Winemaker Notes
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Pursued by Bear includes slightly more Merlot and checks in as 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, brought up all in new oak. Its ruby/purple hue is followed by a pure, classic, medium to full-bodied Cabernet revealing lots of darker cassis and hints of blue fruits, notes of tobacco, classy oak, and graphite, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from 2-4 years as well and also have two decades of longevity. Best After 2024
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James Suckling
Lovely aromas of spiced cherries, baked plums and whole nutmeg. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. Good presence and depth on the palate, with ripe red fruit and berries. Hints of woody spice and dried herbs, too. Rather elegant. Well structured, too.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lovely aromas of spiced cherries, baked plums and whole nutmeg. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. Good presence and depth on the palate, with ripe red fruit and berries. Hints of woody spice and dried herbs, too. Rather elegant. Well structured, too. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Well-knit and rather tight right now, with blackberry, tobacco and licorice flavors that build tension toward firm tannins. Hands off for now. Best after 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is slightly minty on the nose with notes of dusty dark red and black fruit tones, a soft, floral essence and hints of sage. Full-bodied, the palate reveals delicate nuances of graphite and pencil shavings along with flavors of crème de cassis and notes of vanilla followed by fine-grained tannins across the mid-palate. The Cabernet concludes with a delightful, long-lingering, food-friendly finish. Give it a try.
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.