Winemaker Notes
The fruit comes from the Two Blondes and Champoux Vineyards. The 2016 vintage was an easy growing season which resulted in high yields.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Pretty blackberry and blueberry aromas with black licorice. A full body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Integrated and tight. Needs two or three years to come together. Better in 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Offering up notes of minty cassis, blackberries and cigar smoke, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is medium to full-bodied, supple and velvety, with beautifully fine-grained tannins and a deep core of fruit. While it's already generous and expressive, it's a touch more tight-knit at the core and richly structured than the corresponding Merlot. Drink it over the next 5 or 6 years.
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.