Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has very composed cool fruits in the blue- and purple-berry spectrum. A riper plum and fig edge, too. The palate has a smooth-honed array of rich and fleshy tannins, hints of slate-like, stony flavors and a long, succulent finish. Baby Opus. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas of dark coffee, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, and black cherry are still locked up but provide appeal. The flavors are textured and full, showing layers of dark fruit that undulate into the distance and display a fine sense of balance.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A step up over the Merlot, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a seriously good Cab that offers ample black fruits, licorice, charcoal and spice aromas and flavors. Rich, mouth-filling and impeccably balanced, with sweet fruit, it's hard to resist today, yet it should age gracefully.
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Wine Spectator
Round and polished, with a balance of density and clarity as the generous finish rolls on against a refined texture and spicy notes.
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.