Winemaker Notes
Dark purple, blue and black fruits stand out on the nose, with hints of cedar and dark chocolate. On the palate, dried red fruits highlight a luscious mouthfeel that includes flavors of roasted red beets, red plums, and cigar, capped off by dry, savory tannins on the finish.
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is outstanding. Based on 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and the rest Merlot and Malbec, it offers a classy, medium to full-bodied style as well as textbook Cabernet blackcurrant fruits along with tobacco, graphite, and toasty oak. It’s going to evolve for 15 years in cold cellars but has plenty of up-front appeal.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas pop in notes of sappy blue fruit, graphite, dried cherry, coffee, sweet spice and a sprinkling of dried herbs. The flavors are lush, textured and rich, showing plenty of depth and layering.
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.