Tasting Note Tuesday - 2006 Dusted Valley Vineyards Cab "Boomtown" (Aug. 11, 2009)

Cork vs. Screwcap. There have been many heated debates as to the best topper for wine. Cork has been used to close bottles of wine for centuries. It is tradition. It is romantic. There is just something about opening a bottle and hearing that "pop".

But cork is not a perfect closure. It allows air into the bottle and can cause the wine to spoil. Now this won't happen over week/months, but if you have a cellar and age wine for years and even decades, there is a slight chance that air could seep through the cork and ruin your wine.

I personally have enjoyed buying wine with screwcaps. With a screwcap, I know that no air has leaked into the bottle and I know the wine won't be ruined. Sure, it doesn't have the romantic "pop" when I open it. In fact, it's more like a unceremonious 'crack'. And sure, it carries a certain "stigma" of Boones Farm or Carlo Rossi jug wine. But hey, this is my hard-earned cash. I don't want to waste it on something I can't enjoy. I can dispense with the romanticism for guarantees. What do you think? Leave a comment.

2006 Dusted Valley Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon Boomtown - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

Screw cap... now this is what I like in a cheap, everyday quaffer. This reminded me of a Columbia Crest Cab, and for the price, I'm definitely going back for more. Initial nose of oak (vanilla), blackberry, plum and tobacco. In fact, at one point, I got the image of vanilla pipe tobacco that I love when someone smokes it. On the palate there is really lush blackberry and black cherry notes, with hints of plum. You can definitely get more of the oak/vanilla. With air, I pick up a slight chocolate/coffee note. I didn't finish the bottle, so I vacu-vinned the final glass and tried it the next day. This quickly falls apart, as all the dark fruit disappears, and mostly tastes sour and like smoke. As long as you finish this in one sitting, this is really enjoyable stuff.

Cost: $13/bottle

Rating: Very Good (if it didn't fall apart on day two, I would have given it... outstanding).