Winemaker Notes
Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
More cassis, creamy oak, violets, and toasted bread and spicy notes emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, another medium to full-bodied, balanced, elegant wine in the lineup. It has remarkable purity and balanced (especially at the price), ripe tannins, and a kiss of chalky minerality on the finish. It will keep for a decade and is a smoking value in classy Cabernet Sauvignon.
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James Suckling
Red cherry, blueberry and cedar on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Lots of cream on the palate, together with currants and cherries. A hint of brown butter, too.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Juicy, ripe and focused with expressive red and black fruit tones that sway with delightful brown baking spices, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a firm, rocky and floral nose. Medium to full-bodied, the wine shows a balanced structure and succulent acidity. It ends with a bright, red-fruited finish with a lively tannic edge. This wine will remain food-friendly until its 10th birthday. Give it a try.
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Wine Spectator
Straightforward and appealing for its black currant, espresso and tobacco accents, which finish with snappy tannins. Drink now through 2029.
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.