Northstar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aromas of dark cherry lead into a palate ripe with berry jam, chocolate, cedar, and vanilla flavors. The wine has a full mid-palate and a rich smooth finish of toasted oak.
Pairs well with ribeye steak, prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed with Gorgonzola, balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A mix of red, black and blue fruit with notes of nutmeg and vanilla. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Sleek and polished on the palate. Very steady and supple. Toasted finish.
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Wine Spectator
Handsomely structured, this red has layers of refined black cherry, tobacco and spices that build toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now.
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Wine & Spirits
This wine’s oak has a cedary scent, overlying lush, macerated red fruits, plums and dark berries, as plush as pie. With its generous oak complement, it’s a crowd pleaser. For smoked pork chops.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens to aromas of dark cherry skin and black plum with elements of graphite and white rock as a spicy floral element sways from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is balanced with firm tannins and succulent acidity that will no doubt drink better in time but is also food-friendly in youth. The wine concludes with a long finish that has me craving grilled chops. Rating: 90+
Other Vintages
2020-
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Robert
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
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Dunnuck -
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Northstar, located in Walla Walla, Washington, aims to make Merlots that can be considered among the world's best, using fruit sourced from one of the world's best regions for the variety: Washington state. Winemaker, David "Merf" Merfeld, blends New World fruit with an old world winemaking style, influenced by Bordeaux's "right bank," to create his highly-acclaimed wines. Northstar produces two Merlot-based wines from the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla AVAs, as well as the Stella Maris red blend and extremely limited production bottlings of the blending component varieties that Merf uses as his "spice box" in creating Northstar's Merlots.
Washington produces so many exciting wines, and that definitely includes Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With over 10,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most widely-grown varietal in the state. Terrific examples hail from sub-appellations like Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. One of the fascinations of these Columbia Valley Cabs is that they so often seem to have one foot in the New World and one in the Old. Representing the former are characteristics like the ripe, forward fruit that results from long sunny days during the growing season (up to two hours longer than in much of California). Old World similarities include an undeniable brightness from acidity, as well as notes of herbs, graphite and a dusty, sometimes gravelly minerality.
Whether you’re looking for a budget bottle for everyday enjoyment, or a stellar, world-class wine with tremendous aging potential, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines can deliver the goods! Among the many fine options are bottles from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’ecole #41, Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.