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| 2019 Details By Sinegal, Cabernet Sauvignon |
How many of you guys have very simply, given up on certain wine varietals priced within the $10-15 range? According to a prestigious wine magazine, the average price paid for a wine in America is $9.99 and that means we are already talking about a price range exceeding that so you would rightfully think we should be expecting a better quality of wine. While I would think that as well, unfortunately my own personal experience is simply not working out like that. While I completely agree that price doesn't necessarily equate to quality when it comes to wine, I think what we are really seeing here more then anything else is the younger generation of wine drinkers beginning to flex their buying power and are therefore influencing the wine market in general? In my humble opinion, this new generation is very obviously leaning heavily towards sweet/jammy reds and oaky/buttery type Chardonnays as I think they either believe these are the characteristics these varietals are supposed to be exhibiting or, they simply haven't developed a discerning palate yet due to a lack of experience and therefore, education. I don't know about you but I for one am so tired of paying $15 for a Cabernet Sauvignon only to get it home and after taking that first sip discovering the wine to be a jammy, blueberry mess. This of course is supposed to be acceptable because the bottle has the word "estate" or "reserve" on the front label. These words equate in some peoples minds to a guaranteed good wine. I myself am part of the older generation where Cabernet Sauvignon had to have notes of spice, leather, cassis, tannins, chocolate & perhaps even some good old Rutherford Dust. As I mentioned earlier, I feel the same way about Chardonnays priced in the $10-15 arena.
The Chardonnay varietal is supposed to be fresh with notes of nectarine, minerality, moderate acidity and be lively. Chardonnay is not supposed to taste as if I am licking an oak barrel or drinking some sort of oily chemically mess. What to do about all of this is the big question. Today I am going to start an experiment of sorts which means I am going to move up in price in order to try and hopefully get a decent expression of either of these two wine varietals. Will price matter? Well, I don't know but I feel that I have to do something to narrow down a proper price range in order to try to buy a decent wine otherwise I am simply throwing my money down the drain. Hopefully starting with today's wine, I will have a breakthrough of sorts and my faith in at least one of these wine varietals will be on its way to being restored but we will see about that.
Today I am going to be taking a look at the 2019 Details By Sinegal, Cabernet Sauvignon (
https://www.sinegalestate.com/). I paid $25 for this wine although it sells normally at the store I bought it from for $29.99. At least from what I have seen online, either price is amazing as I have seen it on line for as much as $50. The bottle is cork sealed as you would expect and the alcohol percentage comes in at what I consider to be a reasonable 14.8%. The wine was aged for 16 months in 55% new French Oak however there is 5% each of both American and Hungarian oak incorporated as well. Keeping it real with you guys as always, I didn't pick this wine, it was actually recommended by the shop owner who has recommended some pretty good wines to me in the past. This time I asked him to recommend a Cabernet Sauvignon for me costing no more then $25 and he immediately went into an unopened box which was sitting under a table filled with other wines and pulled this particular one out.
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Winemaker - Ryan Knoth
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The first thing I saw was the goats head with the human eyes and really was this close to rejecting it but I figured that I would give it a try as the owners track for recommendations won out in the end. The grapes for this wine come from various vineyards in the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley and Knights Valley and the wine is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Petite Sirah, 8% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot. The Vintner/General Manager is David Sinegal while the winemaker is Ryan Knoth.
As far as the label goes, I don't particularly appreciate it....at all as I find it has a negative religious tone. Part of me would like to know the artists intention behind it however the other part has me thinking that I am not really sure I want to know. To be fair here, I have read on one website that the inspiration behind the label was inspired by the following. "The skull label is inspired by the ever-mysterious goat eyes, which are capable of seeing and sensing two things at once. The art conveys the double meaning behind the devil inside. The hieroglyphs tell their own detailed story within the goat’s skull". The label however is not explained on the companies website but whatever the meaning behind it, I think another less divisive design is certainly in order.
I don't normally talk about the color of a wine but here with this wine, I will most definitely make an exception. Dark, deep, ominous, burgundy and.......foreboding. The color of the wine is extremely serious looking and is trying its best (and succeeding) in telling me (screaming to me) that the grapes involved in the making of the wine are of a superior pedigree. Just looking at the color of the wine puts a big smile on my face as I anticipate what is to hopefully present itself as an amazing wine where it counts which is the palate. Yes indeed folks, I have bought into what the color of this wine is attempting to portray.
