Substance Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Depth and layer upon layer, black cassis, dark cherry, tobacco leaf, and morels. Then, pushes on to a full palate, that is savory, mineral-driven and earthbound. Smooth, long, compelling... in a word: harmonious.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has the wonderful, dark-fruit and olive character of a ripe cabernet sauvignon, but the polished tannins fold over the wine. It’s full-bodied, yet agile and focused at the finish. Real wine for the money.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cs, which ranks with the finest releases to date for this cuvée. Classy cassis fruits, lead pencil, and tobacco notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin, integrated oak, and a great finish. It makes a mockery of just about every other Cabernet Sauvignon in this price range. Buy a case and enjoy over the coming 4-6 years, probably longer.
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Decanter
Fruit for this wine comes from five Columbia Valley vineyards. Deep, dense aromas and flavours of black cherry, blueberry, tobacco and earthy notes build, supported by great minerality, refined tannins and a focused finish.
Other Vintages
2021-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Wine
Spectator
The original thought was to be a one wine brand, with a single minded vision to produce the best value-priced Cabernet Sauvignon in America. How do you go about this? Traditional winemaking. Natural fermentations. Barrel-aging. Plus, bottling unfiltered and unfined. In essence, making the wines in small batch winemaking integrity, but doing so on a larger scale. The wine is black. The label definitively says, "This is Cabernet Sauvignon." With the CS, you know who made this wine: Charles Smith. There is also the single vineyard, single expression, Bordeaux varietals (ex: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) produced in very limited quantities. Let's not to forget, the single vineyard Loire-style Substance Sauvignon Blanc. Wines of Substance illustrates Charles’ philosophy of producing exceptional wines to be enjoyed by everyone around the globe.
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.