This bold red features rich, smoky black fruits such as currants and blackberries along with graphite, dark chocolate, toast, black pepper and singed herbs. It is full-bodied with velvety tannins and integrated acidity.  An ideal winter wine, this Cabernet is perfect for grilled or roasted red meats, braised short ribs, smoked brisket with barbeque sauce, winter squash risotto, a lentil and tomato stew or baked beans.

93 Points – James Suckling

“This has the wonderful, dark-fruit and olive character of a ripe Cabernet Sauvignon, but the polished tannins fold over the wine. It’s full-bodied, yet agile and focused at the finish. Real wine for the money. Drink now.”

91 Points – Jeb Dunnuck (formerly of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)

“I loved the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cs, which ranks with the finest releases to date for this cuvée. Classy cassis fruits, lead pencil, and tobacco notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannin, integrated oak, and a great finish. It makes a mockery of just about every other Cabernet Sauvignon in this price range. Buy a case and enjoy over the coming 4-6 years, probably longer.”

WINE INFORMATION

Charles Smith, the man behind K Vintners and other lines of wines looks a little like Fran Zappa.  He’s the son of a French father and a Welsh mother, and grew up in California in a family that regularly drank wine.  He moved to Denmark, working as a roadie for a rock band and moving on to arrange concert tours.  He returned to the States in 1999 and opened a wine shop on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.  On a road trip, he met a Frenchman who shared his passion for Syrah, and was persuaded to move to Walla Walla and make wine.  He released his first vintage, the’99 two years later and never looked back.  He is known for the strong black-and-white graphics of his labels, all created by a Danish friend.

Grapes for this wine come from five Washington state vineyards: 28% from Goose Ridge, its 2200 acres planted in 1999 in the rain shadow of the Cascades; 25% from Art Den Hoed Painted Hills, in the Yakima Valley, at 1400 feet of elevation on volcanic soil; 25% from Badger Mountain, located between 780 and 960 ft of elevation with sandy soils, this grapes add textural complexity; 13% from Frenchman Hills, planted in 1998 at a cool high-altitude site in the warm Wahluke Slope appellation; and 9% from Golden West, near Frenchman Hills, planted on limestone soils mixed with sand and volcanic rock.

The grapes were whole-berry fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts and went through a long 37-day maceration on the skins.  The wine aged in oak barrels for 11 months, 45% new, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.  2018 is considered an exceptional vintage in Washington State for reds.

Charcuterie, Cheese, Grilled preparations, Hearty stew, Mushrooms, Pizza, Red Meat, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sausage, Slow-smoked Barbeque/BBQ Sauce, Tomato Sauce