Secondary labels can be good buys

American winemakers often put out what the wine industry calls first and second labels.

Made by the same company, the second label wines have a different name, a lower price and usually lower quality.

For its top label, winemakers choose the best grapes of the harvest and spend the most time manipulating the wine.

This doesn't mean the second label wines are not good values. In a vintage where there are more than enough good grapes for the first label, the second label benefits from having the higher quality grapes as well.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare the first and second labels of five U.S. winemakers' cabernet sauvignon. One winemaker won the top rating in each class. Here are the results, beginning with the second label:

Secondary label:

-- 2000 Windtree cabernet sauvignon at $13. Made by Ferrari-Carano, this wine had an aroma of pepper, black cherries, green olives, mint and a hint of orange, probably from the oaking. In the mouth, we tasted tea and clove with notes of cinnamon. This wine was balanced and tasty.

-- 2001 Hess Select cabernet sauvignon at $17.99. Select is the name used for its second label. This aroma offered candied fruit, peppermint and cherry syrup. It was a bit flabby in the mouth (not enough acids), but it was very dry. The tannins overpowered the fruit on the palate. Tannins are the chemicals in wine that can give it structure but can be harsh and make your mouth pucker in a young wine.

-- 2000 Eschol Ranch cabernet sauvignon at $13.99. Eschol Ranch is the second label for Trefethen. The Echol had a smoky nose, with hints of tarragon, bacon and white pepper. In the mouth, it tasted like a Bordeaux blend of red wines, very dry but with nice fruit supporting that dryness. The finish fit the nose. This wine finished second.

-- 2000 Clos du Bois Alexander Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at $22.49. Clos du Bois carries the name "reserve" on this bottle, which is usually on first-label wines, but Clos du Bois calls its first label Briarcrest. Aromas of strawberry jam and clove followed through to the palate with hints of leather. It had a lengthy finish. This wine was the least complex of the five we tasted.

-- 2002 Hahn cabernet sauvignon at $9.99. Hahn is the second label of Smith & Hook. The Hahn aroma had a pretty floral nose with notes of black cherries and Scotch wood. In the mouth, we tasted lots of new oak, dark fruit, tannins and resins. The finish seemed to last forever. This, the least expensive wine in this category, finished first in our tasting.

So what do you get for the extra bucks for the second label? In our tasting, the primary difference was the level of tannins in the more expensive wines. The extra tannins come mainly from the grape skins being mixed in the fermentation process, giving the wine the red color and sometimes a little bitterness and tea taste.

As those tannins mature, they can make a good bottle of red wine great, with backbone and character.

Primary label:

-- 2000 Trefethen cabernet sauvignon at $35.99. The aroma was full of Christmas spices, cinnamon and ripe plums In the mouth, the style was soft, subtle and feminine, with a nice texture. The finish was medium-long.

-- 1999 Clos du Bois Briarcrest cabernet sauvignon at $43.99. This wine had a smoking aroma pepper, blackberries, plums and dark cherries -- lots of fruit. We tasted some eucalyptus on the palate. The finish was nice.

-- 2001 Smith & Hook cabernet sauvignon at $25.99. Seldom in my wine comparisons in this price range do we have a unanimous opinion among the 11 members of the tasting group. In this case, Smith & Hook's cabernet was the favorite of every taster. This wine looked and smelled dark. Its aroma was meaty and savory with pepper and bonfire smoke. It was rich and seductive in the mouth and well-balanced. The finish was long.

-- 2000 Hess Collection cabernet sauvignon at $37.99. Collection is the name Hess uses for its first label. The Collection had a tangy aroma of orange, molasses, chocolate and caramelized pineapple. It was lighter in style than the others, but its tannins were strong, needing more aging in the bottle or a piece of rare beef. The finish was good. This wine finished third in the tasting.

-- 2001 Ferrari-Carano cabernet sauvignon at $32.99. This aroma reminded us of a peppermint patty -- dark chocolate with mint. We also found blackberries and Bing cherries in the nose and blueberries on the palate. The tannins were big, like the Hess. The Ferrari-Carano finished second.

Questions may be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville 37203, or e-mailed to editor@tennessean.com.