Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas of black currant, plum, and blackberry with subtle notes of dried herb, coffee, and loamy earth. Layered in complexity with flavors of dark cherry and cocoa, this wine has rich, refined tannins that lead to a long, elegant finish.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a fresh, juicy, firm profile with a dense core of dark fruit and dusty florals. Lifted aromas of spiced cherry, plum skin and fresh blackberry add complexity to the nose. Full-bodied and firm on the palate, it features a delightful tannic edge and a balanced expression of spicy oak as the wine unpacks along the ever-evolving finish. This beauty will remain food friendly and age-worthy until its 21st birthday, perhaps even longer. Grapes from the Quintessence, Col Solare Estate and Shaw vineyards were used. The wine aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak, and approximately 36,000 bottles were produced.
-
Decanter
A study in refinement and elegance, fruit takes a back seat to floral, savoury and mineral elements in the wine's aromatics of violet, lavender, sage and subtle black currant. The palate continues to demonstrate grace with black tea, crushed stone, savoury garrigue and cassis flavours. Beautiful.
-
James Suckling
This is attractive, with crushed blackberries and blackcurrants, chocolate orange, anisette and spicy herbs. Full-bodied with tight and compact yet finely polished tannins. Structured and firm with finesse and a velvety mouth-feel. It slowly reveals dark-fruit character as it progresses, which lasts long on the palate. 95% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc. Needs some time to soften. Try from 2025.
-
Vinous
Crushed raspberries and black cherries are complemented by mint leaf and cedar spice as the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon evolves in the glass. It's silken in feel, with a wave of tart red berry fruits that saturate as fine-grained tannins mount toward the close. The 2019 finishes with incredible length, gently spiced, leaving nuances of wild blueberry to linger.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Beautifully balanced with a silky mouthfeel, this wine's rich black fruit aromas tip-toe up to cassis territory. Tinier notes of lilac and pork fat hitting the red-hot coals of a grill are stunning. Blackberry, black tea, orange peel and dark chocolate flavors are winning in every way.
-
Wine Spectator
Refined and expressive, with multilayered blackberry, savory tarragon and stony mineral flavors that build tension and structure toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030. 2,992 cases made.
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.