Winemaker Notes
From the marvelously precocious 2018 vintage, Kingpin attacks with a classic nose of black currants, black cherry, black plum, earth, cigar box and cedar. Silky tannins surround rich blue and black fruits, dark chocolate, roasted herbs and minerals. Deep, rich and approachable, this monster will only improve for a generation... or more.
Great food pairing include grilled New York steak with gorgonzola butter, Gaga’s stewballs and angel hair pasta.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is all Klipsun Cabernet, finished off with 5% each Dionysus and Olsen Petit Verdot. The aromas draw you into the glass, with notes of black raspberry, cedar, leaf and dried herb. The dark fruit flavors that follow are soft and polished, backed by fine-grained but sneaky firm tannins. It’s a classic hammer in a velvet glove. Best after 2026. Cellar Selection.
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Wine Spectator
Potency meets polish with this red, which offers expressive blackberry, black olive and clove accents that build tension and richness toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now
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James Suckling
Aromas of crushed blackberries, red licorice and toasted herbs. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Lots of polished black fruit and dark chocolate. Good balance and very good intensity. This still needs some time.
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.