Tasting - Gnarly Head Nineteen Twenty Four Double Black Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Gnarly Head - "Select Lodi Vinyards" - Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Lodi, California
Country: USA
Year: 2018
Price: $10 - $9.50 on sale

Winery Tasting Notes: Gnarly Head Double Black delivers rich aromas of raspberry, blackberry, cocoa and caramel, setting the stage for concentrated flavors of fig jam, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow and brown spices. Jet black in the glass, pair this full-bodied wine with equally bold dishes: charbroiled bacon cheeseburgers, spicy sausage gumbo or pork ribs slathered in barbecue sauce. - Jim Gordon; Wine Enthusiast; 89pts

Wine Folly: pg 88 Cabernet Sauvignon - Full bodied, medium to high alcohol, high tannin, and mild acidity with notes of black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices, and graphite. Typically the rich flavors and high tannin content in Cabernet Sauvignon make it a perfect partner to rich grilled meats, peppery sauces, and dishes with high flavor.
pg 292 California Cabernet Sauvignon - At their best, California Cabernet Sauvignons offer lush black fruit flavors which unravel into multiple layers typically consisting of cedar, dusty minerality, and tobacco-laced tannins. Often notes of blackberry, black cherry, cedar, baking spices, and green peppercorns can be found.

My review: Just as the wineries tasting notes described, it sits in the glass as black as night, the amount of time the winemaker has allowed the grape juice to sit in contact with the Cabernet Sauvignon grape skins, has left the liquid with such a deep dark black that it blocks nearly all light attempting to pass through it. Large amounts of cedar, alcohol, and peppercorns in the nose, with massive tannin presence as it first hits the tongue. I taste notes of cedar, peppercorns, alcohol, tannins, grilled black cherries, and dark chocolate - the aftertaste lingers with notes of pepper, black/brown spices, tannins, and tobacco. Quite the cab, one of which I feel really should be paired with food, or shared with a group of friends around a campfire; maybe with a rack of barbecue ribs and smores.


24hrs after originally opening: After writing my initial review, I almost immediately passed out, forgetting to store the bottle I had opened in the fridge - though thankfully having remembered to flip the cork and push it in plenty to seal it back up again. The next morning, I put it in the fridge for another night - which just so happened to be tonight. Upon revisiting, after having given ample time for it to breathe and oxidize, while also closer to it's proper serving temperature, I would like to say that much of the harshness that was originally had from the alcohol and tannins, has done exactly as what one would expect of it, and softened considerably. Most of the notes in the nose, and in the taste, remained the same, but the harsh alcohol notes in both were non-existent, having been chiseled away by a little O2 making it out to be a lovely sipper. Decant this wine, it needs it, but when it's done oxidizing to some degree, it will treat you well, and you will happily finish a bottle of it on your own - no assistance required.


No food was had, in either tastings, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good company.