Deep ruby color; black cherry, black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, chocolate, black pepper, leather, subtle oak on the nose and palate.
Dry; moderate, dusty tannins; moderate acidity. Medium body. Linear red wine experience with light finish. Very simple easy drinker. Blend of 96% cabernet sauvignon, 2% malbec, 2% petit verdot. Presents the softer, simpler side of cab. Buy this for value, not depth or complexity. It comes in a one-liter bottle, not the standard 750 ml. 13.7% ABV
Vines hand-picked. Fermentation took place in small temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Maceration (juice contact with the skins, seeds, stems to extract phenolics—tannin, color, flavor elements) for 15-20 days. Spontaneous malolactic conversion. Forty percent of the wine aged for six months in French oak, followed by blending the elements. Stabilized and filtered prior to bottling. Jimena López is the winemaker.
The Funcke family from Funkenhausen, Germany, arrived in Mendoza in the late 1800s. To honor his maternal ancestors, Kurt Heinlein founded Funckenhausen Vineyards in the San Rafael appellation of South Mendoza. It is located at the foothills of the Andes mountains near the banks of the Diamante River where distinctive malbec, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and bonarda are grown.
The family-owned winery asserts it seeks to honor Kurt and Alejandro’s German ancestry while forging an Argentine tradition of winemaking for future generations. Kurt Heinlein and his grandson Alejandro Leirado Heinlein decided on a one-liter bottle “because to share you need more than 750 ml.”
Funckenhausen is part of Mendoza Family Wines. That is a group of five independently-owned family wineries that specialize in different terroirs in Mendoza and unite for distribution and marketing. Other members include Stocco de Viani, Viamonte, Salvador Patti, and Cuartofincas. Mendoza province accounts for 70% of Argentina’s wine production.
Funckenhausen Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2022 is simple, straightforward value buy—and nicely fills that niche. You get dark fruits and reserved tannins and acidity. Inoffensive effort, a notch above supermarket boxed cab and comes in one-liter bottle, which means this comes in at $12 or less in 750 ml terms. Definitely works as a second bottle or as party pour when wine appreciation is not the point of the evening. $14-16 for 1-liter bottle ($10-12 if it were a standard 750 ml bottle).
Pairing—You likely buy this simply to pour red wine rather than precise food pairing, but will pair with grilled and roasted beef, hamburgers, meat lover pizza, meatloaf, beef stew, pasta dishes with beef and tomato sauces; lamb prepared with rosemary or mint; roast chicken, duck, turkey. Cheese—Aged cheddar, aged manchego, aged gouda; emmentaler, fontina. Avoid soft, creamy cheeses such as fresh brie, camembert; hard cheeses such as parmigiano-reggiano, fresh goat cheeses.
