Charles Woodson Wine Review - 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

This past Sunday, I ran to the grocery story to get my usual eats and treats for my Sunday ritual of all day football watching. Kick off was a few hours away and I was looking forward to my hometown Green Bay Packers playing the Oakland Raiders.

After picking up some specialty meats and cheeses, I decided to make a special stop in the wine section to bring home a nice bottle of red for my wife. She loves her Cabernet's, so I took a quick glance to see what might be on special. I took a serious double take when I saw Charles Woodson wine. Surely, it wasn't the former Green Bay Packer on the label. What was more mind blowing was the $65 price tag. Not all good wines are expensive but expensive wines have to be good.

A few bottles ended up in my cart purely on the fact that he played for the Green and Gold. Not to mention, he also played two stints for the Oakland Raiders. It certainly was fitting the two teams were squaring off in just a few hours.

On the way home, I was still baffled on the correlation between a 18 year old NFL veteran and California wines. After unpacking the groceries, I settled into my office to do a little research. Here is what CharlesWoodsonWines.com had to say:

"Charles Woodson discovered his appreciation for wine in 1998 when he arrived in Napa with the Oakland Raiders for training camp. He was intrigued when he noticed that everywhere he went people were enjoying a bottle of wine. It didn't matter if it was an opulent dinner, low key lunch, or lazy afternoon. He was drawn to the fact that people seemed to slow down and come together over a glass of wine. Being the curious type, he not only wanted to participate in this ritual, he wanted to learn how to create it himself."

"In 2001 Charles, met Rick Ruiz who was working at Robert Mondavi Winery. Rick invited Charles to visit the winery and showed him around the cellar while explaining the winemaking process from start to finish. In that moment, Charles' desire to actually make a wine was launched. The two worked together with another friend - who happened to be acclaimed international winemaker, Gustavo A. Gonzalez - to create the first barrel of Charles Woodson Wines. They produced a 2001 vintage Merlot that was used to support the various charities with which Charles is involved."

So how did it taste?
On the nose,i picked up deep dark berry and big fruit flavors. On the palette, strong notes of vanilla and oak. Overall, powerful tannins and a real nice balance.

The Facts

Winery

Charles Woodson
Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon
Region
Calistoga
Regional styles
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Pairing
Beef, Lamb, Mature and Hard Cheese, and Poultry (Or a good day of watching football)