Duckhorn Wine Company’s latest venture heads to Washington’s smallest appellation for its new label, and is off to a great start in the hands of winemaker Brian Rudin, whose resume includes stints at Zefina Winery and Middleton Family Wines. This wine is a blend of fruit from four vineyards, and it’s a success, showing rich Cabernet character, with blackberry, currants, bright brown spice and light hints of dried herb and damp earth minerality, coming across evenly on the palate, with a long blooming finish that intensifies the flavors and maintains balance all the way. With an estate vineyard already underway, this is a label to watch.
Canvasback, Red Mountain (Washington) Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
By Rich Cook