Lot 138
2007 Santa Barbara Cabernet Sauvignon

Review: 2007 Cameron Hughes Cabernet Santa Barbara Lot 138 Immediate Gratification Rating: 4.5 Stars. The Rest of The Story: (Full disclosure: This wine was received as a press sample from the winery.) In Monday's article about Cameron Hughes Wines we mentioned having had - and enjoyed - Lot 140, a Chalk Hill Cab. And while there is a review forthcoming for that, we tasted another CH wine just yesterday that's too good to sit on - and it's on sale through the end of this week. Santa Barbara county is known for many things, but great Cabernet is not one of them....So, expectations in check, the stopper went pop and into the decanter went Lot 138. Wow. Wow. This is a real surprise. Powerhouse Cab that hits all the pleasure points. Stock up. $10-12Wow. Wow. The deep blackberry color and aromas that scream "Drink me, stupid!" were the first clues that we were in for a surprise. This baby is rocking and ready to go right from the cork pull. Big, juicy, and extracted, classic California flavors come at you like...like Rosie O'Donnell goes after a twinkie. Not for fans of subtlety, it's big, brawny, and dense. Macho, while at the same time being luscious, leathery (Cole Haan, not Harley Davidson), and chocolately in a raspy feminine way. Mmmm, mmm good. Then you get a sense of its structure; dusty tannins arrive a little late to the table and make it interesting. Finally, the teeth-staining aftertaste lingers with glycerin and vanilla flavors - like barrel wine. After several hours open it loses its structure a bit, so maybe not meant for long term cellaring. But who cares? Love it now. At $12 it's an insane value, but at a hair over $10, we're stocking up.

San Diego International Wine Competition Cameron Hughes Medal Winners Platinum 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 159 Santa Barbara Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 116 Napa Valley Gold 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 164 Rutherford Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 136 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 138 Santa Barbara Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 149 Napa Valley Silver 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 157 Yountville Silver 2007 Zinfandel, Lot 114 Sonoma County Silver 2008 Zinfandel, Lot 163 Lodi Silver 2007 Chardonnay, Lot 130 Russian River Valley Silver 2008 Chardonnay, Lot 145 Santa Barbara

Cameron Hughes Lot 172 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007, is awarded a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition! And a Gold goes to the Lot 161 Sonoma County Meritage, 2007. Silver Award winners include: - 2007 Lot 136 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - 2007 Lot 138 Santa Barbara Cabernet Sauvignon - 2007 Lot 157 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - 2008 Lot 165 Carneros Pinot Noir