Winemaker Notes
Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon exudes juicy cherry, plum, and cassis, a bit of tannin and oak spice, while developing full-bodied, concentrated layers of earthy dried herb and graphite. With 6% Malbec added before aging 22 months in new and once-filled French oak, it is well-integrated and cohesive on the lengthy palate, with a finesse on the finish.
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James Suckling
Cigar box, tobacco, black olives and black fruit on the nose, followed by a full-bodied, savory and structured palate. Firm tannins run the length of the wine. Long and tight finish. 94% cabernet sauvignon and 6% malbec. Try from 2028.
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Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon entices from the glass with wild blueberries and plum mixed with sweet violet and lavender tones. It seduces with soft textures and a soothingly round personality, as crisp red and black fruits drench the palate in primary concentration. The finish is structured and impressively long, leaving crunchy tannins and a resonance of blue and purple floral tones.
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Wine Spectator
A powerfully built red, with muscular tannins framed by black cherry, red currant, pencil shavings and dusky spices as this gathers tension and grip on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2035.
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.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.