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Honesty on the Label - 2006 Honorable Cabernet Sauvignon





Living Up to His Name

Although I have not posted recently, don't think for a second that I'm not imbibing Washington wines. I am, but, I should mention that my palate has become a bit, "acid sensitive" - which means some wines just taste too sharp for me to appreciate. Even with my current picky palate, I have found some wines I can honestly recommend.

One of the wines you should go find is the 2006 Honorable Cabernet Sauvignon by Charles Smith. Don't you love the label? The 2006 HCS went really well with baby back ribs, so it's a food friendly pairing. This wine was smoky/spicy, with cherry/vanilla and pleasantly dry. Not a meek wine, not a monster wine, but an honorable presentation of what a decent Washington Cabernet Sauvignon should be. Priced between $11 and $16 it is also a great value.

The wine is made by Charles Smith in Matawa, Washington (Walla Walla). I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Smith last year at Taste Washington Seattle, he always has interesting labels on his wines and he's an interesting winemaker too. Recommended.

http://www.charlessmithwines.com/

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