Review: 2021 The Dreaming Tree Cabernet Sauvignon

The Dreaming Tree has been around, as best as I can gather from a casual search, for around fifteen years or so. It is a collaboration between winemaker Grayson Stewart (from California’s The Wine Group enterprise) and singer/guitarist/wine enthusiast Dave Matthews, a man whose music was doubtless the soundtrack to many awkward make-out sessions and unintended pregnancies during the ’90s and ’00s. In case there was any misconception or uncertainty surrounding Dave’s involvement with the wine, lyrics from a song of the same name are gently glued around the bottle’s neck on a thin strip of paper, and a witty Lennon-esque statement and drawing from the man provides the back label’s content.

Fresh off a total overhaul with sustainability in mind and some aesthetic touch-ups on the label, this Cabernet’s provenance remains a slight mystery other than “from California.” Pouring a medium ruby color in the glass, this sports a straightforward “from California” profile with a nose and palate full of ripe cherry, blueberry, and roasted plum and a slight touch of dark chocolate and vanilla lasting through the dry finish. There are also faint traces of green pepper and orange zest that disappear as quickly as they arrive midpalate. The blueberry note lingers on the finish along with vanilla and oak to deliver a light and wholly inoffensive conclusion.

Much like the man’s music, it is easygoing, highly approachable and, unless it’s your sort of thing, not something that will leave you under the table afterward. It could do well as an everyday drinker, but could also do OK with some time aging, possibly just in time for next year’s tailgating at Red Rocks or Virginia Beach.

B+ / $18 / dreamingtreewines.com

Bonus content for Dave Matthews Band aficionados: I have inquired with the very nice PR representative as to whether this is, in fact, the wine that Jane likes. I have been told that my question has been forwarded onwards to “his people.” Should I receive an answer, this review will be updated with the results. Bookmark this page and watch this space.

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