CasaSmith Cinghiale Sangiovese 2017
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A noble color & classic nose. Not Roman, pure Tuscan. Red fruit, leather, suede, tar and structured focused. It’s a compelling one for the cellar or just right for today.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a delicious rendition of Sangiovese showing a very vibrant, plush and attractively cast red-cherry nose with wild herbs and forest notes, following to the succulent palate that is so tangy and packed with lively fresh fruit. Chianti killer!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red-fruited 2017 Sangiovese Cinghiale wafts from the glass with seductive and savory tones of bright sour cherry, dusty raspberries tossed in dried herbs and a hint of scorched earth. The palate is just ripe yet strict, with focused tannins and lively acidity, while the mid-palate is firm and grippy with tart red fruits, standing firm with a dusty core on the long, winding finish. The wine is typical of its style and makes me crave truffle sausages. It's a food-friendly wine that belongs at the dinner table. This is a good value, and with only 960 cases produced, these will sell fast. Rating: 91+
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Sangiovese Cinghiale offers classic cherry and darker berry fruits as well as complex garrigue, cedar, and dried herb notes. Medium-bodied, elegant, and balanced, it’s another impeccably made wine under this label that has ample character.
Other Vintages
2021-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Enthusiast
Winemaker Charles Smith owns CasaSmith, a collection of Washington-grown wines made from classic Italian varietals. Starting in the north of Italy, Barbera from Piedmont, followed by Sangiovese from Tuscany and Primitivo from the Puglia in the south; these wines represent the best of Italy but are grown and produced in Washington by Famiglia Smith.
Each wine is named after an animal native to historic Italian grape-growing regions, as depicted on the labels. Barbera is Cervo, for a deer native to Piedmont; Sangiovese is named Cinghiale, for the wild boar of Tuscany; and Primitivo is Porscopino, a crested porcupine from Puglia.
CasaSmith wines are delicious daily, alone or accompanying your favorite Italian dish.
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.