I bought a bottle of Kestrel Estate Sangiovese as a Christmas gift for my wife, who loves Italian varietals. We opened it last night. I wasn’t expecting much, for two reasons: I’m not a fan of sangiovese, and the last time we tasted in Yakima, my memory of Kestrel was tainted by the really pungent barnyard flavors of the wines at the adjacent wineries.
Sangiovese is an earthy wine to begin with (at least in the treatments I’ve experienced lately – see this prior post for an example: http://wordonwine.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/maryhill-2004-sangiovese/). The Yakima tasting trip from last year left a lingering memory, and while I don’t think Kestrel’s wines were as earthy as the others being poured next door, I think I’ve still associated them with that barnyard flavor that I’m not a big fan of.
The Kestrel Estate Sangiovese turned out to drink very much like a Bordeaux varietal. The tannins were well developed. It had a gentle fruit-forward flavor. It drinks almost like a merlot. The main thing that reminded me I was drinking a sangiovese was the slightly peppery overtones of the finish.
All in all, a great wine. I believe it was towards the lower end of the $20-$30 range, which makes it a good deal as well.
