Wine of the Week: One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine: One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon

Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon (75 percent), merlot (25 percent)

Region: California

Vintage: 2012

Price: $9.99

Availability: Lee’s Discount Liquors, general retail

In the glass: One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep and nearly opaque ruby-red color with a dense core going out into a fine violet-red rim definition and medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: It is a brooding wine full of dark fruits including black currants, then cherry juice, blueberry pie, huckleberry sauce and crushed marionberries. There are subtle hints of oak, spice box, sweet tobacco and ground chocolate as well, underlying the attractive aromatics emanating from the bowl of the glass.

On the palate: We find that the wine is indeed a rich and quite concentrated palate-pleaser with crushed Morello cherries, creme de cassis, bramble fruit and a lovely balance. The midpalate is based on this nice harmony among the dark fruit, the timid acidity and the supple tannins and gives the wine a certain mouth-feel of elegance that is for me always a sign of great winemaking. The finish is soft and lingering.

Odds and ends: If anything, this wine should get the feel-good prize of the season, as it is part of a portfolio of wines made by Rob Mondavi Jr., who happens to be the grandson of the legendary Robert Mondavi. The founders of One Hope, who include CEO and co-founder Jake Kloberdanz, came up with the idea of creating a line of wines that would help more than the buyer of the brand have a nice glass to drink. One Hope is founded to help a variety of worthy causes, and the company donates half of all profits to these causes, which are listed on the brand’s bottles. This One Hope Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is supporting the fight against autism.

Michael Mondavi met the founding team behind this brand and offered them not only the use of his vineyards and facilities but also his son’s help in the winemaking process. His idea is that obviously his family has done a lot for the wine business in California and certainly the United States, and now is the time to give a little back. This is winning combination for both the founders of One Hope, the Mondavi family and ultimately for the consumers, who not only get to drink delicious wines but help their favorite causes.

I would encourage readers to check out the whole lineup and visit the company’s website at www.onehope.com, because I can’t think of a better way to help raise money for a good cause than by drinking great wine. The company has donated more than $1.2 million so far. This is a cabernet from a top-notch vintage in California, and it has the structure built for a good amount of aging. Try it with grilled lamb chops and wild rice. Drink it now through 2020.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.