Winemaker Notes
Like previous vintages of this wine, winemaker Mike Januik relies on Novelty Hill’s estate vineyard Stillwater Creek on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills to build the base for the wine, then blends in layered complexity by using grapes from a small selection of top Red Mountain and Wahluke Slope sites to further enhance flavors and mouthfeel.
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 2% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Roasted coffee bean aromas are out front, followed by notes of toast, coffee and barrel spices. Fruit and barrel flavors intertwine on the palate. There’s a lot to like.
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Wine & Spirits
Scents of mocha and black cherry have a faint, attractive tobacco-leaf accent. The wine is formidably structured at present, with tannins that need time to get in line with the fruit.
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.