Winemaker Notes
Luke Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas dominated by Marionberry and dark chocolate, accented by hints of mint and molasses. Supple, focused and expressive, layering coffee-accented blackberry and currant flavors with polished tannins and hints of cedar and smoke.
Enjoy with smoked brisket, being careful not to over season. Adding a baked potato and your favorite roasted vegetables will make this a perfect meal.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This meaty powerhouse of a Cabernet Sauvignon packs bushels of blackberries and dried black cherries. It’s fuller bodied, with grippy tannins and elevated acidity. Decanting conjures up aromas and flavors of spicy red-cedar wood, dark chocolate and a touch of lemony catmint to accompany the fruit.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon unfolds with dusty red and black fruit notes and hints of soft brown baking spices and wilted red flowers. The nose presents a subtle nuance of graphite and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate currently maintains a tight profile, suggesting the need for some time to develop fully; however, it will persist as a food-friendly option for years to come.
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.
Distinguished by a broad, south-exposed, uniform slope and landlocked by the Columbia River to its south and Saddle Mountains to its north, the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington holds 15% of the total vine acreage of the state and takes its name from the Native American word for “watering place.”
Incidentally the Wahluke Slope AVA has one of the hottest and driest climates of the state so irrigation is not only essential, but also allows complete grower control of vine vigor. On top of its arid and warm environment, strong summer winds blow across this broad slope and ensure both smaller leaf size and grape clusters. The result is top quality wines with great concentration, phenolic ripeness, body and depth of flavor.
Vineyards cover the AVA from 425 to 1,480 feet along the slope. Its deep soils of wind-blown alluvium and sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet along the continuous grade allow optimal drainage for the vines.
Thriving varieties include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Merlots are rich in sweet, ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry and cocoa. Syrahs tend to express black and blue fruit along with savory notes. Wahluke Cabernets are rich in stewed red and black berries.