2015 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
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Tasting notes
Set in a vertical tasting of the 2014–2018 vintages, the 2015 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is darker and more robust, showing the intensity of the hot vintage. The palate shows a full-bodied and firm wine that is in a lovely point in its lifespan and reveals its tannins beginning to soften. The wine concludes with an intense, fruit-forward finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Deeply colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) spent 18 months in 70% new French oak. It has a brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, toasted spice, graphite, and licorice. This gives way to a full-bodied Cabernet that has ripe, velvety tannins, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish. These wines are now made by Daniel Wampfler and Amy Alvarez-Wampfler since 2016, and the estate certainly hasn’t lost a beat, fashioning classic Bordeaux blends. These 2015s and 2016s are some of the finest I’ve tasted from them.
(50% new oak; bottled in August of 2017): Dark, bright medium ruby. Classic varietal aromas of cassis, black cherry, violet and licorice are accented by notes of crushed rock and orange zest. Juicy but still tightly wound; perhaps a bit oakier than it should be and thus the flavors of dark berries, spices and orange zest are showing a touch of leanness today. Finishes with a serious dusting of tannins and very good length. Today this wine is not showing the fleshy character of the 2014 but it appears to possess the balance to reward patience.