Winemaker Notes
Opening with a vibrant bouquet, this Cabernet Sauvignon presents enticing aromas of raspberry and damson plum, intertwined with notes of sarsaparilla, cherry cola and wild sage. On the palate, the dark cherry and plum flavors are reinforced, leading to shapely tannins and a polished mouthfeel. Accents of spice, earth, and tea leaf give way to a plush, long-lasting finish.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Cocoa powder, wild berries, walnuts and graphite on the nose. It’s focused and sleek, with a medium to full body and tight-knit tannins that run the length of the wine. Long and savory. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026.
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Decanter
This Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain offers plenty of dark fruited depth and umami richness on the aromatics as smoky soy and hoisin envelope black plums and savory herbs with a whisper of wild, dried lavender. Dried desert scrub offers a savory frame with roast sea salt, black plums and anise layering on complexity and balance to this wine’s depth and mouth filling breadth.
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Wine Enthusiast
A sweet and tart mulberry aroma is pierced by notes of red pepper and strong-brewed black tea. The wine's leathery tannins and modest acidity are accompanied by flavors of orange pith, cinnamon and tart, earthy elderberries. If you ever grill venison steaks, maybe with a blueberry compote, serve this wine.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and expressive, opening with aromas of crushed cherries and aromatic spice. On the palate, it delivers alluring layers of black fruits and toasty oak, making it a natural companion to a perfectly grilled ribeye. (Tasted: June 18, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.