The 2006 Frei Brothers Cab is a half decent Alexander Valley wine. What it is not is a $25.00 wine. Nor is it a $16.00 wine, which is what the price worked out to after applying the Arizona exchange rate and the Fry's Grocery discount for having a phone number that tied into the Ralph's grocery network somehow.
Parker gifted these guys with an 89. The wine may have potential, but it in no way compares to Gallo's foray into the premium wine market twenty (or so) years ago. Wait! Yes, that's right Frei Brothers is just a Gallo label, not some upscale Alexander Valley winemaker.
In the early 1980's, when Ernest and Julio were still alive and kicking, they created some really good premium red wines. The marketing team advised them to drop the Gallo name, which was loaded with jug wine connotations, but the brothers were proud. They turned to each other, shrugged, turned back and said, but our name is Gallo. Predictably, the wines didn't sell well and the line was eventually abandoned. A shame, too, as these wines were very well crafted.
Rachet forward to now and everything has flipped. Marketing has a great name but the wine is marginal, at best, a ten dollar wine. Best thing that can be said about it is that over the last two decades, Gallo has set aside more than six thousand untouched acres of land for posterity.
Winery Notes:
Our Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted to express the best of Alexander
Valley, showcasing ripe, rich, jammy dark red fruit flavors balanced
with a touch of sweet vanilla and toasty oak
TWC Notes:
This wine is just okay and amply illustrates the premise that TWC yammers about on a regular basis. There are wines that cost half as much that are twice as good.
As Evoir,
TWC
Photo Credit (unless otherwise noted): ©TWC, all rights reserved
