Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I compared the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (86% Cabernet, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot) to a top Margaux last year when I tasted if from barrel, and I stand by that comparison today. Sandalwood, kirsch, black currants and floral notes all emerge from this beautiful, silky, impeccably polished and balanced Cabernet that has no hard edges, medium to full-bodied richness and a seamless profile that makes it impossible to resist. It's going to keep for 15+ years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Hailing from Phinny Hill, Two Blondes, Bacchus, Dionysus, Octave, Loess, and Old Stones vineyards, this Cabernet Sauvignon prototype brings aromas of fresh herb, dusty earth, cherry and raspberry, displaying an electric sense of purity. The flavors are elegant and layered showing an exquisite sense of oak and tannin integration. Far from a big bruiser, this is a thinking person's Cabernet that lingers and lingers.
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.