16 Mar Value California Cab – 2020 Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon
With its ideal climate, diversity of rich soil types
and varied terrain, Napa Valley is California’s
consummate wine production region.
It’s also the state’s most expensive area
to grow grapes and make wine.
Napa producers typically pass their high costs
along to the customer, making many Napa wines,
particularly Cabernet Sauvignon,
an impractical option for the average wine consumer.
But California Cabernet value buys do exist.
The further you venture away from Napa,
the more likely you are to find them.
It’s Wine Thursday!
Time for our weekly look at a good wine
that’s a reasonable buy and is easy to find
in store or online.
This week’s wine comes from the little-known but highly-prolific
wine producing area known as Clarksburg, California.
Where it’s from
Juggernaut is a sub-brand of one of California’s largest producers,
Bogle Family Wines.
Bogle is based in Clarksburg, a mostly flat, fertile grape-growing area
south of Sacramento. It’s an area known more for its high-yield
rather than high-quality wine styles.
What it is
Clarksburg has few slopes. But the Bogle folks say that
the grapes that are used for Juggernaut grow on “hillsides”
which have rockier soil, hold fewer nutrients and
force the grapes to struggle, resulting in tastier wine.
Not sure about the grapes’ origin but this much we know:
the resulting wine is one of the better buys in California Cabernet.
Juggernaut is dry, medium-to-full bodied and
dialed in to be a crowd pleaser.
There’s plum and blackberry fruit that marries well with
oak, vanilla and licorice notes. The finish is decent.
Despite the aggressive appearance of its label artwork,
Juggernaut’s strength is that it has no rough edges.
Does it have the character and complexity
of the typical Napa Cabernet?
No, but it sells for a fraction of the price.
Where to buy it
$19.99 is a popular price for Bogle’s Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon.
You’ll find it at Total Wine, Vons, Target, Frys,
Fred Meyer and Safeway for $19.99.
Albertsons has it for $21.99. The price at Ralphs is $22.00
You can order it from Gary’s Wine and Marketplace for $15.17
It’s at Woods Wholesale Wine for $15.94
https://www.woodswholesalewine.com
Empire Wine’s price is $15.95
Vine Republic sells it for $15.98