Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon
On the downside, Pac NW cabernet's flavor profile has often been included vegetal flavor characteristics. The presence of weedy, herbal, "green" flavors have been noted with NW and other cooler climate cabernets. These characteristics are also indicative of all younger cabernet areas, i.e. - Chile, and Washington's cabernets are losing that vegetal quality as the vineyards age and winemakers get more vintages under their belt. These flavors are more directly a result of trying to get too many grapes from a vineyard, young vineyards and/or extended fermentations. As Northwest winemakers have learned these things and others, they have each formed their house style of cabernet that focuses on the highest degree of extraction they can get while maintaining a natural acid balance. The flavor profile now seems to be tending towards a candied quality to the fruit, not out of balance with the acidity, but rather a jammy, candied characteristic.
At a recent tasting of 8 WA Cabernets between $15 & $30 retail, there did not seem to be as much variation in style as there was in a similar tasting of CA Cabernets in the same price range. In all fairness, however, there were wines from ALL over CA vs. the Columbia and Yakima valleys from WA.
The oldest wines tasted were from two of Washington's mainstay wineries, one huge, one small. Columbia Cabernet 1994 rated 7/10 of the way up the "appeal" scale with softening flavors of leather, cassis, a hint of vanillin with soft elegant tannins. A great find at $12. a bottle. Columbia is one of Washington's largest wineries and their winemaker, David Lake, is the only Master of Wine to be currently producing wine commercially. He has been with the winery since 1977 and commands a dazzling array of well-made wines. His David Lake signature series wines are the closest wines to a European ideal that I have tasted in the states. I can taste the vineyards in every glass and look out over the expansive volcanic plateau that is, nonetheless, Columbia Valley. The other 1994 was a wine made by a man by the name of Lou Facelli who operates a 5000 case family-operated winery on the "wet" side of Washington, near Seattle. Of course he gets his grapes from the "dry" side of the Cascade Range, as he has for the last 20+ years of making wine in the PacNW. The Facelli 1994 was a wine
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