Winemaker Notes
Produced by the En Chamberlin Vineyard. 2000 saw the planting of 10 more stony acres. Grafted on phyloxera resistant rootstock, it's another first for the region.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Always all Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 The Widowmaker En Chamberlin Vineyard is darker and earthier, with iodine-laced notes of black fruits, sappy flowers, spice, and chocolate, with some graphite and smoky minerality nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, yet with juicy acidity, it's a little foursquare at the moment, but I think it will come together with 2-4 years of bottle age. Rating: 94+
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James Suckling
Notes of cassis and black cherries, together with crushed walnuts, grilled herbs, tobacco leaf and lead pencil. Medium- to full-bodied and structured with a polished and refined tannin structure. It’s deep and juicy with savory notes, hints of iron and attractive earthiness to close. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 The Widowmaker en Chamberlin Vineyard is firm, mineral and dense with savory notes that sway with dusty red flowers and hints of spice and oak essences in the glass. Full-bodied, layered and complex, balanced flavors of black cherry skin, dusty plum and crème de cassis sway with dusty florals and savory baked earth notions before revealing a fine mineral tension with open and expressive dark red spicy florals and potpourri notes. The wine concludes with a delightfully lingering, food-friendly finish. The wine rested for a year and a half in approximately 35% new French oak. 3,120 bottles produced. Rating: 94+
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Wine Enthusiast
The fresh cut grass, earth and wildflower aromas are like a walk in a meadow—if the meadow was filled with blueberries and Mirabelle plums. Medium bodied with chewy tannins, The Widowmaker hits with dark raspberry and tart persimmon flavors, along with orange-pekoe tea
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.