Justin Cabernet Sauvignon
This review is of Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 from Paso Robles, California. For this review I had help from a tasting assistant, Miss Jonelle, who has assisted in the past and always does a great job helping out.
According to the Justin Cabernet website, the grapes for this wine are picked by hand and then sorted by the berry for the best flavor and quality.
They also state that for this particular vintage, the buds broke a couple weeks later than usual. The weather that spring caused what they called an “uneven fruit set” and naturally limited their yields without having to manually thin them.
A cool summer and warm early fall also contributed to a lower yield, however they felt the season overall yielded “great results.”
And finally, they said that Justin Cabernet Sauvignon “spends more than a year in traditional small oak barrels to impart a depth and complexity to the wine that expresses the influence of the ancient limestone soils and unique climate of Paso Robles.”
Alcohol content of Justin Cabernet is 14.0% according to the bottle.
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon Review
In appearance, Justin Cabernet is very dark in the glass. Color is of deep plum and very little light shines through this wine.
The wine was leggy, with most legs being thin and at mid glass level.
We had differing opinions on the wine’s aroma. For Miss Jonelle, she mostly noticed a slight burn in the nose and very little else. She called it non offensive but also non appealing.
For myself, I didn’t notice the alcohol sting in my nose. I described the aroma as an earthy mocha with a bit of pipe tobacco.
On the palate we didn’t notice any intricacies of flavors. It was described as “looks and tastes dark” and “starts smooth, then goes to dry.”
Tannins of the Justin Cabernet were bright and felt mostly on the tongue.
We both agreed the finish of the wine was long. There was not a strong aftertaste.
Overall, we felt Justin Cabernet Sauvignon was a little one dimensional. A medium bodied wine that we thought would go good with a steak or strong cheese. Probably not a sipper on its own but all in all a good wine.
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon price paid was $22.99.
My wife and I went to Justin Winery for a wine tasting and dinner tasting menu which lists on their website $225. per person. When the bill arrived it was $903.00 (DOUBLE THE PRICE THEY LISTED ON THEIR WEBSITE) We were in shock!!
When we got to Justin they tried to upsell us and I said, no thank you, I’d just like the $225. per person Dinner Tasting Menu we signed up for. The food was mediocre at best and they claim its a Michelin star restaurant. I’ve been to many amazing Michelin star restaurants and this was not on the same level, nor was it worth double what we were told when we made the reservation. I want to warn everyone going here, it’s not what they tell you.
My wife and I went to Daou winery just before visiting Justin, and Daou’s food and wine were much higher caliber and we were able to eat and try over 8 different wines for $150.00 for the both of us. DO not go to Justin – it’s a rip-off!
Thanks for the comment, TM. I’m sure those who read it will appreciate the info you’ve shared.
I think I’d be shocked as well with that surprise.
I smoky don’t know what ur talking about – how (1) demential Justin Cab is ?
Not a sipper ? Are u mad – I sip this wine often – I know wines & champagnes
After being with British airways in sales for years.
Concorde has its own wine cellar , as did F class ( slight rung down ) from pol roger Winston Churchill to Krug and speaking of red wine – had a Chateau Latour 1995
Used to take VIP clients over in Concorde
From Ford motor – GM – & ppl from Condé Nast.
Justin can is not quite a Spanish Plonck which ur kind of intimating- more or less ..!
I think ur def out of ur depth !
I never intimated it was plonk. Actually, I said “all in all a good wine.”
But, I call ’em as I taste ’em and it lacked complexity.
Of course, that’s just my opinion.
Cheers mate!