Recently, through weekly Merlot tastings, I’ve been rediscovering the joy of Merlot. And readers of this blog know about my recent infatuation (now entering its second year, so maybe things are finally getting serious) with Grenache.
But my long-term honeyboo, my ride-or-die, my desert-island soul grape is still none other than Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s what I reach for most often when I want a glass of wine to drink with dinner…or just a glass of wine.
That goes double in steakhouses. In fancy palaces of meat, the wine list is teeming with good Cabernets and the other sections are often truncated and boring.
But not the Cabs–behold! Left Bank, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Washington, South Africa! Turn the page for Super Tuscans, Livermore, Chilean pepper bombs, bourbon-aged bottles, Baby Grange! The leather-bound folder reads like a tribute to this remarkable grape and everything it’s capable of.
The wine waiter will approach you with a recommendation. Surprise, surprise–it’s Caymus. (In the moneyed, image-conscious North Dallas suburbs it’s Caymus every time). Wave them away and dig into that list. Look for value, look for unfamiliarity. Look for the name of an old favorite and catch up with it like a long-lost friend. Whatever wine is calling to you tonight, take a moment to skim past the obvious and find it.
On Tuesday I was at Brasão Brazilian Steakhouse for DFW Restaurant Week. Sarah and I knew we wanted the wine to be Argentine, and Brasão does have a respectable selection of Malbecs by the bottle.
But I had been drinking way too much #Merlot lately to be in the mood for smushy Malbec fruit. (Those grapes are half-siblings, I recently learned–which now makes total sense.) So we settled on this wine, the Trapiche “Tesoro” Cabernet Sauvignon ($54).
Tesoro (“treasure”) is Trapiche’s brand of ~$15 bottles aimed at the United States market. The Malbec was released first in 2023, followed by the Cabernet and Chardonnay in 2024. All are 100% varietal wines with modest use of oak including used foudres. (For beavers, Trapiche makes a separate “Oak Cask” line of extra-toasty wines.)
With its Uco Valley vineyards all located more than 4100 feet above sea level, Tesoro Cabernet Sauvignon is made from some of the highest-altitude Cabernet vines in the world. I could not, however, detect the mark of the Andean heights on this wine, the way you sometimes can with cooler-climate Malbec and Cabernet Franc.
The color is deep ruby. On the nose, it’s ripened black fruit with seasoned wood and spice. Blackcurrants, cedar, toasted peppercorns, tobacco. The first sip is dry and medium-bodied with abundant ripe tannins, wholesome vegetal chewiness, and even a bit of graphite. At this point, it’s like a semi-professional singer doing their best karaoke rendition of a song called “Left Bank Bordeaux.” The core flavors are of plum and blackcurrant and some brighter fruits including red currants and cherry. Good acidity and a hint of sweet vanilla and thin salted caramel at the end.
A few tannic stragglers stick around to try to maintain their grip on the palate–but alas, the party’s over and the Bordeaux impression is no longer convincing. The finish is fairly short and flavorless. It’s a perfectly adequate food-pairing wine and a sensible steakhouse choice. It’s also, for me, an instructive lesson on the difference between a good wine and a great wine.
Whatever. It’s better than overpaying for Napa Cab when all you really want to do is talk to your friends, raid the salad bar, and stuff your face with picanha until the gauchos start to point at you and whisper. I continue to be extremely excited by the value proposition of the Old World-style wines coming out of Chile and Argentina. The white-wine drinkers at our table opted for the Catena Chardonnay (instead of the Stags’ Leap recommended by the waiter, LOL) and also found it to be a delicious Argentine alternative.
Bottle: Trapiche “Tesoro” Uco Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2021)
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (100%)
ABV: 14%
Suggested retail: $16.99
My rating: 8.1 (out of 10)
Further reading:
Wine Industry Advisor: Trapiche Launches the Tesoro Range of Wines in the US Market
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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