Winemaker Notes
Blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Quietly impressive, this is a classic style of Columbia Valley cabernet, with a leafy scent over dark violet aromas and cassis fruit. The flavors are deep and full bodied, while the wine's energy propels the darker aspects into a suave, lasting finish.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek, supple and appealing, with welcoming basil and sage accents around a polished core of cherry and spice flavors, lingering easily on the graceful finish. Best from 2014 through 2018.
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.