Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Earthy undertones to the tomato leaf, sour cherry and olive aromas. Some paprika. So fresh and savory, with plenty of energy and a medium body. The tannins are tamed, making this so drinkable.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Black cherries, leather, spicy, and more savory, red fruit-driven aromas and flavors define the 2022 Sangiovese Cinghiale, a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, juicy Sangiovese from the Wahluke Slope that will shine for 4-6 years. This is 100% Sangiovese from the Rosebud Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, aged in neutral French oak puncheons.
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Wine Spectator
A vivacious red, with zesty cherry, grilled meat and black pepper flavors that zip along the finish. Drink now through 2031. 1,355 cases made.
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.