Winemaker Notes
A classic Cabernet Sauvignon for Pepper Bridge Winery, the 2021 vintage boasts generous aromatics of dark fruit, vanilla, cocoa, rose, cedar, leather, and tobacco. Upon tasting, it is instantly mouthwatering, striking balance between bright acidity and supple tannins. Notes of blueberry, plum, blackberry, and cocoa dominate the palate, ending with a rich, lasting finish.
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (there's 7% Malbec, 6% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) is similarly vivid purple/plum-hued and offers a gorgeous perfume of pure cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and lead pencil. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has a ripe, round, velvety mouthfeel, and ample tannins. It offers pleasure today (especially with air) but will benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it have over two decades of overall longevity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with 7% Malbec, 6% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot and matured in 50% new French oak. It demands plenty of air to reveal scents of Luxardo cherries, mint chocolate, licorice, earth and violet perfume. The full-bodied palate is youthfully coiled and mineral-driven at this stage. It’s structured by firm, grippy tannins and juicy acidity and has a long, latent finish.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a burst of exotic spice, citrus zest and crushed raspberries. This is silken in feel, with a brisk acidity that guides a wave of ripe red and black fruits across the palate. Tannic yet still fresh, the 2021 tapers off with admirable length and concentration, leaving a pleasantly chewy sensation that lingers on.
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.