Let me go ahead now and check out the nose of this impressive looking Cabernet Sauvignon. First up here I should let you know that after just one sniff of the wine, I find myself again smiling as it continues on the nose where its visual appearance left off, it's serious.
Starting off here, the wine pushes out a lovely nose of both spice and blackberry. Ripe fruit notes of both blueberry and plum follow up and come rushing up out of the glass as well. I don't think there is anyone who would put this wine to their nose and not have visions of not only a very serious Cab but a very expensive, very well made and very red fruit filled wine. I simply cannot wait to try this wine guys as taste is after all what really matters in the end.
Onto the palate I go now. Okay, so,first up,the wine as I would expect judging by the alcohol percentage, the wines appearance and its nose, is indeed pretty powerful, pretty robust and finally confirmed, it is very serious indeed. Tannins are not as crazy as I envisioned them to be but they are noticeable, wonderful and do provide a slight coating onto the tongue (I love it). All of this reminds me of an expensive Napa Valley Cabernet from the finest most exclusive vineyards and winery. There is the slightest bit of an alcohol burn as the wine goes down but it is definitely nothing to freak out about and nothing that letting the wine breath for a bit (decant) won't take care of. A top notch ripe and darkish, black cherry note like from the best cultivated tree ever grown is presented here and it is coming across as fresh and thirst provoking. The next note really threw me for a loop as I certainly did not expect it and that was a bit of what tasted like Rutherford Dust folks,....amazing! This "dust" note is really elevating the wine into a zone where it should not be sitting for even $50. Guys, Rutherford Dust? For those you who have ever had the opportunity of actually experiencing this note, you are probably rubbing your hands together for this to end up being a recommended wine in the end so you can go buy it. A nice presentation of delicious French Oak is present and like in any good Cabernet Sauvignon, it is more of a delicious accompanying note rather then a staple (killer) of the wine. For those of you really into expensive Cabernet Sauvignons, you know what I mean here and just how oak can permeate throughout a Cabernet to become some type of monster, (an Oak Monster:) This is not that wine, I promise.
The amount of oak here in the end is just enough to be effective in letting you know that on one hand, a good percentage of new oak was used and on the other, letting you know it still knows its place. Spice guys, like serious spice.The amount of spice and the ability of the wine to present it in the way it does is nothing short of outstanding! This spice is present throughout the entire wines presentation yet doesn't cause the palate to suddenly be yanked in this direction or that direction. By the way overall palate consistency is very big here and just another great aspect of this wine. Amazingly this spice note has my palate definitely remaining on peak alert for what else is to come. A note of sage is integrated throughout the entire wine as well and it is presented at a point where while you pick it up and while it is ever so slightly forward, you will not have concerns with it being there as it won't take anything away due to its presentation level. This sage note only adds to the wines amazing lively complexity but it is yet another sign of the fact that the wine is absolutely in a class of it's own. Allspice is another note here in the wine and boy is it enjoyable as it meshes so very well with everything else yet at the same time, is allowed to express itself nicely as well. Guys, I have to tell you, the wine is seriously well structured, powerful, totally enveloping my palate and, demanding it take notice of everything it has to offer up. Speaking of offering up, the wine seems to have everything moving along rather nicely and allowing me to taste each note completely and without feeling as if one note could have gone on a bit longer or, that one note was presented too long. Moving on now, ripe plum is just incredible here and it also is this way without dropping in any wine killing jamminess either. This plum is fresh, almost as if you were eating it fresh from the tree yet that incredible Rutherford Dust type note seems to provide a cut of sorts to override it and at just the right point thereby keeping it in check so it doesn't go crazy. I actually can't get away from that dust type note as it seems to control the wine overall but not by power rather it rules more by finesse. Now you would think that the wine would be done at this point but you would think wrong. An amazing cedar note is presenting itself and it seriously works itself into the mix of everything else rather nicely. This wine is impressive to say the least and very much throwing out notes that really show it was made with a lot of talent, thought and yes indeed, with the best grapes. There is amazingly also a palate presence here of almost a crushed rock with a slightly flinty edge as well and it maneuvers into being another of the stunning notes the wine has in its arsenal to impress with.
