Winemaker Notes
Menage a Trois Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon was inspired by the very best of California winemaking and traditional Kentucky craft distilling. With each sip, you’ll discover how the process of bourbon barrel aging enhances the Cab’s flavors and texture. Aromas of berry cobbler lead to jammy blueberry and blackberry flavors cloaked in caramel and smoky spice on the palate. Grapes are sourced from Alexander Valley Vineyards. This area of California’s North Coast AVA is known for producing fruit with rich, soulful flavors. The wine was aged for three months in oak barrels previously used to craft 6-year-old Kentucky bourbon.
Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 2% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Sourcing Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, the Ménage à Trois team also blended in Merlot and Petite Sirah. Aged for three months in oak barrels once used to make six-year-old Kentucky bourbon, the resulting wine can be described as sumptuous. Mesmerizing aromas of blackberry and caramel carry onto the palate, where high-toned black fruit engages with spiced cocoa. With silky tannins, a round mouthfeel, and foodfriendly acidity, it develops into a sensorial experience.
Covering the most vine acreage in the state compared to any other red wine variety, Cabernet Sauvignon produces as much wine in California as Merlot and Pinot Noir combined. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates, as well as the freedom of its winemakers, allow for an incredible range of wine styles from this single grape.
California’s most famous region—and especially for Cabernet Sauvignon—is the acclaimed Napa Valley. While Cabernet is successful throughout the world, rarely has it achieved such merit as it does from the Napa Valley. At this point the two are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other.
Napa’s closest neighbor, Sonoma County, does an impressive job keeping up with Napa’s fame and glory. Alexander Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Moon Mountain and Knights Valley contribute to the lot of some of California’s top-rated Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lake County in California’s North Coast has become a focus for some of Napa’s more respected growers. From the Central Coast come iconic examples of classic California Cabernet; Lodi and the Sierra Foothills are great budget-friendly sources of amicable Cabernets.