Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
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Suckling
James - Decanter
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This vintage of Intrinsic has a wonderful floral nose, complemented by aromas of cherry and leather. The flavors are layered with tones of blueberry jam, pomegranate and chocolate. The texture is rustic, yet silky, with a unique savory and inviting finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A wine that delivers a very fragrant, floral edge and has a deeply integrated array of violet and red plums, as well as tomato paste. Half the wine is aged for nine months on skins and this has really meshed the tannins nicely. A blend of 96% cabernet sauvignon and 4% cabernet franc.
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Decanter
A lively nose with a blend of violets and blackberry fruit kicks off this fun, engaging Washington Cabernet from Chateau Ste-Michelle that sources fruit from both Horse Heaven Hills and Columbia Valley. Mocha mixes it up with smoky undertones and lays the groundwork for well-managed structure, thanks in part to an extended maceration of nine months that saw half of the wine aged on the skins prior to blending.
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INTRINSIC emerges as a new kind of wine. One born of the city, steeped in anything but tradition. A challenger to the industry that is willing to challenge everything – how a wine is made. How it looks. How it is enjoyed. If you want to change something, you must challenge everything.
INTRINSIC was created to help bridge the gap between the agricultural settings where wine grapes are grown and the urban setting where wine in enjoyed. The inspiration behind the INTRINSIC label came from urban culture and the similarities between street art and winemaking. Both are reflective of the environment around it and are a collaboration between artist and landscape. This insight was used and married with the incredible quality of tannins in Washington state to push the traditional boundaries of winemaking in the same way street art pushes boundaries of urban aesthetics. After years of experimentation and trial and error involving extreme extended maceration, INTRINSIC was born.
Washington produces so many exciting wines, and that definitely includes Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With over 10,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most widely-grown varietal in the state. Terrific examples hail from sub-appellations like Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. One of the fascinations of these Columbia Valley Cabs is that they so often seem to have one foot in the New World and one in the Old. Representing the former are characteristics like the ripe, forward fruit that results from long sunny days during the growing season (up to two hours longer than in much of California). Old World similarities include an undeniable brightness from acidity, as well as notes of herbs, graphite and a dusty, sometimes gravelly minerality.
Whether you’re looking for a budget bottle for everyday enjoyment, or a stellar, world-class wine with tremendous aging potential, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines can deliver the goods! Among the many fine options are bottles from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’ecole #41, Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.