I don’t have an adequate introduction to this wine. Only to say that I am thoroughly impressed by the wide range of styles Cindy can produce. Taste this wine. You have to taste this wine.
About the Wine: 49% Cab Franc; 36% Merlot; 19% Petit Verdot
14.3% ABV
Flavor Profile:
Appearance: medium purple
Aroma: Medium (+) intensity with aromas of chocolate, vanilla, black cherry, bramble, black plum, anise, tomato leaf, toast/char, prune, fig, leather
Palate: The plate is dry with high alcohol, medium (+) tannins, medium (+) body, and medium (+) acid. The flavor intensity is also medium (+) with flavors including those aromas mentioned above, but enhancing those of charred wood, leather, and adding to that list a bit of dry earth and all spice as well.
The finish is wonderfully long with lingering flavors of black fruit leather and a perfumed smokiness.
Conclusion: Based on the WSET criteria, I determined that this wine is outstanding. The level of acidity holds on the palate from start to finish, allowing some of those fresher fruits to stay front of mind, while those darker, earthier, toastier aromatics dance around the palate. The tannins are plushy, well integrated into the wine, providing body and structure, but never drying out the tongue so as to mute the flavor and aroma compounds. The alcohol, at 14.3%, also adds a bit of richness to this wine, but, again, not so much as to distract or detract from the integrity of the blended varieties. For me, the intensity of aromas and flavors was there; the finish was long and lingering; and given the variety of aromas and flavors I perceived, I find this wine to be quite complex, indeed.
And I did find delicate, subtle tertiary aromas and flavors that says to me that this wine is already showing its potential for ageability. I believe there is room for the tannins to soften further, become more integrated into the wine. Those fresher fruits will slowly transform into (what I’ve already detected minutely) into fruit-leather notes. The earthy qualities, now in the background, will certainly come more forward on the nose and on the palate. And that good dose of acidity will surely keep the wine alive for years to come.
More Info: I purchased the Passaggio 2017 Connect Red Blend as part of my wine club allocation. (Cheers!) Price: $62; Club Price: $49.60/$52.70. For more information about Passaggio Wines, the wine, and to purchase wine directly (available for curb-side pickup or local delivery), please visit the Passaggio Wines website.
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**Please note: all reviews and opinions are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.**
