For my first bottle from the batch, I chose a cabernet sauvignon from south eastern Australia. The wine is a 2009 cab branded as Buckley’s Cove. The reason I was least interested in this particular wine is because its labeling leads me to believe that it is branded under several different labels sold at Grocery Outlet, most likely all the same wine. With so many wines out there, I rarely like to drink the same wine twice. Suspecting that this wine was bottled under several different labels that I purchased made me feel a little cheated. However, the bottle was only $2.99 before the 20% discount, so I can’t gripe too much. Grocery Outlet claims the bottle sells for $12.99 elsewhere, which I find funny since the distributor lists Grocery Outlet as the only US seller. In other words, this is regularly a $3 bottle of wine. So at $3, is it a good value?
I chose to use an aerator on the freshly opened bottle. If you have never used an aerator, I assure you it is not a myth that it instantly changes the taste of a wine. The difference is always noticeable, but it doesn’t always improve the flavor. On some wines, I like the changed taste, others not so much. On the Buckley’s, my first glass was underwhelming. The taste was overly sweet with a tart aftertaste. It tasted like berries that were not ripe yet, which is not an appealing flavor. I gave this wine another shot without the aerator. It was still too tart and had a strange sparkling water-like zing. I may have trouble even finishing this bottle. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this wine a 2 with the aerator, 3 without it.
I try to give all wines an equal chance, keeping in mind that price inherently can impact perception. With an open mind, this still tastes like a wine that should be priced at $3.
Wine rating: 2 out of 10
Value Rating: Low
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