Winemaker Notes
Blend: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot that spent 20 months in 67% new French oak. Classic Cabernet on the nose, with gorgeous creme de cassis, raspberry ganache, lead pencil shavings and hints of flowers, it is rich, concentrated and decadent on the palate, yet has brilliant purity, a weightless, elegant texture and knockout polish to its tannin. Already approachable due to its balance and overall seamlessness, this full-bodied effort can be consumed now and over the coming 10-15 years. 2,000 cases made. Drink now-2025+.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a heavy-duty Cabernet, big in every way, with rich black cherry and cassis fruit, and dense, dark tannins. The long, slightly grainy finish reinforces the impression of raw power, yet the wine retains perfect proportion and is nicely differentiated from the other 2010s crafted by winemaker Chris Figgins. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Firm in texture, with a swarm of fine tannins wound around a plush core of black cherry, pomegranate and red pepper flavors that persist impressively on the extended, coffee-inflected finish. Needs time in the cellar to unfold.
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.