The Sandhill One is a blend of Cab. Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It bears a strong family resemblance to the Petit Verdot, but somehow it doesn’t quite strike the right note. It is certainly rich and smooth, like the label says, but it is not particularly complex. Kelly detected a slightly bitter finish, which I can’t say I really noticed, but on the whole it struck me as well done, but in an overly soft, fairly generic new world style. It had me second guessing my positive review of the
Petit Verdot, since the two are quite similar in style, but Kelly assures me that the Petit Verdot is just better (I also take comfort from
Peanutman’s comment). I tried the 2004 vintage of the One a couple of years ago (when it was four years old) and loved it. Maybe another year or two will improve the 2007.
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I agree that this wine was a fairly generic. It reminded me a bit of an entry-level Bordeaux, which are increasingly being made in a new-world style.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoyed the One, although I wish that wineries with as much potential as Sandhill would strive to be more unique in their style.
But maybe that is just wishful thinking given the popularity of the Bordeaux style.
I'm still glad that I have a second bottle. A Sandhill that has been laid down for while has never let me down.
Wish I hadn't missed out on the Petit Verdot.
I'm tempted to buy a second bottle to lay down, just to see what happens. Even if it doesn't improve much, it would be an interesting experiment to see if a wine that is so soft in its youth can age well.
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