Columbia Winery, Columbia Valley (Washington) Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

 This is why people love Cabernet.  Not just fruit, but enticing hints of herbs and savory notes penetrate this wine.  Similar to Columbia Winery’s Merlot, this Cabernet finishes with bitterness, not sweetness, which I find is essential if you want to drink more than a sip.  Though it has fine tannins, it has more structure — as it should since it’s Cabernet Sauvignon — than their Merlot.    The next time you have friends over who are interested in learning about wine, taste Columbia Winery’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon side-by-side.  It is a delightful educational exercise to distinguish the differences between wines made from those two grapes.  You can focus on the differences between the grapes since the winemaking is similar for both.