Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Illusionist Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from our Estate Vineyard blocks located in both the Walla Walla and Red Mountain AVAs. It was aged for 20 months in 54% new French oak, and has a classic nose of tobacco leaf, red and black cherries, Asian spices, cassis, earthy herbs, and leather. The palate is dominated by dense flavors of more dark cherries and plums, with herbal undertones. It is richly textured, almost decadent, with refined, mouth-coating tannins, perfectly integrated oak notes, and incredibly fresh acidity. This Cabernet could prove to be immortal! Enjoy now, after decanting, or lay down for the next 20-25 years!
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Loads of blue fruits, plums, tobacco, and leafy herbs emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon The Illusionist Reserve, which is a not yet bottled blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Medium to full-bodied, soft, supple, and textured, its balance and purity are both spot on, it has polished tannins, and a notable sense of elegance. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following 15+.
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Wine & Spirits
From Red Mountain and Walla Walla sources, this is a big wine with plenty of oak character at this young stage of its life, its fruit is very much in the red spectrum, cherry and plum, with impressive acidity for such a massive footprint. It has the stuffing to cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Petite Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 The Illusionist opens to a dark ruby core with a juicy frame of fruit, fine oak and lifted floral essence of cherry blossom, graphite and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, the wine is firm, complex and layered with fine-grained tannins that sway on the palate as a delightful tertiary focus gains in amplitude before concluding with a tight tannic finish.
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.