Twelve Under $12: L.A. Cetto Cabernet Sauvignon

Diving blindly into the bargain bin for my Twelve Under $12 series I suppose it was inevitable that I would find a disappointing pour. L.A. Cetto surprised me with a nice Petite Sirah a few weeks back so I decided to try their Cabernet. The 2005 L.A. Cetto Cabernet Sauvignon was a pale cherry red with an interesting nose - chocolatey, jammy fruit, smokey salami, with a pleasant, rustic earthiness - but on the palate the hot, chalky texture delivered a big dose of overripe fruit and little else. Rather flat and uninspiring with unusual flavours, a much weaker effort than the Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon at this price point. To be fair, it tasted better the next day, but only a bit.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 12/20
Price: C$11.80