Winemaker Notes
Brick-by-brick, layer-by-layer, flavor-upon-flavor. Italian cherry, tomato leaf, dried herb, forest floor. A fine, refined dusting of tannin.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of red and black fruits, black tea, tobacco, and spicy notes emerge from the 2021 Sangiovese Cinghiale, a medium to full-bodied, pure, balanced, elegant Sangiovese. Coming mostly from the Rosebud Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope (there’s a small portion from the Northridge Vineyard) and brought up all in neutral oak, drink this pure, focused, downright pretty red over the coming 4-6 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fresh, juicy and ripe, the 2021 Sangiovese Cinghiale offers a bright and succulent red-fruited nose with elegant florals and red plums. Medium-bodied, the Sangiovese displays ripe and succulent tart cherries with soft notes of oak that lift the palate. The wine glides to a refined, acid-driven finish that will remain food-friendly for years. Bravo!
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James Suckling
Inviting aromas of dark cherries, raspberries, crushed rosemary, sage and forest wood. Medium- to full-bodied with chalky tannins and attractive crunchiness of red and darker berries. Fruity and flavorful finish.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Distinguished by a broad, south-exposed, uniform slope and landlocked by the Columbia River to its south and Saddle Mountains to its north, the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington holds 15% of the total vine acreage of the state and takes its name from the Native American word for “watering place.”
Incidentally the Wahluke Slope AVA has one of the hottest and driest climates of the state so irrigation is not only essential, but also allows complete grower control of vine vigor. On top of its arid and warm environment, strong summer winds blow across this broad slope and ensure both smaller leaf size and grape clusters. The result is top quality wines with great concentration, phenolic ripeness, body and depth of flavor.
Vineyards cover the AVA from 425 to 1,480 feet along the slope. Its deep soils of wind-blown alluvium and sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet along the continuous grade allow optimal drainage for the vines.
Thriving varieties include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Merlots are rich in sweet, ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry and cocoa. Syrahs tend to express black and blue fruit along with savory notes. Wahluke Cabernets are rich in stewed red and black berries.