Winemaker Notes
This wine is dark purple and dense in the glass. Aromas of cocoa, black currant, and anise develop with a rich concentration of ripe black fruits and molasses. New French oak integrates the fruit, acid, and alcohol creating a nice weight, texture, and overall mouthfeel. The smooth but firm tannins leave you with a seamlessly rich and long finish. The wine expresses the purity of fully mature cabernet sauvignon that can only be achieved from old vine fruit.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine has quite an old vine pedigree, with fruit primarily sourced from the Champoux and Sagemoor Vineyards. It’s mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot. It is full bodied, with sturdy tannins and aromas and flavors of blueberries, black currants, seared steak and espresso.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines comes from a mix of sites and was brought up all in new French barrels. Its deep plum/purple color is followed by a ripe, meaty, iron-laced bouquet offering plenty of black fruit, leafy herbs, chocolate, and graphite. This concentrated, medium to full-bodied red has a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. It's tight, closed, and mostly potential today, but this is a terrific wine that will benefit from 4-5 years in the cellar and evolve for two decades. Rating: 94+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines, blended with splashes of Petit Verdot and Malbec, reveals a dusty essence of red and black fruits on the nose, intertwined with graphite and fresh red flowers. Full-bodied, the wine unpacks layers of complexity on the palate, featuring a spicy mineral tension, tannic edge and succulent acidity. It delights the senses with a long, lingering and spicy finish. This delightful, food-friendly wine aged in 100% new French oak for 20 months.
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James Suckling
Sage, dried-earth, currant and coffee aromas here, together with some anise. Earthy and savory, with full body, ripe tannins and a soft, plump yet persistent finish. Why wait?
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.