A value wine for wine snobs

Grounded by Josh Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon, California

PLCB Item #96321

Sale price through Oct. 6; regularly $19.99

Reading about wines can be a disorienting experience, since so much of the language used in wine writing can seem as opaque as the red wine in your glass. Take this terrific value-oriented cabernet sauvignon: Its bold flavors of ripe blackberries and fresh black cherries are certain to get a prominent mention in any review since they are front and center. The more subtle aromatic accents, acquired in the maturation process, are harder to place, but remind this writer of roasted coffee or the five-spice blend used in glazing Peking duck. What makes this wine stand out in a lineup of its competitors is not flavor, per se — it is the unusual degree of structure, finish, balance, and sophistication for its price point.

It's perfectly reasonable to wonder what structure, finish, or balance might refer to in a liquid, or how exactly an inanimate beverage might become sophisticated. These terms have concrete meanings in the wine trade though, which rely on metaphor to make nuanced wine communication possible. Structure is a term that describes the framing components of wine that allow it to resist oxidative spoilage, such as alcohol, acidity, and tannin, while a wine's finish is the lengthy and almost vibrational resonance on the palate that distinguishes well-made wines. Balance is a less objective assessment of where a wine falls on a spectrum that stretches from fruity hedonism to austere asceticism, while sophistication is a more subjective value judgment. Calling a wine sophisticated is intended to mean that it is designed to taste a tad too tart and dry alone; it tastes best with food, like the European classics. However, its use says as much about the speaker as it does about the wine, conveying a whiff of snobbery — guilty as charged.

Also available at:

Wine Legend in Cherry Hill, $14.69

winelegendcherryhill.com/

Joe Canal's in Marlton, $14.96

www.marltonjoecanals.com/

Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville, $14.99