Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Super Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Stoneridge has a sexy profile (compared to the Merlot Stoneridge) and has amble black currants, licorice, graphite and spice to go with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannin, solid mid-palate concentration and a great finish. Like all of the wines here, the winemaking is impeccable and while this can be enjoyed in its youth, it will have 15+ years of longevity as well.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and rich, with dried cherry, mint and cardamom flavors that glow brightly against fine-grained tannins, finishing with polish. Drink now through 2020. 619 cases made.
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.