Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot) is solid, with good purity in its cassis and leafy herb aromas and flavors. Brought up in 54% new French oak, it's nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, has some background vanilla oak, and a good finish. It's a total charmer and a delicious wine to drink over the coming 7-8 years.
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James Suckling
There’s a rich and ripe array of spiced berries and plums on the nose with a palate that has ample fleshy fruit and a sleek, silky tannin texture on offer. Drink in the next five 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.