Uniquely made and extremely tasty, the Intrinsic Red Blend.
52% Cabernet Franc, 44% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot from vineyards throughout the Horse Heaven Hills in Columbia Valley, Washington. 10% of the wine was fermented in concrete tanks and 50% of the final blend aged in neutral French oak for 9 months. See below for more info on just how uniquely this wine was made.
Sample submitted for review. The Intrinsic Red Blend has an SRP of $25 and is available for as low as $16. Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.
Street art and winemaking - an unexpected pairing. Winemaker Juan Munoz-Oca aged Cabernet Franc on Malbec skins and Malbec on Cabernet Franc skins for 9 months to create a layered wine with silky, refined overtones. Street artist Zimer took the wine style and perfectly symbolized it in this latest collaboration.
14.5% Alcohol
As we saw in our review of the Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon (A Very Worthy Experiment in Winemaking), today's wine is indeed very uniquely made. After fermentation, 50% of the grapes stayed on the skins for 9 months (typically this is less than a month). In addition, in this blend the skins were swapped, meaning the Cabernet Franc was fermented on the Malbec skins and the Malbec on the Cabernet Franc skins. The end result? Read on.
The 2016 Intrinsic Red Blend opens with wonderfully rich aromas of dark berry fruit layered with spice, licorice and just a bit of mint. Tasting reveals a wonderfully complex wine with deep, deep flavors of rich, dark berry fruit, lots of licorice and much more. This is a bold blend and not for the weak of heart or fans of watered down or sugary sweet concoctions. At the same time, it's smooth, soft and easy to drink, not harsh and over-the-top as you sometimes get with big bold blends like this one. It ends dry and long with lingering sweet dark fruit, more licorice, hints of chocolate and even a bit of minerality. Excellent!
Ready to buy the Intrinsic Red Blend? Check your local retailers.
This is an easy pick for our list of The Best Red Blends under $20! Click the photo below to see all of our recommended red blends.
