Every once in awhile you have a wine that stops you in your tracks and impresses you. I have found the more I drink wine, the less this happens. Although I hate to admit this I have found that I have become more and more wine picky with my palette. So a few weeks ago when I was in San Luis Obispo I was sitting at a quaint little wine bar, enjoying a tasting with some girlfriends, and I discovered a wine that was worth reckoning with.










The Force of Nature Cabernet Sauvignon is delightful. It is a Paso Robles wine that is from the Rob Murray vineyards. This is by far one of the smoothest Cabs I have tasted in a long time. It has intense flavor, without being too overpowering. It definitely tastes older and more refined than a 2011. It has strong fruit flavors, reminiscent of blackberry and cherry, in my opinion. It is easy to drink, exciting your mouth with a variety of flavors. And it truly is the perfect wine to enjoy on a Friday afternoon with a good friend. The wine holds it's own, but it is the wine that memories can be made of.

The tasting notes describe it as follows: The 201 Mossfire Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a nose that draws up thoughts of caramel covered blackberries with a bursting flavor profile composed of cocoa powder, plump, juicy raspberry, pomegranate, stone, and hidden forest trails. This wine is intensely powerful, yet delineated, pure, and bordering on refined. It’s incredibly long finish reveals copious supple tannins buried in plums, cassis liqueur, and cherry juice.

This particular wine harvests its grapes from the Mossfire Ranch. It is a 320 acre piece of property that specializes in robust reds such as Cab, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah. It is known for its gravely soil and its seasons, which provide ocean breezes, cool winters and sunny afternoons for the majority of the year. The climate is attributed in assisting the wine in providing fruit that is concentrated and has a uniformity of flavor. The grapes were planted in 1996 and were acquired by Robert Murray in 2002. The vineyard is farmed using sustainable practices and is known for innovative irrigation techniques.

Rob Murray comes from a family with a history rich in agriculture. He started his career farming fruit in Hawaii and has expanded and morphed into the vineyard owner he is today. He has a degree from Cal Poly and he has owned and operated vineyards for countless years. He is recognized for his attention to detail and quality in his farming techniques and practices, and if this wine is a representation of his skill and art, I must say that I am impressed.

I also have to admit that I love wine label art and the label on this wine is amazingly beautiful. It truly captures the name of the wine, "Force of Nature," and it has an old world feel, rich in texture and feel, classic in style and mesmerizing to look at. The label is definitely a reflection of the wine, offering layers of flavors, traditional in nature and providing excitement and a little tumultuous appeal. Enjoy!

This wine also has an incredibly reasonable price point for an intense and powerful Cab. I purchased it for $22 and I found it on-line for $22.50 at the wineries web page: http://www.rmvineyards.com/collections/force-of-nature