Wine is subjective. I'm predisposed to like today's wine because I have fond memories of visiting/drinking wine at Coppola's winery in Napa. Also his Sofia Blanc de Blanc is my go-to for sparkling wine. But, the fact is, he no longer owns that winery and I have no idea where (other than somewhere in California) the grapes for this wine come from.
I'm predisposed to enjoy drinking it out of the glass I bought at the winery--waaaaaay back in the day--which is supposedly a replica of the glasses his Italian grandfather used to drink wine out of back in Italy.
My father's family is Sicilian and whenever I drink a Coppola wine out of this particular glass, I always feel like an extra in the Godfather during the scenes where Michael first comes across Appolonia.
It's a nice wine. Not blow your socks off, but very, very drinkable. The tasting notes suggest blackberries, cherries and spice on the nose. And, of course, I disagree. I almost always disagree. I get the spice, and maybe a little bit of leather, but to me the aroma is dried blueberries with a hint of cocoa. It's medium bodied. Opaque, dark red color--it's the color you think of when you think of wine. Not purple, but not a rusty red, either. Like a deep, deep, deep magenta. No legs to speak of, which is odd given the fact that it's only a 2020 vintage--which is not at all old for a Cabernet.
I taste toasted oak and--ooh, okay! THERE'S the cherry. It's nice. Juicy and lush. But it's not at all what I think of when I think Cabernet Sauvignon. It's softer. Less bold. If I didn't know better, I'd guess a merlot blend. The bottle suggests pairing it with...well, anything apparently! Steak tacos, prime rib, pasta...these are not the same thing. I would not choose the same wine for all of those...well, unless the choice was wine or no wine in which case, yes please, hit me up!
And...subjective, you know? I can kind of see the tacos. But the rest...not so much. I would suggest pairing this with charcoal-grilled burgers, steak salad or a nice charcuterie board. I wouldn't say no if you poured me some to go with pasta or pizza but...Chateau Martelena has my heart when it comes to pizza. Everything else is an also ran.
For reference, I'm currently drinking it with some sharp cheddar and an apple. And it's good. But, yeah. I think a nice juicy burger would be absolutely perfect.
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