Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Holler reminds Sparkman a bit of the 2017, polished, supple and just plain delicious. A Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Malbec, Cab Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot for a gorgeous wine of lovely depth and power. It shows a dense blue-purple color as well as a showy bouquet of blackberries, pencil lead, cedar, stone, sweet oak and mineral. On the palate it leads with pretty, bright, blue and
black fruits, mocha, herbs and fine chewy tannins. As always with this wine, a little decantation willbhelp it open, but rest assured it will develop for many years.
Pair with steak and baked potato, old school like. Or roasted mushrooms and mashers.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Broad-shouldered and generous, this red layers in deep blackberry and cherry flavors, picking up mocha espresso and dusky spice accents as this moves toward polished tannins.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine uses fruit from 12 different vineyards, from the Royal Slope to the Horse Heaven Hills. Aged in 37% new oak, the aromas are brooding, with notes of sautéed dried herb, leaf, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa and red fruit. The palate is sumptuous, elegant and all about restraint. It’s a very pretty offering, but with sneaky heft behind it. Editors’ Choice.
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James Suckling
Ripe red fruit, sweet tobacco and vanilla on the nose. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Linear, straightforward and balanced. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 6% malbec, 5% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 4% petit verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Holler has a juicy and lush nose that opens with delightful, lifting oak tones and primary fruit aromas with a glossy frame. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is balanced on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and a spicy and lingering finish with persistent flavors of creme de cassis and sweet oak tones of vanilla and cardamom.
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.