Andrew Januik Stone Cairn Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
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Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Red Mountain cabernet can feel almost domineering in its mass and weight, so this one, from Mike Januik’s son, feels like a respite. With its density, its focused scents of ink and black plum, and its forceful tannins, this is unquestionably Red Mountain. But here, all of Red Mountain’s massiveness is poised like a train on a narrow-gauge rail, allowing the finer elements—violet, thyme, cedar, dark fruit—to play a role. Built to cellar.
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Wine Spectator
Supple, generous and expressive, with blueberry, currant, black tea and spice flavors that come together against nubby tannins as the finish extends impressively. Has presence and depth. Best from 2018 through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A terrific wine from Andrew is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Cairn that’s all from Red Mountain. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 60% new oak, this medium to full-bodied, supple, nicely concentrated 2013 offers more minerality as well as notes of red currants, toasted spice and licorice. It’s a beautiful wine to drink anytime over the coming decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of prune, licorice and dark fruit lead to full cranberry and cherry flavors. It shows a sense of vitality and liveliness.
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At the age of twenty six, Andrew was able to say that he'd spent more than half of his life working in the business and knew it would one day be his career, so it was no surprise when he suggested the possibility of creating his own wine to the people closest to him. During his time off and on during school years, he worked fulltime pending his college graduation, harnessing the opportunity to learn and understand all the broader points, and all the finer intricacies, of the wine industry through two of the more experienced and impassioned winemakers in the industry, Mike Januik and Scott Moeller.
It was in 2011 when he would finally start his own wine label, Andrew Januik.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.