Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Readers Cabernet Sauvignon is bright ruby in color with aromas of blackberries, black currant, black tea, and bittersweet chocolate with a rich smooth texture and silky tannins. The finish is long and the fruit lingers on the palate.
Blend: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 4% Merlot, 4% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Readers Cabernet Sauvignon is fresh and ripe, with a sturdy and juicy frame that’s generous and tight. With swirling, the nose gradually unfolds, revealing the oak that takes center stage. Baking spices and coffee beans, before layers of black-fruited richness, waft from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, exhibiting a taut structure that compresses with dusty tannins. The finish is notably tannic and compact. The wine spent 18 months in a combination of new and used French oak barrels. Rating :91+
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Wine Enthusiast
The wine’s Port, Cadbury Twirl Orange Chocolate and cherry pipe tobacco aromas had me in search of a lounging robe and the nearest fireplace. The seared steak, thyme and black cherry jam flavors sent me to the kitchen. Only a slight bit of heat mars the wine’s hedonistic theme.
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.