Winemaker Notes
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Aromas of roast fennel, espresso bean and sage give way to a core of deep blackberry fruits. The palate is rich, structured and marked by crushed basalt, savoury herbs and mint. There are streaks of graphite intertwined with notes of gravel, black cherries and cocoa powder.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Stone Cairn is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot sourced from a handful of sites on Red Mountain. It's a bigger, richer wine than the more elegant Lady Hawk and has impressive red and black fruits, lots of minerality, notes of Asian spice and lead pencil, medium to full body, and building tannins. Another impressive wine from this talented winemaker, it will have 10-15 years of longevity. Rating : 93+
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James Suckling
Inviting aromas of red and dark berries, red spices, cocoa and stones. Medium-bodied with firm, chalky tannins and juicy red-fruited crunchiness. Vivid acidity keeps it toned and fresh. Flavorful finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended with 5% Merlot, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Cairn opens with a wood-inflected nose (from the 50% new French oak). Elements of red potpourri and spiced dark red florals waft from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it is expressive with flavors of blackberry jus before firm tannins grip the gumline. With a balanced structure and succulent acidity, the Cabernet ends with the earthy sensation of graphite and pencil shavings.
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.