Winemaker Notes
One of the advantages of having made wine in the Columbia Valley since the mid1980s is the opportunity it’s given me to work with some of the most dedicated growers in the industry. During all that time, Champoux Vineyard has stood at the top of my list of outstanding vineyards in Washington State. Located in the Horse Heaven Hills, this vineyard consistently produces wines with exceptional depth, complexity, and elegance.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Wafting from the glass with aromas of black currants and blueberries, framed by creamy new oak, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard is medium-bodied, layered and velvety, with well-integrated tannins, good depth at the core and a flavorful finish. It's much more successful than the Champoux Merlot this year.
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Wine Enthusiast
Coming from the state’s premier Cabernet vineyard, brooding aromas of black cherry, ripe black currant, black coffee and toasty spices lead to well-balanced, layered dark-fruit flavors with expertly integrated tannins. It shows a beautiful sense of polish as well as great length.
Editors' Choice
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
"Surely this is Horse Heaven!”
Its wide prairies and rolling expanses led an early pioneer to proclaim that the region looked like “horse heaven,” and as a result, the area was appropriately named. Horse Heaven Hills is in south central Washington state, geographically bound on its northern border by the Yakima River and in the south, by the larger Columbia River.
Its proximity to the Columbia River contributes to a variety of climactic factors that dramatically affect its grapes. In particular, an increase in wind from changes in pressure along the river, which flows from the cool and wet Pacific Ocean, inland to Washington’s hot and arid plains, creates 30% more wind than there would be otherwise. These winds moderate temperatures, protect against mold and rot, reduce the risk of early and late season frosts, diminish canopy size and toughen grape skins.
The vineyards bordering the river are on steep, south-facing, well-exposed slopes, with well-drained, sandy-loam soils. But the soils of the appellation are diverse throughout, ranging from wind-blown sand and loess, Missoula Flood sediment, and rocky basalt. Horse Heaven Hills has an arid continental climate with elevations ranging from 200 to 1,800 feet.
The first vines of the appellation were planted in 1972 in an optimal spot now referred to as the Champoux Vineyard. Today it remains the source of some of Washington’s most desirable and expensive Cabernet Sauvignons. In fact, the appellation as a whole boasts many of Washington’s top scoring wines. Its primary grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.