Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Resembling a top-flight Bordeaux, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon XVIII (100% Cabernet aged in 75% French and 25% American oak) gives up tons of tobacco leaf, lead pencil shavings, damp underbrush and cassis-like fruit in a fresh, yet concentrated, elegant, nicely structured package. This is a beautiful wine that should be hidden in the cellar for 3-5 years and enjoyed over the following 15-20 years.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine Spectator
Broad and expressive, with toast and coffee notes around a supple core of blaSub flashObj_FSCommand(ByVal command, ByVal args) ck currant and licorice flavors, extending into the long, graceful finish. Drink now through 2020.
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.