Winemaker Notes
The 2001 vintage was cooler and more moderate than 2000. We saw beautiful maturity in the grapes however, due to shoot thinning and green harvesting. This cabernet was fermented in small stainless steel tanks and punched down and pumped over 3 times per day. Aging in mostly new French chateau barrels has produced a very complex red wine.
This wine has a very pleasant nose of oak and spice, integrated with ripe black cherry. A rich, long mouth feel begins with black cherry and leads to a chocolate/mocha finish that is very, very long. While this wine may be enjoyed now, it will benefit greatly from addition cellaring and should continue to develop for ten years or more with proper storage.
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.