Yao Ming 2013 Cabernet review

I was at Costco today and I saw the new 2013 release of Yao Ming's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. In case you don't know, Yao Ming is a former National Basketball Association all-star. Most of his wines sells for around $100 to $250 a bottle (tapping into the $1 billion Chinese luxury wine market).

So I splurged and spent $59 for a bottle. I also used my Coravin so I can extract just a half of glass so I can wait until the weekend to enjoy the rest (if I liked it of course). Here is my quick review.

Color: Light in color for a 14.5% alcohol Cabernet.

Legs: No legs

Taste: A blend of fruit and alcohol at the beginning and was very tart at the end. Even after I let it open for about 10 minutes, it was still tart. It taste like a Cab with some Malbec blended with it (Remember, most Cabs are not 100% Cabernet grapes).

Overall: Not bad; but not $60 good. The fruit was nice, but the alcohol that followed was strong. I definitely would not pay then $35 for this wine.

For the $60 range I would recommend Caymus Cabernet or Spring Mountain Cabernet.

Please excuse the kitchen remodel. :-)