14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend Wine
From the Columbia Valley in Washington State, 14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend 2010 is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is also a little Mourvedre along with other select red varieties, according to the winemaker.
This wine was named an “American Value Red” and also “Savvy Shopper” by Wine Spectator, October 2012.
From the bottle, “This luscious red wine will pique your interest right out of the gate with its ruby color and aromas of ripe berries and dark stone fruits.”
FYI, 14 Hands makes their 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon which I’ve also reviewed.
14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend Review
For this review, help was enlisted from previous guests with discerning palates. We were two guys and one gal.
In appearance, the 14 Hands Hot To Trot was a fairly dark plum to purple color. Little light shown through the wine. The wine was quite leggy with lots of slow moving, skinny legs inside the glass.
On the nose there was a noticeable whiff of alcohol. The aroma was complex with hints of cinnamon, spices and maybe a little blackberry. The spice in the aroma reminded two of the tasters of a holiday glug. A comparison to Port was also made.
14 Hands Hot To Trot alcohol content 13.5% by volume.
The taste of the 14 Hands Hot To Trot was different for each taster. For one, an initial note of clove was noticed along with blackberry. For another, it was hints of almond. And, for the third, tastes of forest floor and plum were observed. The wine was smooth, yet complex.
Mouthfeel was of linen and tannins were noticed on the tip of the tongue and also in the front of the mouth.
The wine’s finish was deemed medium to long.
Overall, we all either liked or loved 14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend. One of the tasters, not normally a red wine drinker gave the wine especially high marks. It’s a smooth, fruit forward blend that many will likely enjoy. Recommend!
14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend price about $12.99.
We are from MN and bought a bottle of the Red Blend when we took a trip to Texas. Had a very hard time getting it open with the waxed top even with a top cutter. Directions would be helpful. Thanks.
Thought I would try this out, since total wine had it for $7. Not all that impressed, seems very watery. Some fruit but you really have to search for it. At the price point there are others with more body to them, like apothic dark or bogle.
Thanks for commenting Richard… I noticed Bruno below also noted a lack of fruit. I’m wondering if maybe the vintages after 2010 are lacking… Something to watch for.
Cheers guys!
Jon
It was a 2012 vintage. Drinking the remainder of the bottle the next day (I have a hand vacuum rig) I noticed that there was no fruit to be had only jam. A bit like a jammy pinot with no fruit. We usually aerate new bottles, and I wonder if the exposure to air for this wine causes the fruit to dissipate. Maybe a wine to simply drink straight from the bottle and finish the bottle in single day.
It is good but I can’t taste the different fruits
Oddly enough, i put a whole bottle away last night. No hangover prep of water and advil and woke up in great shape, no headache. Odd, as any alcohol dehydrates you, which is a big factor in the headache/hangover effect, but none was present.
This wine is a steal at $11. 14 Hands was always a great value winery and they rarely miss, but this is their gem, imo. I didn’t take notes, but it was a fruit bomb with surprising structure and a chewy finish. I pulled it to have with pizza, but it could hold up to richer foods. Mouthfeel was more similar to a syrah, and that was the grape that stood out to me. Unlike the reviewers, I tasted nothing earthy, just pure dark fruit and softer tannins.
For similar money, I usually go with the KJ Summation as my blend of choice, but i will buy this again and again.
Very unscientific study was done by a group of women who were trying to find a red wine that did not leave them with a gnawing headache the next day. After countless months of “testing” many brands on “book club night”, they all agreed the winner to be “14 Hands Hot to Trot”!