Slingshot hits the mark for great cabernet under $20 | Phil Your Glass
You can never have enough good bottles of cabernet on hand.
Last week I wrote about Bolt cabernet, a wonderful bottle from Columbia Valley, Washington. This week's cabernet, Slingshot, is a blend of cabernet from California’s North Coast. A North Coast designation on a bottle of wine means that the grapes can come from any of the six grape-growing counties north of San Francisco: Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Solano.
The cabernet grapes for Slingshot came from the Testa and Johnson vineyards in Mendocino. Winemaker Blair Guthrie added a splash of petit syrah to give the wine a bit more structure.
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Slingshot is a can’t-miss label on the shelf and bulls-eye in the glass. It’s produced by Stewart Cellars' brother and sister team of James Stewart and Caroline Stewart Guthrie. Blair Guthrie, Caroline’s husband, is from New Zealand. The two met while they were working for famed winemaker Paul Hobbs.
This wine is fine on its own with its beautiful strawberry rhubarb flavors, raspberry aromas and velvety finish. A hunk of Beemster XO cheese from Heinen's in Hudson was an exceptional companion with a glass of this wine as was a carry-out Shroomin' burger from Butcher & Sprout. This $19.99 cab was right on target with the roasted mushrooms, fresh herbs, caramelized onions, Gruyere cheese and horseradish aioli that came on the $15 grass-fed burger.
On day two, I had a glass with grilled eggplant slices and a cowboy chop from Al’s Quality Market in Barberton. The earthy flavors of the eggplant slices and roasted mushrooms from the previous day really accentuated the flavors of the wine.
I always have several types of chocolate on hand to try with a red wine I happen to be sampling. Chocolate-covered blueberries really complement Slingshot cabernet.
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Buy this wine at Mustard Seed Market in Montrose, Top Shelf of Ohio in Jackson Township, Krieger’s Market, The Barrel Room in North Canton, HomeBuys in North Canton, Beau’s Market in Copley, Cornerstone Market, Regency Wines, Heinen’s in Aurora, and Keller Meats at the Exchange Market in Medina.
Send me an email at philyourglass@gmail.com with any wine questions and follow me on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Slingshot from California hits the mark for great cabernet under $20
