Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, brought up in 45% new French oak. Lots of smoked herbs, red and black fruits, earth, and lead pencil notes emerge on the nose, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, supple texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's slightly closed aromatically, yet I love its mid-palate as well as its overall balance. This beautiful wine is going to come together nicely with 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years or more. Maturity: 2024-2045.

Structured and showing the intensity of the vintage, this Cabernet unfurls as it goes along, offering deep currant, green olive and espresso accents that finish with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2028. 2,588 cases made.

Aromas of barrel spice, coffee, cherry, bittersweet chocolate, graphite and sautéed herb are followed by textured cherry and chocolate flavors. There's a pleasing sense of brightness to the acidity and deftness to the rich, creamy coffee and bright cherry flavors that keep the interest high. Plenty of tannic structure holds it all together. Coffee notes linger on the finish. It's far from a big bruiser and needs some time to all integrate but brings and abundance of rewards. Best after 2026 with a very long life beyond that.

Bright ruby-red. Complex scents of black cherry, currant, menthol, mocha, licorice and peppery herbs, plus a whiff of tobacco leaf; displays a stronger herbal element than the 2016. Plush, silky and easygoing on entry, then very ripe in the middle, with a suggestion of almost liqueur-like mocha/chocolate ripeness. Finishes with broad, serious, refined tannins that dust the palate and build quickly with air. This is softer than the 2016 but without quite that wine's finesse and light touch. A very chocolatey-rich, dense wine with restrained sweetness and good savory character. Serious concentration. Drinking Window: 2022-2029.

Dark ruby, the 2017 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a bold and structured nose with layers of complex aromas of juicy cherry, blackberry, dusty plum, dried herbs, bitter dark chocolate and soft herbaceous green notes. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is full in flavor, displaying a balanced structure that gives pleasure with qualities of spiced black cherry, dusty plum skin and soft mocha expressions that continue to evolve on the persistent, elongated finish. Give this delicious and succulent wine a try. Drink Date: 2020-2030.