Everyday Sommelier: Last Night's Bottle - Dreaming Tree 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon

I've been in my house for 2 years and live near about 37 different win/liquor stores...ok, maybe more like 4-5. Anyway, at the bottom of my hill (yes, I live atop the only hill on LI) there is a small liquor store that I have avoided like the plague since day 1. I can't say that I have any reason for having avoided the place for so long other than that it is the most convenient and prefer to make everything in life just a bit more difficult than necessary. Having said that, dinner was almost ready and I was in need of a bottle of wine in a pinch. Sadly, I do not keep much on standby because I tend to drink what I have. Some call it a problem, I call it a passion. ;)

I am happy to announce that the small mom & pop down the block was just fine for a quickie. After maybe 5 minutes I happened upon a bottle of Dreaming Tree Cabernet that I secretly knew was produced by Dave Matthews, the moonlighting winemaker. I snatched it up, brought it home & popped the bottle with super- hero like quickness. Thankfully, my quick decision making paid off.

Knowing that Mr. Matthews is very involved with environmental causes led me to believe that I had bought this wine for all the right reasons. Aside from my feeling like I was somehow doing something environmentally friendly, I found the wine to actually be pretty damn good.

Notes of blackberry, cherry & a red earthiness with a black cherry hue were a fine start. The mouth had a certain finesse to it. Fruity to start with a dryer finish and a hint and I meant hint of tartness. This was a welcome contrast to wines that explode in your mouth like a Starburst commercial. I was pleased to say the least.

I would recommend this as simply a good drinking wine. No need to pair it with anything if you choose not to. It would be socially acceptable to just stand around drinking a bottle ~~alone~~ among friends. It was certainly a nice surprise to find a bottle this satisfying on such short notice. Especially if you bring it home and put the Dave Matthews station on Pandora prompting you to remember why you liked him in the first place.

A few interesting notes about Dreaming Tree:

Lightweight bottles manufactured with clean-burning natural gas

100% recycled paper labels

Black ink printing—no bleaching, reduced toxins and heavy metals

Natural corks from sustainable farms