Six of the 47 career Platinums won by this Oregon winery have been for Cabernet Franc, which makes Cecil Zerba’s 1,300-foot elevation Jon Cockburn Ranch Vineyard one of the Northwest’s premier sites for a grape more celebrated in the Loire Valley than Bordeaux. Brent Roberts, a graduate of Washington State University’s wine program, began at Zerba Cellars in 2014, and this is … [Read more...] about Zerba Cellars 2020 Cockburn Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley $40
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Long Shadows Vintners 2019 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $75
Napa Valley maverick Randy Dunn and Walla Walla’s Gilles Nicault target historic Sagemoor sites Dionysus and Weinbau for this Cab that closes out 2023 as one of Washington state’s most acclaimed in recent years — including a spotlight from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. There’s opulence to the dark and inky nose of blackberry jam, black cherry, pencil shavings and Tahitian … [Read more...] about Long Shadows Vintners 2019 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $75
Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2017 Cougar Hills Vineyard Estate Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley $36
Deborah Hansen and her family began to transition this site from fruit trees to vines in 1999 — in the aftermath of the apple market collapse — and the success for their vineyard and cellar work emerged throughout our judging this fall with five Platinums along the way. This Tempranillo brings aromas of plummy black fruits, cedar and tobacco. On the palate come plums and dried … [Read more...] about Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2017 Cougar Hills Vineyard Estate Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley $36
L’atitude 47 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $35
James Dixon and Gerry Weber met as first-year students in the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program — Class of 2020 — so they began working on these bottles for their fledgling West Coast Wines company the vintage prior to graduating. They describe the vineyard sources for this release as "bookends" representing both ends of the Walla Walla Valley, which indicate … [Read more...] about L’atitude 47 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $35
Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $40
Deborah Hansen launched her winery with the 2001 vintage, and her Cab from that season would ultimately earn best-of-class honors at the Los Angeles County Fair — the largest judging in the U.S. at that time. Here’s her second Platinum of this year’s judging for Cabernet Sauvignon, an effort that brings brambleberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted hazelnuts and cracked … [Read more...] about Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $40