Winemaker Notes
Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Weinbau as well as Red Mountain sites Quintessence, Shaw, Ciel du Cheval and Obelisco make up this Cabernet Sauvignon. It shows ample pretty red fruit aromatics complemented by dried violets and fig. The palate is ripe yet retains its freshness.
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James Suckling
Youthful, firm and well-balanced with notes of black cherries, blackcurrants, pine cones and dark chocolate on the nose. Linear and clear-cut, with a full body and just-ripe black fruit, framed by firm, fine tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, made with splashes of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, opens with aromas of black plum, cedar, cigar box, baked clay and black raspberry. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm, expressive and chewy, with a food-friendly character, a balanced structure and a fresh, lingering, dark-berried, spicy finish.
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.