Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Illusionist is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, sourced from our estate blocks at Blue Mtn. Vineyard, Red Mtn. Vineyard, and Phinny Hill Vineyard. Aged for 20 months in 52% new French oak, it has a knockout nose of blue and purple fruits, with incense and spice notes lingering in the background. The palate shows tons of cassis, blueberries, Italian plums, leafy herbs, and spice.
Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon yet with 6% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon The Illusionist Reserve offers lots of cassis and blue fruits to go with a rich, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, building tannins, and classic Cabernet notes of tobacco and lead pencil. It's already approachable yet has enough tannins to warrant 2-4 years in the cellar.
Range: 93-95 -
Wine & Spirits
This wine blends fruit from the winery’s Blue Mountain estate, Red Mountain Vineyard and Phinny Hill. Dark and succulent from the moment it’s poured, it feels like a drama between power and grace. There’s a substantial oak frame, and yet light aromatics effortlessly slip through that architecture—violets, pine and olive. A Blue-Mountain evergreen note carries through on the palate, a delicious counterpoint to the dark intensity of the fruit from Red Mountain and Phinny Hill. The components come together with a textural refinement that’s completely satisfying.
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James Suckling
Plum, blackcurrant and anise on the nose. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Rich and powerful palate. Juicy black fruit and cedar come through. Rosemary, too. Very good intensity and depth. Best after 2024.
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Wine Spectator
Expressive and well-knit, showing a backbone of lively acidity and tannins that propel black currant, clove and forest floor accents.
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.