There is some blueberry present and this is where an ever so slight hint of jamminess does come into play in the wine. Now hold on a minute guys, don't lose hope now because this jamminess while indeed present is right at home here as it provides a needed bit of sweetness to the palate. Keep in mind that I hate a jammy wine, to me there are not many things that can ruin a red wine as quickly as jamminess but as I said earlier, this is NOT that wine, I promise. This slight blueberry jamminess acts like more of a plushness in the wine and comes into play just after the mid-palate and ends up sitting more in the background then anything. This plushness is so super smooth and...well.....yummy that I am in amazement to be quite honest. If you ask me, this is the perfect way to provide an amazing finish to each sip of this wine. Guys....I really can't say enough about this wine and I need to go on just a bit longer because things just need to be said here. As for a couple of last notes, how about some licorice and tobacco notes because they are here and they are good. These notes are usually only tasted in the upper crust of Cabernet Sauvignon wines and to taste them here in this wonderfully priced Cab is truly crazy. Oh, I guess I should tell you about the acidity here in the wine huh? The acidity in this wine comes into play on the finish but that is good because that is where it belongs in this particular wine in order for it to work as it does. The acidity doesn't ruin the finish as it is content being a backup to that blueberry plushness I mentioned. So folks, I am finally done reviewing this wine. Was it amazing? Was it awesome? Was it incredible? I guess you will have to read the conclusion paragraph in order to find out the answer to these questions.
Guys, before you go out and buy this wine you should understand something. This is a very serious Cabernet Sauvignon and not one which is interested in playing games. Before you bring it home, you will need a cellar for the other bottles you are going buy as you simply can't leave the store with just one bottle. This is most definitely a wine that was created to sell at a much higher price but for some reason to the wineries credit, is being sold for between $30-$50. This is a wine that was designed to sit on a restaurant table in areas such as Wall Street or at a dinner for dignitaries. I don't believe that I have ever had a wine that put out so very much and all without any palate conflict that would demonstrate some sort of unbalance or offensiveness in it. Throughout the entire tasting my palate was not tugged this way or that way. My palate was quite literally taken control of and that control was done without me fighting it. Brooding and luscious.....there ya go, those are the two absolutely perfect words to describe this wine. So as I finish off this review I have to tell you, this is a sipping wine and not a wine to bring to the pool for a Summer party and enjoy with hot dogs or hamburgers. This is not a wine to break out of the cellar for just anyone either. If you are breaking this wine out there better be a wedding or some other significant event going on and there should be wine educated folks invited. On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I am giving this wine 97 points.
P.S - So, you would think that this review is already long enough but, there is are a few more things that I need to add. Right now, it is day three that I have been reviewing this wine. Normally if I haven't finished a red wine in two days the rest would typically go down the drain but not here, not with this wine as it was just too good to do that to and I had to try. Here is a short take of the wine on day three. Now mind you, the cork was placed back into the bottle after each pouring for these three days so the wine really didn't have an opportunity to get too much oxygen and therefore oxidize. Thundering! The wine was still rocking the palate and still just as amazingly delicious as it was on day one. What else can I say other then the fact that I will be going to the wine shop and buying another two bottles to put away for a few years as the wine certainly is worthy of aging. One last thing, here (
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0280/4531/2097/files/2019_DETAILS_Tech_Sheet_Jan_2022_f6ecf1dc-16b3-407e-88c8-6aa90edf3d68.pdf?v=1642626328) is the Tech Sheet on the wine for those who may be interested.
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Today I will be taking a look at the 2021 Kungfu Girl, Riesling. I paid $11.99 for this wine and the bottle is screw cap sealed. The wine comes in at 12.5% alcohol and its grapes come from Washington State, the Columbia Valley. The wine is a slight blend of 93% Riesling, 4% Pinot Gris, 2% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscat. 
Both of these fruits are very tropical, very juicy and unfortunately, pretty sweet as well. As a matter of fact, the entire wine is seriously overly sweet.Yes, there is a decent amount of dryness to the wine overall which is nice however that darn sweetness overrides everything....as in....everything else that the wine is trying to offer up. By the way when it comes to the wine trying to offer things up, there really isn't much, the wine is pretty much one dimensional. Acidity is nice, really nice but unfortunately, it is of no use in positively effecting the wine as it doesn't have enough of an impact to alter its direction. As it does on the nose, apricot shows up here and while I did taste it and enjoy it, once again that darn sweetness just overrides that enjoyment and distracts from it. In the end, yes, there is a vibrancy to the wine and yes, it is tropical but also, yes, it is sweet, way sweet and because of that, I will meet you in the conclusion paragraph rather early.
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