Last night my tasting group met to try some Washington Cabs. Although we normally try for $20 to $40, some of these went a bit more. The idea is to find some value on our local shelves although some of these were brought in as well. The wines were served blind and enjoyed for 2 hours before being revealed. We then continued to sample them. Bread and cheeses were served.
There was some disappointment with the tasting. Much of this is probably due to the lack of alternatives available locally. It seems like there were more choices 5 years ago. For whatever reason, the local distributors have narrowed this market and the choices were limited.
Disclaimer, the owner/winemaker of Sineann, Peter Rossback, has been a friend of mine since college in the mid 1970’s. I brought the wines, but except for the dessert wine, they were consumed blind.
NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Silvery copper gold in color. There is a fair amount of quickly disappearing bubbles. The nose has green apples and a whiff of apple cider. I wondered if this was a sparkling cider. Slightly sour/bitter apples on the palate. drinkable, but nothing special here. I seemed to like it more than the group. (82 pts.)
2008 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
I know my score is low and in fact, some in the group liked this more than I. I just couldn’t get past the oak. Those who liked it acknowledged they liked the oak, the vanilla, the crem brulee. There is some fruit here, but I am not sure where this goes. I wouldn’t mind trying it in the future, but I had real trouble with this. Also a lot of heat on the finish. Seemed to be a divisive wine. (78 pts.)
2009 L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
The nose has a lot of oak. Some fresh cut lumber, some vanilla. Also some cherries. The palate is much better. Tasty black cherries. One dimensional, but it is young. There is some creaminess on the palate, but that is the only real sign of the oak carrying thru. (87 pts.)
2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Block One- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
This was a wow wine for me. I brought it and threw it in as an extra although out of the normal price range (I think this sells for around $60). Block one refers to the first block planted in the Champoux vineyard. Purple in color, shimmering bright. I had popped the glass cork and allowed this to breathe for about 10 hours at home. The nose is nice but milder. Cassis, some vanilla, a bit of graphite. On the palate, this is complex and layered. Still very young, it needs time. Lots of firm tannins. Cassis and some plums on the finish. Very good. (94 pts.)
2009 Pearmund Cellars Collaboration Kendall Farms- USA, Washington
Purple/dark brown in color. The nose is very tight. With air, dust and black cherries. Tannic with black cherries on the palate. This is more of a generic red. Some heat on the finish. A nice wine and easy to drink and for $20, good QPR. (88 pts.)
2011 Sharecropper’s Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
I liked this wine, certainly more than the group. It is a generic red that retails around $20 in Ohio. Not much of a nose although some dust and some cassis. Juicy with nice texture. Smooth and easy drinking. Tart cherries with some cassis. Good QPR. (88 pts.)
2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux Vineyard- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
From a younger set of of vines in the Champoux vineyard although by now, these should have some age (15?) on them. Very good and probably the most classic cab on the table and ready to drink. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with pencil lead, cassis and oak. Really great on the palate. This also had been allowed to breathe in my cellar for 10 hours and was showing really well I thought. One taster voted this last due to some balsamic notes (I didn’t get that) which kept it from being the groups WOTN. (93 pts.)
2008 Gordon Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon Clone #6- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Purple in color. The nose has a bit of VA, not bad, but since there is little else on the nose it is more noticeable. Much better on the palate. A bit thin, but a nice juicy acidity that helped to offset a lot of oak. Also some black cherries. I liked this more than the group who panned this wine (last place). (86 pts.)
2009 Waterbrook Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Inky purple in color. The nose is very tight. Perhaps some dust. Someone said crem brulee. Perhaps. On the palate, this is rough. Black raspberries and prunes. Heat on the finish. Ok, but not much more. (83 pts.)
2009 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
The group liked this far more than I. It garnered three first place votes. I found it to be nice but generic. A fine easy to drink red wine. Not much nose. Sweet juicy mouthfeel. Smooth for sure. No real problems but I am not sure what those guys loved. They did say they really liked how easy it drank. (87 pts.)
2006 Sineann Zinfandel CJ Zinfandel Port- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
A nice way to finish the tasting. Purple in color. The nose has bramble and raspberries. Slightly sweet. Easy to drink. Smooth. Raspberries on the palate. (90 pts.)
As expected w/ the L’Ecole and W.Canyon (oak). Waterbrook used to be good but after the purchase by Precept their wines seem to have gone the course of Canoe Ridge and come off as pretty generic and uninteresting. Januik wines are typically pretty well balanced and they source good fruit from good vineyards; Novelty Hill is a second label that bears a striking similarity at a lower price point. Thanks for the sharing the notes. I agree this is a pretty uninspiring lot of wines from which to choose at the store. If you can find some Seven Hills on the shelves you may find them to be to your liking.
The majority of wineries in Washington have moved toward vineyard blends and Bordeaux blends, and you’re finding fewer actual “cabs”. Also in your price range, many fairly decent wines are the second wines or house/table wines, which are almost all blends. so you may want to go back and do a similar Bordeaux blend tasting. I suspect you’ll be more likely to find wines you like.
