Recent Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon tasting experiences (prep for WBW #34)
When I saw the theme for WBW #34, I got excited. I was excited because I live in the Seattle, WA area, so I know a thing or two about Washington wines. I went to school with the daughters of at least two renowned Washington winemakers. I grew up watching my parents drink local wines and going to wine stores to examine shelf talkers and buy cases for the hidden wine cellar in our basement. And as I have come of age in the Seattle area, I have tasted quite a variety of Washington wines, Cabernet Sauvignon and otherwise. I have also visited a number of the best Washington State wineries, tasted their wares, and had a great time in the bargain.
But I was also nervous about WBW #34. Why? Well, mostly because I have tried so many Washington wines and felt let down by the vast majority of the WA Cabernet Sauvignon wines that I tasted. More on that topic in a minute.
So, for this Wine Blogging Wednesday, I took the spirit of the challenge to heart: I wanted to review the Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon wines that I had tried to date, and I wanted to find a new one to taste that would set my pulse racing, so to speak. I have a few such wines in mind, all of which I need to buy first. But let’s take a stroll down memory lane and see which Washington Cabernets I have tried in the past 18 months:
- 2002 Abeja Reserve - I enjoyed this wine quite a bit, although at $70+ I would expect to enjoy it even more than I did.
- 2001 Woodward Canyon “Old Vines” - Consumed from a magnum, decanted for a while, thin and bland. Very disappointing.
- 2003 Cadence Ciel du Cheval - Weird, not good at all, either it needed lots of decanting or a lot more time in the cellar. Again, very disappointing.
- 2003 Powers, 2002 Seven Hills, 2003 L’Ecole No. 41 Perigee, 2001 Terra Blanca Onyx - I had all of these in one night and the Terra Blanca stood out as the best, possibly because it was 41% Merlot and somewhat less dry and tannic than the rest. The others ranged from drinkable to bland and boring.
- 2003 Pepper Bridge - Left me flat. Once again, a disappointing wine, even after lots of decanting.
- 2004 Arlington Road Monolith - Decent, but too young yet. Fairly expensive, too.
- Summary - Out of nine different Cabernet Sauvignon wines, I would definitely enjoy drinking two of them again: the Abeja Reserve and the Terra Blanca Onyx. As for the other seven, I would give one or two another chance, probably. That’s not a good sign.
In the same period of time, I drank six different California Cabernet Sauvignon wines (excluding a seventh that was corked); of those, I would drink all six of them again. Four in particular were really worthwhile…of course, that assessment includes a bottle of 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia. Still, the odds are in California’s favor so far.
I think about this issue a lot. Perhaps California Cabernet Sauvignon is a palate preference of mine: I know the Harlan Estate and Hestan Cabernets that I have tried in the past utterly blew me away. Perhaps I need to lower my expectations of Washington Cabernets, as I do like some of them. Perhaps I am tasting the wrong Washington State wines, although I do love some of the other varietals grown in this state, and I like the resulting wines a lot more than the WA Cabernets. I guess WBW #34 is my chance to change my own mind about Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon.
I think, until now, I have had two factors working against me:
- Many of the Washington Cabernets I have tried were either too young, or not decanted long enough first.
- I don’t like tons of acid in a Cabernet Sauvignon, and young, freshly opened Washington State wines tend to contain more acid than a Coca-Cola. Yikes.
I’ll do things right this time. I’ll try to find a WA wine with some age on it, or else I’ll spend some time decanting first based on user reports at CellarTracker.com. Alexandria Nicole and Kestrel both stand out as possibilities with regard to my options for WBW #34, as I know I like their wines in general. Cowan also makes some good wines that deserve more attention than they receive. Or maybe I should go for the jugular and get a bottle of 2003 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon? At $200 minimum per bottle, perhaps I’ll taste something a little more in my league….