Winemaker Notes
This beautifully structured Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with plum and black currant flavors as well as boysenberry, chocolate, and cedar notes in the nose. Its texture is quite elegant and it shows great length throughout the mouth, imparting a long, luxurious finish that was developed in part from the use of new French Oak barrels.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A polished and full-bodied cabernet with creamy layers of blackcurrants, cocoa powder, nutmeg and blackberry fruit, surrounded by ripe and velvety tannins. Delicious finish. 77% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromatic combination of blackberries and lavender-scented Epsom salts is quite elegant. It will also make you long for a bath to be drawn. Bold acidity showcases flavors like black cherry, orange-pekoe tea and spicy clove. The wine’s texture is sleek and slippery.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is understated, displaying a balanced blend of sweet herbs and musky black currant. It's soft and pliant, with depths of tart red and black fruits guided by brisk acidity. The 2021 possesses lovely balance, finishing lightly structured and fresh, with a lingering tinge of bitter cocoa.
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Wine Spectator
A red with focus and good energy, this offers handsome blackberry, dried herb and spice flavors that end with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. 2,450 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.