Washington’s Great Cabernet Sauvignons

In Washington, it’s called King Cab. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon rules the winemaking landscape.

For the past decade, Cabernet Sauvignon has been on a meteoric rise in Washington wine country. Driven primarily from new plantings in the Horse Heaven Hills, on the Wahluke Slope and on Red Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon has risen more than doubled in size in the past 10 years.

In 2006, Washington winemakers brought in 20,000 tons of Cab, the year it passed Merlot as the state’s favorite red wine grape. Last fall, an astonishing 47,400 tons were harvested.

Washington’s two most famous wines through the years have been Quilceda Creek Vintners’ Cabernet Sauvignon (earning perfect 100-point scores multiple times from Wine Advocate) and Columbia Crest’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (named 2009 best wine in the world by Wine Spectator).

Here are a dozen delicious Cabernet Sauvignon we’ve tasted recently, all of which have earned our top “Outstanding!” rating.

It’s good to be king.