Columbia Valley

This is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Merlot from Washington state.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cedar and dust.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, some cassis, spice and cedar.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  At age 18, this is getting close to peak but still packs a punch.  It is a big wine.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with most (not seafood) dishes.  Roasted Chicken would work nicely.  

Washington’s Columbia Valley has long produced Cabernet. Though vine plantings started in the 1960s, it was the 1930s that saw the plantings of traditional grapes like Cabernet and Chardonnay. Now the Valley is well know and producing some very good wine. On initial opening of the 2022 Greenwing Cabernet, there is noticeable jammy fruit and as first an overt sweetness. But this Cabernet needs time to evolve and within 45 minutes the sweet fruit has subsided and the tannins and oak take over, giving you a quality Cabernet.

This is their basic Washington Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is a nice value and provides good quality for the money.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, slight bell pepper and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with underlying char.  Good finish. This drinks great on its own and will work well with typical Cab matches.  A nice wine with a sausage Pizza.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is a really interesting wine.  From the great Champoux Vineyard in Columbia Valley, Washington.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, black raspberries and char.  Full bodied.  Tannins mostly resolved but still present.  Nice texture.  On the palate, boysenberries with char.  Good finish.  This is a great wine to get a feel for the Petit Verdot grape.  It drinks ok, but is better with food.  This would work well with a steak or Prime Rib.  

This is a blend of red wines after they have completed their single varietal bottlings.  It differs from vintage to vintage but tends to have Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel as the main grapes.  It is always a great value.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose has black cherries and cherries with some spice and char.  Medium bodied.  Good energy and well balanced.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Nice black cherry and cherry fruit.  Good finish.  This is a perfect wine for mid-week pizza night.  Drink over the next five years.  

Washington state makes some excellent Merlots and "Right Bank" blends.  This is another case in point.  The wine is a blend of 55% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Cabernet Franc.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is classic and enticing.  Black cherries, cassis, bell pepper, chocolate, and spice.  Nice texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, at age eleven, this is showing a nice maturity.  perhaps just on the younger side of fully mature.  Complex and layered with flavors of cherries, black cherries, milk chocolate, and underlying earthiness and char.  Long

This is a lovely Washington Cabernet (from an Oregon producer).  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust and a slight minty note.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has cassis, bell pepper and slight tobacco notes.  Some depth.  Still young but showing some evolution.  Nice finish.  This is a more traditional (not extracted) Cabernet that seems to speak of place.   It will improve with a bit of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten years.  

From the Oregon producer comes an interesting GSM blend out of Washington.  The wine is aged ten and though still in the marketplace, the winery has closed it doors for retirement.  It is a blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre.  The color was quite light (about the same as their light colored Pinot), ruby, clear and bright.  The nose has some cherries with a touch of spice.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, there is some depth and complexity.  Cherry and earth.  Moderate finish.  I would have liked to taste this in its youth as I suspect its a bit past prime.  It was ha

As always, this is a blend of left over single varietal wines to make a value blend.  And as always, it is a great value.  This vintage is  mostly Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.  Deeper ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, char, spice and slight chocolate.  Lovely texture.  Bright acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, cherries with some char.  Good finish.  An easy to drink red that is nice on its own and a great wine with a Burger.  Drink over the next few years.