Winemaker Notes
Classic notes of blackberry, cocoa powder, and baking spice greet the nose with captivating intricacies of violets, soy, and mint. The ruby glass opens with a flood of ripe marionberries as rich, red fruit layers next evolve on a velvety palate with complexities of black tea, olive, and sage which continue to unfold throughout a generous finish.
Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A sweet and chalky nose is fueled by the wine's ripe blackberry and orange flavored pipe tobacco aromas, along with a puff of talc. A wee bit of catmint hovers in the background. A silky smooth mouthfeel, equally silky tannins and bright acidity are the backdrop for the wine's Bing cherry, Earl Grey tea and mildly herbal flavors. Pour a glass of this Cabernet Sauvignon to reward yourself for shoveling the snow from a neighbor's sidewalk.
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Wine Spectator
Precise and polished, with well-knit black cherry and red currant flavors accented by tobacco and dusky spice flavors. Finishes with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The winery’s flagship wine, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is the one it built its brand on and is a worthy place to start if unfamiliar with Abeja. Dried herb, sage, and dusty tannins coat a classically structured, powerhouse blended with 9% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc from several Washington appellations that offer varying elevations and clones. Well-integrated, it offers rich red fruit and medium-bodied concentration, with a note of cocoa powder and cigar. There’s tension and freshness underneath.
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Vinous
Dusty and floral, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon wafts up with a blend of dried violets, sweet spice and mentholated blackberries. It is silken in feel with a core of cooling acidity and vibrantly ripe red and black fruits. This leaves a gentle tug of fine tannin and a tart blackberry twang that keeps the taster looking back to the glass for more.
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James Suckling
This is polished and well-structured, with medium body and fine tannins, offering ripe currants, blackberries and subtle spices. Fresh and focused. Drink or hold.
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.