Winemaker Notes
High toned and fresh. More so than 2016 or 2017. Pencil lead, gravel, red fruit - cranberry, cassis, raspberry. Notes of spice, red and purple flowers, with some vanilla oak. High acid and lively. More fruit on palate than earth to start. Firm tannin. Dusty. Dark chocolate. Green pepper/ herbs. Really classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Extreme length. Did I mention mouth-watering acid? Amazing example of Washington Cabernet. Total yum and will be my house wine for a few years.
Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The appellation 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, which includes 4% Merlot, reveals a ruby/purple hue as well as brilliant notes of ripe cassis, darker currants, woodsmoke, graphite, and tobacco. Coming from a mix of sites and aged in 38% new French oak, it's flawlessly balanced, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's just another impeccably made wine from this talented team that's well worth your time and money. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years.
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Wine & Spirits
This is, in a sense, the opposite of a showstopper. Blended from Phinny Hill (75 percent) along with Octave, Bacchus and Dionysus vineyards, this leads with plum and tobacco scents only to have a sunny richness creep into the wine on cat feet, elegant and a bit elusive. Then the precise tannins on the finish feel uplifting and fresh.
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Wine Spectator
Combines polish with a handsome structure, offering expressive black cherry and plum flavors accented with Asian spices and savory sage. Finishes with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Beginning with a beautifully balanced nose, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon offers focus and precision with gorgeous aromas of dusty plum and elegant oak spices before showing delicate dusty red flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is delightful and oak-tinged on the palate, with a balanced structure, fine-grained tannins and succulent acidity. The wine continues evolving in the mouth over the long, ripe and subtly spiced finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Gramercy was founded in 2005 with a dedication to Rhône varieties, but quickly felt the irresistible draw of Washington Cabernet, with wines like this showing the appeal. The aromas offer notes of dried herb, dark cherry, scorched earth and spice. It's the balance of the cherry and graphite flavors that most impresses. Cabernet is often big and bold. This wine shows its sophisticated side but with no shortage of intensity. It's a whole lot of delicious. Best from 2027–2035.
Cellar Selection
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.