Wines

96 Points! The 2019 Champoux Vineyard checks in as a mix of 54% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petite Verdot, aged 23 months in 30% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of pure cassis and dark cherry fruits as well as spring flowers, spicy oak, and chocolaty herbs. Rich, fleshy, opulent, and full-bodied on the palate, with its Merlot component front and center, it's going to deliver loads of pleasure over the coming 15 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Rich and velvety, bursting with blueberry, plum, cherry and exotic spice aromas and flavors, filling the mouth with flavor and refined tannins. A seductive wine with real backbone to carry it through. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! The 2019 Bel Canto is more Cabernet Franc-dominated and includes 17% Merlot. While it doesn't match the 2018, it's a beauty offering impressive redcurrant and spiced plum fruits, notes of spicy oak, dried flowers, and leafy herbs, medium to full body, a pure, seamless, gorgeous texture, and ultra-fine tannins. It's just a stunning Cabernet Franc from Washington State that offers incredible pleasure today given its balance and texture yet will evolve for 20+ years. 290 cases. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Cassis, juniper berry, licorice, walnut oil, and a Tempranillo-like ashen smokiness scent and inform the bittersweet, polished palate of Baron’s 2009 Camaspelo (named for a mid 19th Century Cayuse chief), whose as usual dominant Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 18% Merlot and sourced from the En Cerise and Cailloux vineyards. Bitter hints of huckleberry as well as suggestions of crushed stone and pencil lead add to the complexity of a protracted finish. “Red Mountain gives you, to me, the Mike Tyson of Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Baron (as usual!) wryly and provocatively. By contrast, he claims to be searching for something rich yet understated, and notes that “after about five or six years we decided to use less oak for ours.” That said, there is a certain sense of opacity and stasis here as opposed to the levity and vibrancy of the very best wines in this same collection. Baron says this bottling routinely picks up an alluring floral nuance with time in bottle. I’d certainly consider giving it at least 6-8 weeks to demonstrate such a trend, and even if it doesn’t, it’s still very impressive stuff. - David Schildknecht, robertparker.com

Planted in 1973, Cold Creek Vineyard stands as one of the oldest and most acclaimed vineyards in Washington State. Character builds season after season in the growth rings of the old woody vines. Sun-drenched growing conditions with low rainfall result in small berries with full-bodied flavors. This Cabernet has broad-shouldered structure, concentrated fruit characters and deep color.

91 Points! The 2013 Dubrul Vineyard Carriage House is another outstanding wine, and in 2013 it’s 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Brambly herbs, red and black fruits, spice and a touch of graphite all emerge from this rich, beautifully textured, elegant red from winemaker Kerry Shiels. And while it's already hard to resist, it should easily keep for 5-6 years, if not longer. - Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley Estate has a Mouton-like vibe in its ripe, sexy red and black currants as well as notes of chocolate, tobacco leaf, truffle, and damp earth. Much more broad, round, and expansive compared to the Red Mountain release, it has supple, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's not far off the heavenly 2018 and will shine for 30 years as well. Readers will love being able to compare these two great vintages over the coming decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

94+ Points! Bursting with a gorgeous, seductive nose of fresh, spiced red and black fruit, the 2020 Conflict is a blend of 56% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Beyond the fresh fruit aromas, elegant oak essences vibrantly dance out of the glass. Full-bodied, lively and expressive, the palate is plummy, with elegant baking spices uncoiling before ending with an ever-evolving, lingering, spicy finish. I'm going back for a second sip. Just over 18,000 bottles were produced from grapes that grew at Dionysus and Connor-Lee vineyards. - Anthony Mueller, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon “Champoux Vineyard” (where Quilceda Creek sources much of its Cabernet) offers additional aromatic complexity. Earth, charcoal, cedar, tobacco, black currant and blackberry liqueur are present in the aromas and flavors. Velvety-textured, sweet and supple on the palate, and well balanced, this outstanding Cabernet nicely combines power and elegance. It merits 6-8 years of cellaring and should drink nicely through 2034. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard is the most expressive of the Cabernets. Opaque purple, it has a superb bouquet of toasty oak, smoke, spice box, black currant, blackberry, and plum. Full-bodied and layered, it will develop for another 4-6 years. It, too, combines power with elegance. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

94 Points! Even better is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard, perhaps eastern Washington’s finest site for this varietal. Purple/black in color, it sends up a soaring nose of pain grille, pencil lead, espresso, licorice, violets, black currant, and blackberry. Full-bodied, dense, smooth-textured, layered, and plush, the tannins and oak are totally integrated, and there is at least 7-8 years of aging potential. Give this large-scaled offering 5-7 years of cellaring, and drink it through 2032. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

93 Points! The purple-colored 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard is a step up, not surprising given this vineyard’s track record. Exotic spices, incense, violets, earthy minerals, black currant, and blackberry aromas inform the nose of a rich, plush, dense offering with enough fine-grained tannin to evolve for another 3-4 years. It is likely to see its 20th birthday in fine form. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

92+ Points! The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Ciel du Cheval Vineyard offers similar aromatics but more structure. This dense, full-flavored wine will offer peak drinking from 2015 to 2030. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

94 Points! Savory, meaty and rustic on the nose, with an array of olives, tomato leaves, wild cherries, paprika and dried spices. It’s full of flavor, spicy and driven, with a medium to full body and a wild earthy minerality coming through. Drink after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! Another full-bodied, rich, concentrated, powerful wine in the lineup, the 2019 Syrah Cattle King is all varietal and comes from the Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA. Not destemmed and aged in 50% new French oak, it offers a brilliant perfume of darker berry and cassis fruits as well as notes of ground pepper, chalky minerality, and graphite, which turns more floral and peppery with time in the glass. It's a classic Washington State Syrah with tons of charm. It's certainly approachable today yet will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for over a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! All Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend put together by Randy Dunn, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant nose of cassis, new leather, graphite, and truffly earth. This rich, spicy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has terrific purity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this remarkable Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! All Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend put together by Randy Dunn, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant nose of cassis, new leather, graphite, and truffly earth. This rich, spicy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has terrific purity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this remarkable Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck