Sunday was a big day for sports for me as I was able to watch both the Seahawks and Arsenal. This meant that I needed a proper wine to take in all that television. I reached in my cellar and pulled out a 2017 FIGGINS Red Wine, which comes from what was generally a good vintage for red wines.
This was a strange year that had a lot of high level smoke. The smoke didn’t always impact wines but did impact some. But the great mitigating factor in 2017 was that the high smoke in the air actually kept the sunlight from damaging the vines. 90 degree days could have easily been 100 degree days without the high smoke.
In the end, 2017 was really great for whites and was generally good for reds — particularly top producers like FIGGINS. The FIGGINS Red Wine is a proprietary red blend that changes each year. It comes from the Figgins Estate Vineyardwhich is a high elevation site planted to Bordeaux varieties. The wine usually is quite tanninc and needs several years in the cellar to unwind. It is a deep and concentrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Over the years the Petit Verdot has been increasing in the blend. That is because the PV from this vineyard is arguably the finest in the Northwest. PV from this site has amazing chocolate and coffee ground flavors with green herbal accents.
Learn more about this special winery at https://www.figginswine.com/2022-estate-red-wine and here is my review of the cinredible 2017 FIGGINS Red Wine.
2017 FIGGINS Red Wine- The 2017 FIGGINS Red Wine is a sumptuous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It was stored in mostly new French oak barrels for 22 months before bottling. It comes off marvelously herbal on the nose with green peppercorns, green bell pepper and bay leaf notes alongside deep cassis and Black Forest cake accents. The palate really needs about 30 minutes in the glass to fully extend its viscosity. Concentrated black and blue fruits parade with a graphite and Arabica bean edge on the palate. This is a total stunner that is not only delicious but highly novel stuff to enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2040- 97