To say that Wine Cube has had a rocky go of it might be an understatement.  The Shiraz-Cabernet originally had leaned into passable territory, but somehow lacked any sort of balance by the finish.  Meanwhile, their Pinot Grigio went straight into chemical land, tasting all sorts of off.  Yet, here I am again, staring at another vaguely juice box like container of their wine.  Is there something more to love about Wine Cube Vintner’s Red than in the past offerings?

Sight:  A firm, slightly opaque brickish red with magenta edges from end to end.

Smell:  There’s lots of vaguely red fruit in the nose, with plenty of red plums and raspberry.  Blackberries present just before going down a level,  where you start to notice some green elements, including bell pepper.  The nose starts actually getting rather hot, and has a lot of vanilla and light smoke.

Sip:  Holy vanilla batman, did you want some wood in this?  Coming through in spades is vanilla and touches of smoke with hints of raspberry and prune.  There’s decent acidity, and the texture is a little round due to the sweetness.   Whats rough is the sheer amount of tannin that lead in very shortly after the start.  There’s a touch of menthol or eucalyptus in the background.

Savor:  The ending has more plums, tobacco, and plenty of smoke.  There’s quite a bit of tannin here too, and a little hint of bitter notes.

Wine Cube Vintner’s Red is a tannic explosion, with a lot of good fruit, and perhaps too much oak.  The oak here is a little too artificial, leaning into the vanilla side overwhelmingly.    The smoke notes are also slightly distracting, and the sweetness is a little off putting compared to a traditional Cabernet or Merlot.  That said, it’s not undrinkable, but Wine Cube Vintner’s Red is definitely unrefined.

Verdict:  Vanilla, Smoke, Raspberry, Hot, Tobacco
Rating: 72
Price: $5 (500ml)
Lathrop, CA