Winemaker Notes
This new Cabernet Sauvignon, formerly known as the “Flying B”, is driven aromatically with red fruits—bright raspberry, fresh strawberries, and is followed by ultra pretty hints of perfumed lavender, sage, and herbs de Provence. The palate has rich, chewy tannins, loads of length, is well balanced, and everything to love about simply pure great Cabernet. Drink now through 2035.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% each of Merlot and Syrah that spent 20 months in 55% new barrels, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon offers lots of spiced red and black fruits as well as notes of iron, toasted spice, and sandalwood. Nicely textured and medium-bodied, with both fruit and richness as well as a good sense of elegance, it's ideal for drinking any time over the coming 10-15 years. As Cabernet Sauvignon goes, you'd pay three times the price for the quality if it was from Napa.
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Wine Spectator
A handsome red, expressive and multilayered, with black cherry, spiced mocha and black olive flavors that build richness and tannins on the long finish.
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.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.