If you want me to look at an advertisement, put a critter in it.  Be it dog, cat, horse, squirrel, rhino or any domestic animal, I get pulled in like the Millennium Falcon in the Death Star's tractor beam.  A couple years ago I bought a  bottle of Chateau Le Paws more for the dog association than the wine itself.   That said,  I was quite surprised to find a bottle of Chateau D'Og in this month's Wine 101 club bag.  

In contrast, I normally steer clear of the flashy, cutesy labeled wines.  I know there are many wineries out there competing for your dollar;  and without the big name of a Mondavi and the likes, you need to catch the customer's eye.  But this one has a dog on it.

Chateau D'Og is a product of the Mutt Lynch Winery in Healdsburg, CA (Northern Sonoma area).   It's one of their Dog Series wines that includes selections like Merlot Over and Play Dead and Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel. 

The winery is Sonoma, but the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are from the California Central Coast.  The Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) stretches from south of San Francisco to Santa Barbara. With that in mind, I had to suppress the "it ain't from Napa Cab" notions.

You have to let this one breath a long time to appreciate it.  My first glass had a rather sparse nose and gave me the impression of a Rhone Grenache blend rather than a Cab. I did catch a little chocolate, cinnamon, and black cherries after it sat a couple hours in the decanter.  The second day, it settled down and tasted more like a Cab with the cherry and black currant.  

I didn't try the wine with food (other than cheese and crackers).  Angie is out of town, and my idea of cooking is what you can get done in 15 minutes (take that Rachel Ray).  I can say that It's a nice sipper with good flavors instead those slightly sweet, smack you in the face fruit forward wines.

I feel obligated to mention the motto of Mutt Lynch Winery, "Apply Dog Logic to Life: Eat Well, Be Loved, Get Petted, Sleep Alot, Dream of a Leash-Free World - Sark."  I'm pretty sure I was a dog in a former life...