This California cabernet perfect match with burgers from the grill

Occasion: I did a nice lineup of mainly sturdy reds from California and Washington state to determine which would be the perfect red wine for a juicy freshly grilled burger. It is just the perfect time for grilling outdoors this month and Joel Gott’s 815 Cabernet Sauvignon, which surprisingly is made purely from that grape variety, definitely won this tasting contest. Gott sources his fruit from a variety of microclimates and is therefore able to blend them together to achieve this supertasty wine. It doesn’t hurt that 2013 was one of the greatest vintages in recent California memory, so pretty much all the raw materials were in place for this to be such a great drinking bottle of wine. Give it an hour of “air” before drinking; it’ll improve it dramatically.

Wine: Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: California

Vintage: 2013

In the glass: Joel Gott 815 Cab is a deeply opaque purplish-red color with a dense blackish core going out into a saturated violet-fuchsia-red rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: The wine reveals freshly crushed bright black currants, creme de cassis, distinct dense cherry fruit, ground black plum skins, exotic sweet spices, vanilla beanstalk, fruit-driven minerals and ripe phenolic components.

On the palate: There is great concentration of cassis fruit with lots of creamy crushed black fruit, especially cherries and black berries, then marionberries, huckleberry sauce, minerals and vanilla bean notes. The midpalate shows itself off with a lovely balanced play among the solid fruit, the fine acidity and the ripe tannins with underlying hints of cassis and American oak. The finish is plentiful and lengthy with good amounts of fleshy fruit concentrate and herbs as well as juicy notes that just linger on for 30-plus seconds.

Price: $12.99

Availability: Lee’s Discount Liquor, Smith’s

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears on Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.