St. Supery | A Hungry Runner

Hello, hello!

Guess what day it is?!

During my normal trip to Harris Teeter, I just happened to be down the wine aisle (surprise, surprise) and I came across these in the Cabernet Sauvignon section.

I know my normal grocery store budget is $20 or less but look at those discounts!!

It was definitely a sign!

So, which one do you think I took home? No peeking!!

Did you guess correctly?

You probably think I picked it because it had the biggest discount but honestly, it was the label that really drew me in.

I know, I know. You’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, or a wine by its label, but I do. I’m guilty. I’ll buy a wine with a boring label but it I think the label is ugly or ridiculous, I probably won’t grab it.

I need to not do that because I’m sure I’m missing out but…..there are just so many with really attractive labels AND if their marketing department is any good, they’ll make the label nice looking anyway because people really do grab wine based on the label!

And, we’ve actually been to Beaulieu Vineyards and I was meh about their cab and the tasting room experience. Haven’t grabbed a bottle of BV since. *shrug*

Anyway, I went with the St. Supéry and brought that baby home.

I knew my sailor would be happy because he loves him some cab! 🙂

We got the grill lit and ready to throw on a pork tenderloin and some sweet taters and we popped it open.

One day, I will find the BEST spot to take this picture. Clearly, this is not it.

I’m going to do something new.

I’m going to give you the tasting notes as written on the winery Web page and then tell you what I thought/smelled/tasted. This way, instead of just my pedestrian opinion, you’ll have the winemaker’s notes as well. Besides, my taste buds are just that – mine – and you may pick up on different nuances than I do. I don’t want what I taste to potentially prevent you from trying a wine if you don’t like “earthy” or “cherry” or whatever. 🙂

So, per the St. Supéry page: “This Cabernet Sauvignon presents with bright hues of purples and red. Vibrant, youthful aromas of blackberry, plum and raspberry mingle with notes of chocolate laced with hints of vanillin and toasted oak. Fruit forward flavors burst with blackberry and black plum and are balanced by graceful, structured notes of oak combined with cocoa and a dusty sense of Napa Valley terroir. This is an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon that is finely textured with a solid frame.”

I just have to say – I didn’t smell raspberry one little bit which is good because I would have probably put the glass down and never even taken a sip. I am so NOT a fan of raspberries. What I did smell was plum, vanilla, and oak. YUM!

After swirling and sniffing (I should totally do a video to show you how to pretend like you know what you’re doing when you go wine tasting! We can all swirl and sniff together!!), my first sip was not overly fruity (they say fruit forward – I thought the fruit was more mellow than big and jammy, which is how I define fruit forward) but I definitely tasted berry, and I tasted the toastiness from the oak (think of toasted marshmallows).

At 13.5% alchohol, I was pleasantly surprised at how not “hot” it was. Wines with higher alcohol content can often taste “hot” and can leave sort of a burning sensation in the back of your throat. You’ll know it the minute you taste a high-alcohol wine. It’ll taste good and then when you swallow, it’s like it sucker punches your throat. Still delicious, though! Just be careful with the “hot” ones! Wine hangovers are zero fun. Anyway, this one didn’t have any of that – it was smooth, silky, and just right.

And, it wasn’t too much for our pork tenderloin although I wouldn’t make it a regular pairing. You definitely want to pair a cab with heartier meats, like steaks, lamb, and some chicken dishes, stews, hearty pastas, and even a meat pizza.

Or, you could always do just Brie and a baguette and hang out on the front patio and watch the traffic go by. 🙂

Cheers!