Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon – A Very Worthy Experiment in Winemaking

The smooth and savory Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley, Washington. 65% comes from the Beverly Vineyard and 35% from the Eagle & Plow Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. 45% of the wine was aged in older French oak for 14 months and 10% was aged in concrete tank for 9 months, but the most interesting part of the winemaking process happened with the other 45%. Read on to find out more.

The Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon has an SRP of $22 and is available for as low as $17 including at Costco. 30,000 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the winery:

INTRINSIC Wine Co. represents a new style of winemaking that draws inspiration from street art. Esteemed Washington State winemaker Juan Muñoz-Oca chose to take an untraditional approach with INTRINSIC in an effort to yield a wine with unique flavors and nuances.

INTRINSIC’s label was designed by famed Brooklyn street artist Zimer.

14.5% Alcohol

As mentioned above, today’s wine is very unique in the way it was made. Crushing grapes produces a very light colored juice. Red wines get their dark color through contact with the skins, seeds and sometimes even stems of the grapes in a process called maceration. This contact can also help influence the body, tannins and flavors in a wine. For a typical Washington Cabernet maceration lasts about a month. Winemaker Juan Munoz Oca upped that time to an astonishing 9 months for 45% of this wine to help bring out the “intrinsic” qualities of the grapes (thus the name). The end result? Let’s find out.

The 2014 Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon begins with pleasing aromas of blackberry, leather and a little vanilla. It’s a bit muted on the nose but that’s certainly not the case in the mouth when tasting this smooth yet rustic wine. The blackberry, black cherry, plum, leather and earth flavors continue to build all the way through the mid-palate and there’s also a ton of intriguing secondary flavors – balsamic, black olives, vanilla, chocolate, savory herbs and a little smoke – to name a few. The wine ends dry, savory and even a bit dusty with all those secondary flavors lingering in the mouth for quite a while. A very worthy experiment in winemaking indeed!

Looking for more of the best wines at Costco? Find all our tips and tricks for shopping the store plus all of our recommended picks right here.

See a listing of local retailers selling the Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon here.