So while in L.A. we attended a tasting of Washington Cabernets. We arrived several days early to help with setup, and sampled some Washington cabs the hosts wanted to test for the tasting and others I brought as palate calibrators. The notes below incorporate those into the tasting wines. No Leonettis or Quilceda Creeks as this group tends to bring less exalted stuff and the lack of earnest conversation discourages those of us who would otherwise enjoy sharing such wines.
2003 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille Columbia Valley
From my cellar and opened just for us and the hosts. Decanted to oxygenate and remove sediment. Mostly tertiary flavors now with tea notes and dried flowers. Drank well initially but faded somewhat in the glass.
2007 Beresan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
My first taste of wine from the people who recently opened the wine tasting room in I-5 just south of Mt. Vernon. Big berry bomb with a lot of spice and licorice and a bit of vinyl on the finish. Did not care for.
2015 Charles Smith Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau Smith Washington
Big, extracted, very sweet and modern with blackberry jam and coffee.
Inexpensive, and it tastes like it.
2002 Soos Creek Champoux Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills Red Bordeaux Blend
Blueberry, cinnamon and graphite with lithe acidity and silky tannins, a new world Bordeaux with some obvious bottle age. A lovely bottle from the early days of a winery born out of a wine club formed by some Boeing employees. My fave and group fave in its flight.
2002 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux Vineyard Columbia Valley
Unblind. Extracted blackberry and blueberry fruit, spicy oak, grumpy tannins. Not bad but in a tasting where other WA cabs its age showed more secondary development and elegance, it lacked appeal. Dare I suggest that another 3-5 years will help?
2002 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Baby Poux Vineyard Columbia Valley
Blind. Minty, almost eucalyptus-y but not showing much on the palate; seems rather generic. How different from the extracted fruit monster (same wine) a few nights before.
2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
Big, typical Washington cabernet that's a bit closed right now. The grape is evident but it lacks delineation and excitement beyond that. Needs more rest.
2002 Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon VIII Columbia Valley
Very surprised, because the age wasn't apparent, (and impressed) upon reveal. It shared a flight with WA cabs from 04, 11 and 15.
Tons of depth and character. Oh Eric, why did you leave us?
2015 Duckhorn Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon Canvasback Red Mountain
Spicy with Sonoma-ish fresh red cherry fruit. Medium bodied and softer overall the other wines in the flight. Good for its approachability, but in a tasting of all WA cabs it was the first to make me suspect a ringer.
2011 Force Majeure Collaboration Series I Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain Red Bordeaux Blend
Killed a baby. Very black fruit, hard and disjointed. Although I liked it more than most, understandably last in it's flight at J&A's.
2004 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Not blind. After my last 05, I concluded that Abeja was among the WA cabs that don't develop in maturity, they just fade. This 04 proves me wrong: sweet dark fruit, leather and cigar box spice, this was excellent. From passive storage--those of you with pristeenly stored bottles should look to '23 and beyond for future joy.
2004 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Blind from same cellar as above. Minty, red fruited, layered, relaxed tannins. Extremely attractive. Did not even recognize it from the other bottle.
2013 Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Washington
My favorite in a flight of 4, probably because of the jumpstart from its owner opening it the night before. Cherry pie fruit and chocolate with resolved tannins.
2006 Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
CORKED.
NV Ensemble Cellars Release Number Seven Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Blackberry, green bell pepper and espresso. A cabernet blended from three different vintages. Fairly sharp and seems too young, needs time. Would give it till 2021 or later to lose the pyrazines.
2014 Telaya Cabernet Sauvignon Boushey Vineyards Yakima Valley
From a Garden City, Idaho winery buying fruit in Washington: black currant, dust and milk chocolate. Balanced and fairly resolved with a soft-landing finish, presents well.
2013 Ross Andrew Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Red Mountain
Pleasant cherry fruit and some tobacco, dry finish. Very decent but underserves expectations for a 'Reserve' bottling and doesn't appear to have the stuffing for the long haul. Btw, in WA, unlike California, there are actual rules for Reserve bottlings.
2006 Long Shadows Wineries Cabernet Sauvignon Feather Columbia Valley
Napa winemaker makes cabernet for Allen Shoup in Washington State. Sweet dark fruit and leather very much like the 04 Abeja but with more iron-rich minerality. A splendid showing.
2000 L'Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
From a passive cellar no less, needed an hour to open up. Pretty much all secondary development with leathery fruit and plenty of acid. Very drinkable though, and blended with the too-heavy 02 Sineann Cab became a better wine than either alone.