St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon / St. Regis NA / <0.5%
It is the fresh climate of the region that provides this wine with its bold colour and an aromatic nose of spices, mint, ripe plums and blackcurrant. On the palate, this wine showcases ripe tannins and a refreshing but balanced acidity. Its texture precedes a long finish featuring subtle notes of toasty oak and chocolate.
There are varying opinions on how much one should consume, but practically everyone knows by now that there are real tangible health benefits to be had by drinking a glass or two of red wine daily. The problem that this presents is that there are also detrimental health effects that come along with it. For all of the rich antioxidants, there is also an abundance of calories and that pesky alcohol. Nobody likes to wake up groggy and slightly hungover every morning. This is where dealcoholized wine comes in.
I am as skeptical as anyone when it comes to removing a core element from a delicious beverage and expecting it to stand up well. But through my experience samples these types of dealcoholized wines, I have found plenty that have a lot going for them, alongside a few lackluster offerings of course. Nearly all of the wineries dedicated to creating these dealcoholized wines, including St. Regis, do so through a process of vacuum distillation, which entails fermenting and aging the same as a traditional wine and then removing the alcohol after the fact. It appears to me that this process is trickier with reds than with whites. Perhaps the sweetness factor plays into that a bit.
I have a little experience with St. Regis and was pleased with their Chardonnay, so figured it was time to crack a bottle of their red and see how this European company measures up on that side of the spectrum. Keep reading my St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon review to find out all of the details.
Is St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon Good?
After now encountering two separate St. Regis bottles, I have to say that I find their aesthetic appealing. The label design is predominantly black and white, but they place a geometric design on the front with a bird that is similar in color to the wine contained within. In this case it appears to be a cardinal.
They are not one of the many dealcoholized wine companies that likes to push the health benefits of their product too heavily. The only information that is really visible on the bottle is that a 12-ounce serving of this Cabernet contains just 70 calories, less than one-third of a traditional wine of the same variety. Their website lacks specifics, but ensures us that they source their grapes from some of the best vineyards in Europe.
Poured into a glass, the first thing I notice is the liquid isn’t the deep red that I typically expect from a Cab. Instead it is actually a slightly translucent ruby red color reminiscent of berry juice.
Right away, the aroma of this wine is remarkable in that it doesn’t give away that there is no alcohol present. It is rich and complex, with a variety of elements to sort through. I definitely get some spice and a hint of pepper, two of my favorite scents. There is a bit of fruit present, I believe it to be plum. Not much sweetness on the nose, so I expect this red to be delightfully dry. The only way to find out and answer the question, “Is St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon good?” is by taking the first sip.
St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon Review
The first thing I notice upon tasting is the acidity. This is not an entirely bad thing. Dealcoholized wine often lacks that little bit of bite, so it’s nice to feel that on the tongue. But I do feel like the levels could be toned down just a hair. Acid is fine, but I would prefer if that weren’t the dominant sensation on the tongue.
Surprisingly, that acidity doesn’t give way to as much dryness as I anticipated. I definitely wouldn’t classify this wine as sweet either, but I’m waiting for the dryness to take hold and it just never does. As someone who prefers a dry Cabernet, this is a bit disappointing but not a significant turnoff.
Flavorwise, there are some similarities to the nose but also a few new elements. The spice, for instance, remains, but the plum transforms into more of a berry or red cherry. There is a faint underlying of tartness that really only appears on the sides of the tongue as the wine makes its way to the back of the throat.
As far as mouthfeel goes, the specter of water is lurking but never truly asserts itself, which is great. If you are looking really hard, you can sense the missing ingredient, but I don’t think most people would know any better. The finish has notes of oak and is long-lasting. I wish it were more crisp, but it’s a pleasant flavor to sit with for a bit.
Overall, I am impressed by the fullness of flavor that I found in here. With some minor tweaks it could be truly outstanding. You can tell my St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon rating will be high, but just how high?
St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon Rating
I will be honest, my standards are beginning to change. When I first encountered dealcoholized wine, it could earn a good grade from me simply by mimicking a traditional wine to a sufficient degree. But I have discovered enough quality versions at this point that I can judge them solely on their character. St. Regis first impressed me with their Chardonnay, but as someone who tends to veer toward the reds I was hopeful that this Cabernet Sauvignon could be its equal. And for the most part, it is.
While the aroma and the flavor profile don’t exactly match, they are both rich and complex and bring different things to the table. I do think some improvements could be made. The acidity level is a bit out of balance, and I would prefer a cleaner, drier finish, but those things also come down largely to personal preference. If this were a traditional alcoholic wine, I would enjoy it repeatedly, no questions asked. The fact that is dealcoholized simply makes it more remarkable. Even taking those imperfections into account, I feel compelled to end my St. Regis Cabernet Sauvignon review by awarding this red a 5 out of 5 star rating. While it, of course, wouldn’t stand up to a top-notch traditional Cabernet, for something dealcoholized and on the lower end of the cost spectrum, it was delightful.
Photos credit:
https://stregiswines.com/
https://www.proxibid.com/
https://www.vivino.com/
