Twin Sons From a Different Valley

Did you miss us? Well it's been a while since these two Jews reviewed. Because of that, you can believe that this review is going to be worth the weight…because it is heavy (bad joke but I couldn't resist).

So this time, instead of reviewing one wine, we decided to review two and compare them. But we didn't review just any two wines, we are reviewing a "regular" and "special reserve" wine from the same vineyard. I know many of you have been wondering whether or not it was worth it to spend more on a special reserve or not. WE answer that question for you (at least for these two wines).

Wine: 2009 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Central Valley
Price Point: $12.49

This is a very smooth Cab. It is a very shallow and short wine, especially for one this vintage. When poured, it has very little meniscus and virtually no tannins. It's a remarkably light and fruity wine with very little body so it falls short on one's bolder expectations of a California cabernet. Still, it is very good with cheese and crackers (I had lots of them with this wine). If you are looking for a light cabernet, it is a good value at this price but I am not sure I would be willing to pay much more than that.

Wine: 2009 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Price Point: $42.99

Spoiler Alert! The following is NOT a cut and paste error.

This is a very smooth Cab. It is a very shallow and short wine, especially for one this vintage. When poured, it has very little meniscus and virtually no tannins. It's a remarkably light and fruity wine with very little body so it falls short on one's bolder expectations of a California cabernet. Still, it is very good with cheese and crackers (I had lots of them with this wine).

These wines are almost identical (hence the very similar reviews). The novice blindfold taste test yields virtually no difference. This is proof positive that just because you spend more on a bottle of wine, doesn't mean you get better wine much less a better value.