2015 Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Washington State 750 ml

Duckhorn’s Nose For Great Dirt

There’s a reason why Duckhorn Vineyards just announced to Wine Spectator that it is buying the cult of all cult wines—Kosta Browne. It’s also why Duckhorn chose to plant its flag at Red Mountain in Washington State for its first-ever winery outside of Northern California: Because Duckhorn, as one of their former winemakers has told us, “has a great nose for dirt.” Some of you might be thinking of their historic volcanic-rock Three Palms Vineyard, and all of Kosta Browne’s recent land grabs, as a case in point. Well, they may have found the Washington equivalent. The 2015 Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon off Red Mountain is a product not only of the granite, rock, and clay soils of of Washington State’s most-renowned winegrowing region, but of Canvasback’s team of Washington A-listers: renowned vineyard manager Dick Boushey, whose name graces one of the state’s top vineyards, and young star winemaker Brian Rudin, whose resume includes Washington mainstays l’Ecole 41, Buried Cane, and Cadaretta. Who better than a team that has proven its prowess over 40 years in Napa Valley to bring out the best in Red Mountain, one of the fastest-rising and finest Cabernet terroirs in the United States? $37.99 on six or more, shipping included on just 4.

Duckhorn Vineyards has ample means and decades of spectacular success under their belt, so when the team decided to expand beyond Northern California for the first time, they could have chosen anywhere in the world. So why did they choose Red Mountain in Washington State? Quite simply, Red Mountain earned it during the blind tastings the team held between Napa Valley Cabernets and those from Washington State—it was the appellation whose quality and character excited the group again and again.

The Red Mountain region is young, having just achieved its AVA status in 2001. It is also Washington’s smallest appellation, with just just 4,040 acres. But the tiny newcomer—with its hot and dry climate, granite, rock, and clay soils, and southwest exposure—has become celebrated as one of the premier locations for Cabernet on the West Coast.

In addition to hiring rising star winemaker Brian Rudin, Canvasback was wise enough to look to one of the men who knows the lay of the Yakima Valley land better than anyone else: Dick Boushey, who has been named Grower of the Year by the Washington State Wine Commission as well as by Wine & Spirits. The relationships Boushey has maintained with other top growers over four decades in the area supplied Canvasback with stellar Red Mountain fruit in the fantastic 2015 vintage. The wine is aged in 40% new French oak for 20 months, yielding a generous wine with ample red and black fruit, and sweet cedar notes woven throughout. Truly some of Washington’s finest terroir, on display.