Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Refined and broadly structured, with vibrant black cherry, violet and spice flavors that pick up speed toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another good value, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon offers slightly more density and depth as well a richness in its cassis, leafy herbs, and graphite aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, beautifully balanced and long, it's a hell of a lot of wine for the money. Drink it over the coming 6-7 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.