This week I have two cabernet sauvignon's, and I have to confess I opened these hoping to find something traditional and balanced to give Nancy's folks because they appear to prefer classic wines to the newer flavor-bomb style wines.

1) Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2003 (Colchagua, Chile) - This is  a Domaine Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) wine meaning it's made by a famous Bordeaux France wine producer and in the French style.  I'd have to say they made a quality product although I don't think it's equal to the French Bordeaux's I've tried.  It is an easy drinking, smooth, balanced wine which would go very well with food.  The bouquet isn't strong and granted it's not 5 years old yet but I had anticipated more.  But really it's a value - I bought this for around $20 but I've seen it for around $10 in a few stores.  You can't get a real Lafite for that price.  I think this is an excellent example of what to give Nancy's folks to try.

2) Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Black Label Claret Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (California) - I want to start by saying I like the concept behind this winery.  A wealthy Hollywood icon who loves wine buys a winery and proceeds to put out a large line of classic wines with love and care.  However, I honestly have to say this wine was good - but not great.  First, I paid around $20 for it and I wondered at the time if that price was due to contents or to the famous name.  I now think the name.  Second, being a "claret" I anticipated the sense I was drinking a French Bourdeaux wine.  Not really.  It was like a highly blended California mix dressed up a little to pretend to be a Bourdeaux.  Third, the back of the bottle is full of bold tasting notes, but the contents of the bottle were subdued, mild to medium bodied at best.  I know it seems I'm being harsh but I simply expected more.  I keep a small number of bottles more than a few weeks wondering if I'll actually age them (although I don't have the right equipment to do that) and this was one of the bottles which hung around for quite awhile in my collection.  I have to say though that if I saved this until it was a full 5 or more years old and then drank it I probably would be even more disappointed that the wine I kept in my limited reserve space for so long was really quite ordinary.  Yet, despite all that it's certainly not a bad wine.  If it cost $10 or $15 I might still buy it occasionally.  And I'm sure I'll eventually try some other varieties of the Coppola wines.  I see them in restaurants - I'm sure they have a following.