I don’t think that is a very representative tasting of what WA has to offer from $20-40…or is this what is available locally to you. I disagree with John, there is a lot of Cab out there, but I don’t think it is necessarily our best varietal grown in WA.
A couple that came to mind for me were Chateau Ste Michelle’s Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge Cabs. I’ve always been pleased at how good they are for the price point. Not a glamour brand, but a good “go to” when traveling because they’re quite widely available.
For the most part, these are what was available locally. I think that the selection is not what it was a few years ago. When the wine market crashed a few years ago, the local result was a consolidation by distributors and less selection on our shelves. Ohio is quite regualted in its wine market.
Bob - I do like Sineann wines, but these were tried and scored blind (as well as the note by me) as well as the group. The group placed them 2nd and 3rd with the Januik at the top. Rankings are submitted before the wines are unveiled. What are your favorite Washington Cabs in this price range?
FWIW, Trey Busch was in town last week (Sleight of Hand) and I put an offline together for him. Lots of us brougth Washington wines. I got there very late, but the Syrahs I tasted were quite good (SoH, Grammercy, Majeure, etc.). $20 to $40 is a tough price range in California or Bordeaux if you are looking for 90+ point Cab wines. At least in Ohio. My biggest complaint was the amount of oak many of these have. I think Napa has dialed it back in the last decade.
I tried the latest releases of the Cold Creek and Ethos cabs last weekend and they were clobbered with oak. The Canoe Ridge, while certainly a crowd pleaser, has very much been a “chocolate” wine for the past few years. I was blown away how every cab I tasted, and even other varietals like Malbec and Merlot, had a seemingly identical, indistinguishable nose of oak/cedar and black plums. The whites were pretty nice, including a 2006 Luxe sparkler for around $18 (with discount) that’s worth the price, even if it is slightly fat/ponderous.
I use to drink a ton of Washington Cab’s and Merlot’s and was on Leonetti’s mailing list as well as Glen Fiona’s for awhile. Over the past 5-6 years I still drink an occasional everyday drinker but have totally moved away from Washington wines in the $20+ range and I think its because the wines I have tasted are just average and made in a similar style. I loved the Leonetti’s when I was on the list but back then it was too difficult to get wines shipped into OH and the prices were also moving up.
Everytime I was drinking a Washington wine that was just average I was dreaming of Rutherford dust.
Enjoyed these notes.
I had a Dumas Station Estate Cab from WA a couple of weeks ago. 2008, I think.
Priced right at that $30, point. I feel like a lot of people would be screaming amount the new oak treatment, which I often find off-putting, but my wife and I found it to be rich and balanced and generally very, very good. Literally the only bottle I’ve had from winery, so I can’t give them much of a sweeping endorsement. But if you see it, try it!
I can’t speak to the 08 Woodward Canyon Artists Series as I have not tried it…but for the most part their wines are suprisingly ageworthy. I have had many examples in the last few years from the early to mid 90’s that were stellar.
I recall having a Woodward Canyon Dedication Series Cab that was stellar. I would say the wine was early 1990’s and probably had it around 1995 or 1996. Bookwalter is another name that has made some pretty decent wines.
There are still too many overoaked wines in Washington, but there are too many overoaked wines in Burgundy, and the piedmonte, and California. And the other issue is alcohol levels that are too high. But just as in other regions, you have to be selective, and seek the producers who are successfully countering this trend. Most of the ones that are doing this, as per my previous comment, seem to be doing blends and not pure varieties, so I don’t know how many straight cabs you will find from them. For those out of the area, sourcing the wines from your local retailer may be difficult, but having them shipped from a washington retailer, or straight from the estates would certainly work, if that is allowed in your state.
Dusted Valley
Walla Walla Vintners
Gramercy
CSM Cold Creek
Beresa
Three Rivers
NxNW
Januik
Amavi
Snoqualmie Reserve
Fidelitas
Ross Andrew
Seven Hills
Spring Valley Derby
Fall Line
Pepper Bridge
Some fall into the chocolate camp young due to the oak, but so does BDX, and Napa, just part of being young, they grow out of it. 2010 was a great year for higher acid, moderate alcohol, while still maintaining fruit.
I’d venture to say that very few of the wines labeled “Cabernet Sauvignon” coming out of Washington (or Cali for that matter) are 100% varietal. They are almost always blended with a little bit of the other Bordeaux varietals or even Syrah. Simply put, blending in a little something else adds dynamics, depth, and different flavors, even at just a few %.
Right. I was using Kris’ definition (which is the official definition as well). It’s just that at more and more of the wineries worth paying attention to in WA state, you can’t find a “cab” anymore, which is probably a good thing, as as Kris has pointed out, the variety doesn’t always show ideally on it’s own here.
I have to dissagree with you on the Waterbrook comment. John Freeman has been the winemaker there for 15 years and they have amazing brand new facilities. I think the wines have remained consistant and show some great character. The Reserve Cab, Merlot and Malbec 09’s are wonderful wines…The 10’s seems pretty closed at the moment. If you haven’t had too much Washington Malbec, I highly suggest it. I think he chose a pretty solid line-up. I am also a huge fan of Fall Line Winery… The Tempranillo is an absolute game changer.
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