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Great Wine Values: Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa County, Calif.

It’s rare to see a cabernet sauvignon from Napa for less than $20 these days, so it’s well worth snapping this one up while it’s discounted this month.

    by Marnie Old, FOR THE INQUIRER, External or Unknown
    Published 

It's rare to see a cabernet sauvignon from Napa for less than $20 these days, so it's well worth snapping this one up while it's discounted this month.

Stylistically, Oberon has a subtly European sensibility, meaning it tastes a little drier and feels a touch lighter than many of its Napa neighbors in a way that makes it more flattering to a wider range of foods.

It shares the blackberry and black cherry flavors associated with the style, but they taste more fresh than candied, as do the classic aromatic accents of coffee and cocoa.

The secret to this wine's affordable price is in its vineyard sources – note that the label specifies Napa County, not Napa Valley.

More than half of the fruit for this wine is sourced from the legally defined "American Viticultural Area" of Napa Valley. However, the rest is grown in mountainous zones of eastern Napa County, where quality potential is almost as good but where vineyard land, and therefore wine grapes, cost considerably less.

Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa County, Calif., $19.99 (regularly $22.99, sale price through May 28), PLCB Item #1148.