Chateau Ste. Michelle, Horse Heaven Hills (Washington) Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

A beautifully made wine that exhibits near-perfect balance between fruit and wood, this shows lovely dark fruit tones and quite complex secondary notes of smoke and spices from oak.  Medium-plus body enhances the impression of sophistication, as the wine is neither overly ripe nor overly extracted.  Time will make this better still, but top-shelf winemaking has the balance right already, which is very impressive for a Cabernet with such a prominent wood signature.  Platinum award winner at the 2014 San Diego International Wine Competition.