Winemaker Notes
Intensely aromatic, with expressive layers of lemongrass, passion fruit and honeysuckle. Bright and balanced, showing lively acidity on the palate, with delicious ripe kiwi, mango and white nectarine flavors stretching across a lasting finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Cymbal is made from several vineyard sites, including the 1972 planting from Bacchus Vineyard, potentially the oldest Sauvignon Blanc in the state. Passionfruit and lemongrass give it contrasting complexity around medium-bodied layers of luscious texture and vibrancy. Drinking well now, it should continue to do so for the next 6-8 years.
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James Suckling
Ripe lemons, sliced yellow apples and hints of spices and dried white flowers on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied with a creamy texture and tense, focused acidity that forms the backbone of the wine. Focused and lingering. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Cymbal is pungently floral with a wave of sweet spice and lemon zest giving way to sage and nectarines. This is seductively round and supple with a fresh mix of citrus-laced orchard fruits and hints of candied lime. The 2023 cleans up beautifully, long and potent yet fresh, with a mouthwatering resonance of sour melon.
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Wine Enthusiast
The earthy scent of straw warming in the sun is matched by aromas of Bosc pears and lemon zest. Cymbal's poached pear, cinnamon, lemon curd and coconut flavors are ably backed by just enough acidity. The medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc's rich texture and long finish are the cherries on top of this one.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.