On our third day of vacation, Hubby and I planned to spend a relaxing day at the beach to recover from hiking around Heavenly ski resort.  The hiking itself wasn’t all that fun because it was mostly following the dusty ski trails, but the views at the top of the gondola (9,136 ft), at the East Peak Lookout (9, 591 ft), and at the top of the Skyline Trail (10,040 ft) were worth the walk.  Admittedly, while the trails weren’t too strenuous, the elevations were high and it was taking us a little while to get acclimated, particularly as we live at 265 ft above sea level.  That’s why I was a little taken aback when Hubby suggested going to a beach that required a 1-mile hike in.  It sounded like a quiet, beautiful location, though, so I agreed.

When we got to the parking area, there was only one parking space left and because we weren’t sure how much room there would be at the beach, we decided to hike in to scope out the place before bringing in our beach equipment.  That left us hiking 4 miles, in flip-flops, on our “off” day.  It’s a good thing Hubby picked out a gorgeous spot because I was done hiking for the day by the time we made it to the beach for the second time.  We ended up spending all day there, just relaxing and reading with the occasional quick dip in the ice-cold water to cool off.  After about 5 hours, we headed back to the hotel.  I showered and dressed quickly, this way I could open a bottle of wine and relax on the balcony for a little while Hubby cleaned up for dinner.

The 2007 cc: Cabernet Sauvignon (winery, snooth) was a deep inky purple.  On the nose, there were blackberries, smoke, and black pepper.  In the mouth, there were blackberries, cedar, smoke, and black pepper.  The wine had big, smooth tannins, high acidity, and a medium-to-full body.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one!  What are you waiting for?  At $24, this wine kept the label’s promise that “I will not drink bad wine,” and did so without dipping too deep into our vacation funds.  I actually enjoyed the wine over a couple of days, and every day I was struck by how much the wine had to offer and how perfect it was for sitting on the balcony, just sipping away and enjoying the beauty of Tahoe in the early evening.  It felt like this wine was made to usher in the cooler Tahoe nights and is definitely one to keep an eye out for as we start to get into fall.

Question of the Day: Is the weather starting to get cooler where you are, and does that mean you’re changing to more full-bodied wines?

Price: $24
Purchased at Après Wine Company
Overall: 4.5 Corks