Winemaker Notes
This flagship wine offers dense blackberry and ripe black cherry aromas that give way to shaved semi-sweet chocolate, blueberry pie and vanilla bean on the palate. Hints of cinnamon, sage and graham cracker circle back around to a lengthy finish loading with cassis, plum and boysenberry. Sourced from some of the most established vineyards in the Columbia Valley along with grapes from the Walla Walla Valley Heather Hill Vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Set in a vertical tasting of the 2014–2018 vintages, the 2014 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is focused, fresh and ripe with layers of black fruits and oaks essence. Medium to full-bodied, the wine reveals layers of wilted flowers, preserved plums and a delightful dusty essence that shines from shedding its baby fat.
Washington produces so many exciting wines, and that definitely includes Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With over 10,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most widely-grown varietal in the state. Terrific examples hail from sub-appellations like Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. One of the fascinations of these Columbia Valley Cabs is that they so often seem to have one foot in the New World and one in the Old. Representing the former are characteristics like the ripe, forward fruit that results from long sunny days during the growing season (up to two hours longer than in much of California). Old World similarities include an undeniable brightness from acidity, as well as notes of herbs, graphite and a dusty, sometimes gravelly minerality.
Whether you’re looking for a budget bottle for everyday enjoyment, or a stellar, world-class wine with tremendous aging potential, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines can deliver the goods! Among the many fine options are bottles from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’ecole #41, Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.