine. If anything, this little behemoth disproves that! Plus it’ll last a very long time in your cellar with a screw cap. So if you can get a good case discount on this, by all means go for it. It’ll be the best $120-$140ish you’ve ever spent on a case of cabernet.

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