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8 Washington Cabs to drink now

By Andy Perdue on July 7, 2013

Cabernet is king amid Washington red wines.

The grape best known in France’s Bordeaux and California’s Napa Valley also is big in Washington, where 35,900 tons were crushed last fall.

Cabernet Sauvignon is grown throughout the Columbia Valley, and it performs especially well in the Horse Heaven Hills, on Red Mountain and on the Wahluke Slope, as well as in the Walla Walla and Yakima valleys.

Cab from Washington has gained a great deal of attention in recent years thanks to two particular events:

The Wine Advocate has awarded Quilceda Creek Vintners’ Cabernet Sauvignon perfect 100-point scores for 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
The Wine Spectator ranked Columbia Crest’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the world’s No. 1 wine in 2009.

We have tasted many delicious Cabs recently. Here are eight that stand out.

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About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is the editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is a frequent judge at international wine competitions. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books. He writes about wine for The Seattle Times. You can find him on Twitter and Google+.