Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A bold, muscular, striking wine with nerves of steel, this offers a dense, demanding array of black fruit threaded with veins of espresso, smoke, tar, tobacco and iron. As it burst with exotic barrel flavor, the fruit seems a bit buried, but time after time these wines unfold over the course of decades into glorious maturity. These are arguably the most long-lived and cellarworthy wines in Washington - if not the entire country. Cellar Selection.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening with soft aromas of crème brûlée, dusty dried blackberries and aged cocoa powder, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon lingers in the glass with a firm nose and alcoholic lift. Full-bodied, the palate is slightly shy and seems to be emerging from the change, as it shows the first signs of mature elements with slightly stewed black and red fruit with a rocky essence and mineral tension, not previously seen in any of the other Cabernets of the 20-year vertical. Over the next year, as this wine fully transitions out of the change, it should continue to drink well through the rest of the 2020s. Decanting is recommended.
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Wine Spectator
Pure and impressively expressive, with focused currant, plum, blackberry and black olive aromatics turning on the palate to a more complex profile, weaving in coffee, creme brulee and chai tea notes, all wrapped in a polished texture. The finish doesn't want to quit. Best from 2015 through 2024.
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.