This is a fortified dessert wine. Aromas and flavors are of dried blueberries and currants complemented by spice notes of nutmeg, allspice and clove. Framed by a suggestion of toasted walnuts, this dessert wine is a special after dinner treat that is easily enjoyed with salted nuts, intensely flavored hard cheeses or simply on its on its own. Like many fortified wines, it will age gracefully for a decade or more, even as it is enjoyable now.
Each vineyard component was fermented separately in bins. Fruit was punched down twice a day until the ideal sugar level was reached. At this point, approximately halfway through fermentation, neutral grape spirits were added to arrest fermentation and create a fortified dessert wine.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Wine Style: Dessert & Fortified Wines
Varietals: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon (St Helena, Oakville, Oak Knoll), 25% Petit Verdot (Rutherford)
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvested on: September 20 – October 19, 2018
Brix: 25.4 degrees
Aging: Aged for 24 months in neutral French oak barrels 416 cases made
We purchased our Rutherford Vineyard in 1964, and began producing wine in 1980. In 1984, at the age of 22, Michael Honig took over management of the vineyard and winery. With the help of a handful of family members and a staff of dedicated employees, what began as a small “garage” winery has today become a successful family enterprise, with everyone working collaboratively to run an inspiring and socially responsible business.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@rjquillin
Hmm. From their site on the 2017
“Vintage 2017
Wine Style Dessert & Fortified Wines
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation Napa Valley
Alcohol % 19.6 Size 750 ml”
also says “*Due to state laws, we cannot ship 375ml bottles to ME, LA, SC, VT, MT”
and…“Bottled: August 13, 2019
414 cases (12 x 375)”
I’m guessing the 750 is a mistake on the site and it’s a typical 375ml bottle of adult liquid sweetness.
@ecue@rjquillin interesting, and ambiguous. I know we had some previous offers (not this producer) that came with 500s, a bit unusual. Some were a mixed case offering of two different sizes.
@ecue@pmarin@rjquillin I’m assuming this gets cleared up, and this doesn’t answer the question and that never stops me, but K&L, previous inventory now out of stock, carried the 2015 noted as a 375
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Dulce Dessert Wine - $80 = 22.22%
Dessert says “sweet” to me! (Which is a plus…I’m not a very “sophisticated” alcohol person) But the ice wine that was sold a while back was pretty disappointing (like a weird grape juice instead of a wine on the sweeter side). Hopefully lab rats can say how it compares.
@whitelightertre wonder which one that was. Some “ice wines” end up with super-concentrated flavor and some sweetness. The sweetness scale extends to a large spectrum of what some would label as “sweet.”
Whereas I on the other hand would probably prefer the concentrated flavor in a glass, and if anything, leave the sweetness of the sugary one to pour on a desert, ice cream, waffles.
@pmarin@whitelightertre
Ice wines are better for sipping than drinking. Like just enough to coat the tongue and taste the flavors. Given their generally high price tag, they are a waste of money if you are looking for an easy-drinking sweet wine. IMHO, FWIW and YMMV
Ice Wines are usually syrupy to me, so I avoid them when possible. I’ve found most dessert reds are sweet, but not the syrupy mess Ice Wines can be.
Have you had any Madeira wines? They have a nice range and are usually drier than most dessert wines, but still have a sweetness range based on their grapes (Sercial is drier than Bual, etc.)
@chipgreen@pmarin@whitelightertre correct, of course! Icewine should be sweet but not cloying. The acidity spoke keep it lively and fresh. It’s not for everybody, of course, but it’s one of my favourite styles. They are usually thick in texture but shouldn’t be syrupy in perception.
The Snow Ridge I missed. Would want to try just for the experience. Only 187ml bottles implies definitely sipping (for flavor) only. Only 11.0% implies maybe not fortified. The Gewurz in that offer would have an intense flavor some would consider as bitter but it’s just the character of the grape/fruit. Suspecting that really was not sweet!
This offer being a fortified red, I would expect it to be quite a different story. High RS (Residual Sugar) definitely means sweeter. Plus Honig means honey so very likely this seems targeted as a sweet desert wine.
Edit: I would agree with the aging potential mentioned.
I’m generally not a sweet wine person, but then I thought, maybe? Then checked prices and realized, maybe not. Definite Napa Valley premium. But wines made this way do carry a significant premium.
@pmarin@whitelightertre Yeah, this and the Snow Ridge is apples to oranges. Different vinification, fortified vs not. This is sitting at 76 g/l RS, the Snow Ridge wasn’t specified but probably in the vicinity of 200 g/l RS. And as @chipgreen kind of alluded to, neither are just a wine on the sweeter side.
@chipgreen@kaolis@pmarin@whitelightertre yeah, 76 g/l RS is in the range of typical sweetness for port. The real question for me is how much acidity is there to balance it. Many California fortified wines are made with late harvested grapes, but traditional port is made with grapes at roughly regular ripeness. As are site favourites like Scott Harvey Forte and Pedroncelli Port.
Icewine can have 25-30% RS, but it usually has monster levels of acidity to balance it, keeping the perceived sweetness in the enjoyable range rather than feeling like you’re downing a bottle of aunt Jemima.
@ttboy23 our flight was over 6 hours delayed so we missed our connecting flight. We stayed the night in MN and turned around to fly home because we missed boarding the cruise. So, working .
Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Dulce Dessert Wine
2018 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Dulce Dessert Wine
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$720.00/case — not for sale on winery website
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 3 - Tuesday, Aug 4
2018 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Dulce Dessert Wine
3 bottles for $89.99 $30/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
[mod] note these are 375ml bottles
Do I want it? Yes, very much.
Can I afford it? Not a chance in hell.
@winedavid59
these look like 375’s, but (could be missing it) don’t see any reference to bottle size in the write-up, nd the '17 on their site is a 375, so…?
@rjquillin
Hmm. From their site on the 2017
“Vintage 2017
Wine Style Dessert & Fortified Wines
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation Napa Valley
Alcohol % 19.6
Size 750 ml”
also says “*Due to state laws, we cannot ship 375ml bottles to ME, LA, SC, VT, MT”
and…“Bottled: August 13, 2019
414 cases (12 x 375)”
I’m guessing the 750 is a mistake on the site and it’s a typical 375ml bottle of adult liquid sweetness.
@ecue @rjquillin interesting, and ambiguous. I know we had some previous offers (not this producer) that came with 500s, a bit unusual. Some were a mixed case offering of two different sizes.
@ecue @pmarin @rjquillin I’m assuming this gets cleared up, and this doesn’t answer the question and that never stops me, but K&L, previous inventory now out of stock, carried the 2015 noted as a 375
@ecue @kaolis @pmarin @rjquillin
Given the shape and proportions of the bottle as pictured, I would bet a lot of $$$ on it being 375ml.
@chipgreen @ecue @kaolis @pmarin
And CM CS has confirmed it’s a 375
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Dulce Dessert Wine - $80 = 22.22%
[mod] note these are 375ml bottles
Dang - I was hoping for their (regular) cabernet sauvignon - that would have been a real coup!
Dessert says “sweet” to me! (Which is a plus…I’m not a very “sophisticated” alcohol person) But the ice wine that was sold a while back was pretty disappointing (like a weird grape juice instead of a wine on the sweeter side). Hopefully lab rats can say how it compares.
@whitelightertre wonder which one that was. Some “ice wines” end up with super-concentrated flavor and some sweetness. The sweetness scale extends to a large spectrum of what some would label as “sweet.”
Whereas I on the other hand would probably prefer the concentrated flavor in a glass, and if anything, leave the sweetness of the sugary one to pour on a desert, ice cream, waffles.
@pmarin I am quite a dope and should have included the link in the first place! Snow Ridge Cold Climate Ice Wine
@pmarin @whitelightertre
Ice wines are better for sipping than drinking. Like just enough to coat the tongue and taste the flavors. Given their generally high price tag, they are a waste of money if you are looking for an easy-drinking sweet wine. IMHO, FWIW and YMMV
@pmarin @whitelightertre
Ice Wines are usually syrupy to me, so I avoid them when possible. I’ve found most dessert reds are sweet, but not the syrupy mess Ice Wines can be.
Have you had any Madeira wines? They have a nice range and are usually drier than most dessert wines, but still have a sweetness range based on their grapes (Sercial is drier than Bual, etc.)
Ports can also have a range from drier to rich & sweet.
@chipgreen @pmarin @whitelightertre correct, of course! Icewine should be sweet but not cloying. The acidity spoke keep it lively and fresh. It’s not for everybody, of course, but it’s one of my favourite styles. They are usually thick in texture but shouldn’t be syrupy in perception.
@chipgreen @klezman @pmarin @whitelightertre
Ice Wine.
I
The Snow Ridge I missed. Would want to try just for the experience. Only 187ml bottles implies definitely sipping (for flavor) only. Only 11.0% implies maybe not fortified. The Gewurz in that offer would have an intense flavor some would consider as bitter but it’s just the character of the grape/fruit. Suspecting that really was not sweet!
This offer being a fortified red, I would expect it to be quite a different story. High RS (Residual Sugar) definitely means sweeter. Plus Honig means honey so very likely this seems targeted as a sweet desert wine.
Edit: I would agree with the aging potential mentioned.
I’m generally not a sweet wine person, but then I thought, maybe? Then checked prices and realized, maybe not. Definite Napa Valley premium. But wines made this way do carry a significant premium.
@pmarin @whitelightertre Yeah, this and the Snow Ridge is apples to oranges. Different vinification, fortified vs not. This is sitting at 76 g/l RS, the Snow Ridge wasn’t specified but probably in the vicinity of 200 g/l RS. And as @chipgreen kind of alluded to, neither are just a wine on the sweeter side.
@chipgreen @kaolis @pmarin @whitelightertre yeah, 76 g/l RS is in the range of typical sweetness for port. The real question for me is how much acidity is there to balance it. Many California fortified wines are made with late harvested grapes, but traditional port is made with grapes at roughly regular ripeness. As are site favourites like Scott Harvey Forte and Pedroncelli Port.
Icewine can have 25-30% RS, but it usually has monster levels of acidity to balance it, keeping the perceived sweetness in the enjoyable range rather than feeling like you’re downing a bottle of aunt Jemima.
/giphy gold-brackish-queen
I have a thing for dessert wines and port…so…
/giphy weathered-ungracious-toothpaste
@kasandrae how is your trip?!
@ttboy23 our flight was over 6 hours delayed so we missed our connecting flight. We stayed the night in MN and turned around to fly home because we missed boarding the cruise. So, working
.