Intrinsic Red Blend 2022

The flavors are layered with fig, dark plum and licorice root, and the texture is angular, yet sophisticated, with chocolate ganache details on the finish.

This red blend pairs nicely with beef sliders, citrus marinated pork sandwiches, and beef and pork meatballs in a chipotle sauce.

The region’s low rainfall and proximity to the Columbia River yields concentrated fruit with depth, and a refined textural composition.
60% of the final blend was sourced from vineyards sprinkled in the heart of the Horse Heaven Hills.
Malbec played a larger role in this blend, pairing beautifully with Cabernet Franc and a modest dash of Cabernet Sauvignon on top.

• The 2022 season started with an unusually cool and wet spring. We saw below average temperatures from April until July which caused a delay in ripening.

• Our harvest started two weeks later compared to the average vintage. All the moisture in the ground helped develop beautiful canopies with a nice size crop.

• The quality of fruit was outstanding and though we had to harvest select grapes earlier than expected, the wines are very promising, showing nice acidity, and great flavors.

INTRINSIC has tremendous complexity because 50% of the grapes stayed on the skins after fermentation for approximately 9 months.
The extended macerated wines were drained off skins at the moment where the tannin structure was optimal.
Less than 10% of wine was fermented in concrete tanks. 15% of the final blend aged in 100% neutral French oak for 11 months.

OVERVIEW

Introduced in 2016, INTRINSIC Wine Co. was inspired by the similarities between street art and winemaking. For both, the artist must work with an unpredictable canvas, blending instinct and experience to craft something vibrant, gutsy and fleeting.

Our winemaker used this insight and married it with the incredible quality of tannins in Washington State grapes to push the traditional boundaries of wine in the same way street art pushes boundaries of urban aesthetics. While most red wine grapes stay on the skins during the winemaking process for up to one month, grapes for INTRINSIC’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blend remain on the skins for nine months, resulting in an unexpected silkiness and more layers and depth in the wine. The result is a rustic, yet sophisticated wine.

In 2021, INTRINSIC introduced its first Sauvignon Blanc. Like the red wines that came before it, the team takes a unique approach to the winemaking process. The Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel, concrete and clay amphorae, resulting in a balanced wine with racy acidity, and juicy tropical fruit flavors.

INTRINSIC also announced a partnership with GLAAD in 2021. A positive force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the national narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. The partnership was forged from the deep need to move wine culture forward into a more welcoming and inclusive space. INTRINSIC will continue to support GLAAD to empower and bring visibility to the leading voices of the LGBTQ+ community. Together, we strive to foster inclusivity and accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community within the wine and beverage industry and beyond.

VINEYARDS

The grapes for INTRINSIC are sourced predominately from renowned vineyard sites throughout the Columbia Valley and Horse Heaven Hills American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) in Washington State. The Columbia Valley and Horse Heaven Hills AVAs have the ideal geography and conditions for growing premium wine grapes. The warm sunny days and cool nights during the growing season create ideal conditions for aroma

Zimer is a New York-based street artist specializing in graffiti art, drawing, architecture, fine art, and tattooing. Starting with sculpture and model building, by age 16 Zimer had adopted graffiti as his expression of choice. He later pursued a degree in Architecture at New York Institute of Technology. As his work evolved, so did the world around him. The graffiti and fine art mix he embraced falls directly into the emerging world of street art, which he has been doing ever since.