Menage a Trois: Decadence Cabernet Sauvignon

As we are working our way into wine reviews, we are starting with the wines we know and like. While the first time we bought this wine, Menage a Trois, we did so because of the name; however, the taste and quality is what brought us back for seconds.

Menage a Trois offers a large variety of wine selections, but in this review, we’re going to focus on the Decadence offering. It’s a sweet & savory Cabernet Sauvignon that’s meant to, as the name suggests, satiate your senses and desires. I suppose we’ll find out if this Menage a Trois can do that.

Menage a Trois Name & Story

Menage a Trois is a French phrase that literally translates to household of three. While the literal meaning is quite innocuous, the figurative usage of the phrase refers to a threesome. Yes, a threesome in the sexual kind of way. While Menage a Trois Wines plays off this sexual innuendo, their meaning behind it something quite different. They use a blend of three grapes, a threesome if you will, in making their wine.

While the grapes come in threes, the Menage a Trois logo is a pair. The twin dancers featured on the bottle are inspired by the Rorschach inkblots. The Rorschach inkblots were used in psychological tests in which the subjects’ perceptions of the inkblots were analyzed to determine personality. Menage a Trois interprets these twin dancers as playful and alluring, perhaps a couple in search of a third…. I’ll just leave the interpretation up to you, I guess.

Menage a Trois Decadence Overview

• Wine: Red – Cabernet Sauvignon
• Region: California – Lodi/Delta, Monterey, North Coast
• ABV: 13.9%
• Price: $14

There are a couple of noteworthy things here. First is that, while Menage a Trois Decadence is a Cab, there is a touch of Merlot added in as well. The wine is then infused with 40% French oak which should add some vanilla notes.

Menage a Trois comes to us from California, but the three grapes used all come from different regions. Sticking with the threesome theme, grapes from Lodi, Monterey, and the North Coast of Cali are blended together to form this Cabernet Sauvignon.

The last thing to note here is the price. Menage a Trois offers almost all of their wine right around the $12-15 mark. We mostly buy our wine in the $10-20 price range, so Menage a Trois often fits exactly what we’re looking for.

Decadence Tasting Notes

While we’ve mentioned that we’ve had this wine before and like it, we’ve never really broken down the profile and examined it. So, let’s take a closer look and see what it is we like about this wine.

• Fruitier. Cherry, black current, dark fruits, and chocolate. More tannic & bold than bread & butter. Some spice upfront. More unique, flavorful. Wouldn’t call it a dry cab.

In comparison to the Bread & Butter Cab we recently reviewed, Menage a Trois Decadence is certainly more flavorful and unique. The dark fruits are much stronger and more potent, and rich chocolate works it’s way in as well. The spice from Decadence is on the front end whereas it was on the finish of B&B.

Is Menage a Trois Wine Good?

Overall, the Decadence selection is sweet and rich, yet still very much robust and full. It’s slightly more tannic than B&B, but not quite as dry. This is a solid, flavorful wine. At $14, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Decadence from Menage a Trois.

Food Pairings

Typically, Cabernet Sauvignon is meant to go with strong, powerful, and flavorful foods. This is so the strong, full flavors of your Cab don’t overpower the food. That’s certainly true of the Decadence offering, but it can also with things a touch lighter, or even dessert.

Steaks, burgers, game meat, and poultry will all stand up to Decadence, but so too will a tomato based pasta. Menage a Trois recommends going the dessert route with their Decadence offering. They suggest a brownie sundae, chocolate raspberry ice cream, and chocolate cheese cream truffles.

Based on the profile, I think it best pairs with a rich dessert such as chocolate cake.

Menage a Trois Wine Summary

Even to this day, when I buy a new wine, I usually base it off three things. First is the price. As I mentioned, typically between $10 and $20. Second, is the name. I’m in the process of learning about wine. I’m in the process of figuring out what I like and what I don’t. In the mean time, fun names like Menage a Trois or Gnarly Head – another bottle I’ve tried based on the name – will get me to take the bottle to the counter. Third, and in line with the name, is the logo design. If I see a funny or mysterious logo design, I’ll try the wine. It makes things fun and interesting, I think.

While Menage a Trois hits at least 2 out of 3 of my check list – price and a good name – it is the actual wine that brings me to buy another bottle, or try another one of their selections. The name may be a marketing strategy with shock value or humor value, but it only gets you so far. You still have to make good wine, and lucky for them, they do.

Let me clarify something. This is a $14 bottle of wine. I think this is a very good wine in comparison to others of similar value. If you are looking for it to match up to, or how it matches up to, a much more expensive selection, I cannot help with that. What I can do is recommend Menage a Trois for those of you looking for a good, fun wine at a reasonable price point.