Winemaker Notes
This medium bodied wine is both lithe and expressive, with embracing tannins wrapping gently around a focused core of dried herb-accented black cherry and licorice flavors, dancing with finesse on the finish.
Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Black currant and chocolate ganache aromas unite to form a sweet-smelling team. The wine’s orange zest and blueberry and blackberry pie flavors are decadent but balanced by grippy tannins and surprisingly crisp acidity. I want to serve this with crusted ahi tuna to see what happens.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, energetic and lively, with black cherry, mocha and licorice flavors that zip along the sleek finish. Drink now through 2031. 1,800 cases made.
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.