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Move over Herb Ertlinger, there’s a new undrinkable Fruit Wine in town.
I didn’t visit their establishment, but I purchased a bottle of their DeChaunac red wine from my local PAFWGS store.
I was intrigued by the back-label description of the mystique of the DeChaunac grape… and heavy berry notes this varietal imparts. I also noticed the weird encouragement that they age their wine in stainless steel barrels, to preserve the fruity notes (who needs the subtle tannic alchemy and expertise of aging wine in oak when you can dump it into sterile industrial vats?) Yes, I read the whole back label and all I could think was - “dear lord, they’re trying to avoid saying ‘Plummy Bouquet’.”
I’m not a wine snob, by any means - and while I paid $13+ for this bottle - I’ve paid $11 for one of the most incredible Sauternes I’ve ever sipped with foie gras from France. You can’t judge a bottle by its price. Or its label.
But I am, unreservedly, sensory aware and a Taster. And I’m giving my trained, honed, natural, and unsolicited opinion.
I wonder how Clover Hill would address the notes of Latex in their wine - much like the tincture of a used band-aid some frat-bro plopped into an untended glass of sangria. And let it steep to bring out the unpalatable flavor notes of a wine that was starved of oxygen and fought a hard fight against sulphur compounds.
Who is the vintner at Clover Hill who tasted this saccharine, one dimensional, explosion of Berry-Fruit Gummies co-mingled with gentle notes of latex and said, “bottle THAT and put our label on it.” That’s just a mean thing to do to people with tastebuds. That’s mean.
I would have given this wine one star, but if you can hide the plastic taste with lots of fresh lemon and orange juice, I think this could make a stellar sangria.