Wine Review – Martin Ray 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
November 23rd, 2009 categories: Personal Notes, Santa Rosa
We recently sampled a wine that we really liked and wanted to share a recommendation with you; a Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Vintage from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
We generally write articles about Sonoma County, and even though these grapes were grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this wine comes from a favorite Sonoma County winery…Martin Ray Winery which is located in Santa Rosa California. We thought we would take a chance with our first wine review posted on this website…now…on to the wine review.
The wine label states that the Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes that are grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains are intense, flavorful, and distinctive. We would agree that the wine is intense, and very flavorful, however distinctive is not a word that came to mind when we drank it. This is not a bad thing however, as this wine was easily mistakable with a Sonoma or even Napa Cabernet.
I am not one of those wine drinkers that has a great palate and can tell you a wine has great depth, multiple layers, or hints of the California Sunshine…but I do know what I like, and I really liked this wine. When I say I liked this wine, I mean that WE really liked this wine…everyone that had a glass or two commented on how great it was. The wine went very well with some filets grilled medium rare with a little black pepper and olive oil. The wine also paired well with some grilled asparagus and tomatoes. Lastly, we also grilled a nice big piece of wild salmon, and the wine did not over power the fish at all…again, pairing well with and even complimenting the salmon which was grilled with a little olive oil and paprika…I was actually surprised that the wine did not take center stage with the fish as the wine is very full bodied.
We paid $27 per bottle ($30 with a 10% discount) and thought it was a great buy. I just did a quick Google search and found the same wine for as much as $45.99 and not including shipping. Even though we like to sample new wines all the time, we may just go back and buy a few bottles for future meals, since we now know it is such a versatile wine.
If anyone has any comments a great wine we should try, whether it is Sonoma County Wine or not, by all means, please let us know. We would be happy to find a bottle, have it with a meal, and then write our opinion of the selection. If you try the Martin Ray 2005 Santa Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon, we would also like to know what you thought. Remember to drink responsibly!
