Winemaker Notes
Kingpin’s signature Red Mountain nose of black currants, black cherry, black plum, earth, cigar box and cedar leads to a silken smörgåsbord of black fruits, dark chocolate, baking spices and crushed rock. A veritable fortress built to share its riches in ever evolving expositions for decades, Kingpin is a noble beast.
Pair with grilled New York steak with gorgonzola butter or Gaga’s stewballs and angel hair pasta.
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Purity and focus to this red with blackcurrant, chocolate and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, yet tight and refined with a soft, smooth and creamy texture and a flavorful finish. 93% cabernet sauvignon and 7% petit verdot.
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Wine Spectator
A bit of a bruiser, deeply structured, offering a polished texture and expressive blackberry, crushed stone and clove notes that build toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2021 through 2029.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with the addition of 7% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kingpin begins with a dark berry expression with aromas of macerating blackberries, blueberries and cherries. Medium to full-bodied, the wine offers elements of spicy black raspberry compote with lingering flavors of dusty plum and bitter dark chocolate on the delightfully elongated finish.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.