Winemaker Notes
Blend: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More refined and elegant, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series #19 is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and was aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. Very classic on the nose, with plenty of black currant, tobacco leaf, chocolate, cedar and herbs, it is medium to full-bodied, seamless and perfectly balanced, with a light fresh texture that conceals underlying ripe tannin. Enjoy it over the coming 12-15 years.
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Decanter
Delicate, charming, blackcurrant nose - minty and lively. Supple but concentrated, with a somewhat baked character and a bright, toasty finish.
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.