Wine & Spirits - December 2019 - 61

YEAR'S BEST US CABERNETS & BLENDS
516371

ies seem to open it-saving it from becoming
monolithic and overly compact. This has the
scent of Mexican chocolate, spiced mocha
and tobacco leaf, the flavor backed by a subtle sweetness, a deep core of plum and fig
that mingles effortlessly with the spice notes.
It's a splendid achievement; for ribs. (W&S
8/19; 1,320 cases) -P.J.C.
516292

94 | L'Ecole No 41

$65

2016 Walla Walla Valley Ferguson Vineyard ^ A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and franc, this feels as firm and
vertical as an edifice-or the basalt bedrock
upon which Ferguson Vineyard is planted,
in the hilltop Sevein project. It starts out shy
and reserved, combining vanilla-oak scents
with warm plums and a distant leafiness.
As it takes on air, the flavors start to crowd
the glass, compressed and powerful. This is
years from its peak, built to last two decades
or more. (W&S 6/19; 1,320 cases) -P.J.C.

precise and focused. Decant it for lean roast
beef. (W&S 8/19; 241 cases) -P.J.C.
518219

93 | Abeja

$68

93 | aMaurice Cellars

$85

93 | Dama

$55

2016 Walla Walla Valley Heather Hill Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Abeja has been drawing
from this estate vineyard since 2002. This
wine is powerful and flavorful, formidable
from the outset, with an old-school tone to its
dark-fruited composure, relaxed and elegant.
Within its dense frame there's sneaky, attractive core of dark, silky fruit, and the structure
to support it. (272 cases) -P.J.C.
518066
2016 Walla Walla Valley Owl and Crown
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ From estate-owned
vineyards, this is elegant and savory in a
Walla Walla mode, with leafy notes of sundried tomato and plum dusted with cinnamon and cocoa. Fine, dense tannins frame
the red-cherry flavors, restrained and cool.
(W&S 10/19; 258 cases) -P.J.C.
518424
2016 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Attractively savory when first poured,
this stylish cabernet from Heather Hills Vineyard leads with classic Walla Walla scents of
leather and tobacco. With air, anise and a foresty cedar scent emerge, while the berry fruit
darkens toward cassis. All in all, a generous
wine, with pleasingly succulent flavors, velvety tannins and more grace than first meets
the eye. (200 cases) -P.J.C.

518469

94 | Reininger

$40

94 | Swiftwater Cellars

$65

2016 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^ A beauty (and a steal) from Chuck
Reininger, this wine is sourced from Pepper
Bridge, Seven Hills and the newer XL vineyard. It is classic Walla Walla, with scents of
sundried tomato and cedar frond, flavors of
dried plum and savory umami notes. The texture is gorgeous, a dusty minerality with tannins so fine and delineated, the wine made
me think of pinstripes. (346 cases) -P.J.C.
517224
2016 Walla Walla Valley Octave Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This comes from the
Octave Vineyard, one of the earliest plantings on the SeVein hillside, in the southern
reaches of the Walla Walla Valley. Right in the
scent of the wine, you might get a sense of the
heat and wind at the site; it comes across in
notes of cedar and fig compote, an intensity
that's evident well before you taste it. Despite
the succulent power and mineral thrust, the
takeaway is the wine's complexity, the weave
of fruit with pine-scented tannins that feel

93 | Gramercy Cellars

$70

2016 Walla Walla Valley ^ Scents of anise and
thyme lead in this merlot-dominant blend,
from an estate vineyard across from Pepper
Bridge Vineyards, in the dusty center of the
Walla Walla appellation. It's tightly woven
and a bit reserved at first, but give it two days
open and it achieves a kind of shy succulence,
a dark balance between stalwart, cedary oak
and taut black fruit. It seems built for the cellar; if you open it now, decant. (W&S 6/19;
217 cases) -P.J.C.

518432

93 | Seven Hills

$50

2016 Walla Walla Valley McClellan Estate
Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This is a
small-production cabernet sourced from a
parcel at Seven Hills Vineyard, planted by
Casey McClellan in 2003. It's rendered a wine
that's intensely ripe, dark and spicy, with a
richness of extract and formidable tannins.
Still, the wine remains complex, Christmas-y,
with scents of cedar, ginger and black plum,
flavors of dark fig and caramel. It has the

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Wine & Spirits - December 2019

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