Maison Noir In Sheep’s Clothing Cabernet

Here’s the thing: Columbia Valley makes amazing Cabernet. It’s got the sumptuous texture, the unctuous concentration, and pronounced aromas that send the olfactory senses into overdrive.  Creating Cabernet that hits all the sweet spots on the palate is no easy task, but there is one person who is easily up to it – Mother Nature.  Here’s what she brings to the table:

The soils of Columbia Valley, Washington State, are of a natural fine consistency that phylloxera can’t penetrate.  Phylloxera is a vine louse that eats grape vines, including all our favorite varieties like Cabernet.  There is no cure, so all the grape vines in the world are a grape producing variety on top, tapped to louse-resistant stock for the bottom.  As Washingtonians call them – Frankenvines.  But not here in Washington.  This wine is through and true Cabernet, from soil, to roots, to flowers to grapes. And you’ll get that in the glass.

Second, Washington has an amazing large diurnal temperature change – the difference between 3 pm and 3 am.  This essentially allows the wines to go to sleep at night, getting them ready to grow and concentrate in tomorrow’s sun.  As for elite athletes, the same for grapes.  If you want that extra edge, power, and concentration, you’ve got to have a long-term plan for development, including sufficient rest.  Mother Nature graciously gives Washington State Cabernet the perfect training regimen.

But Mother Nature had some help this time – from Master Sommelier Andre Mack. Despite (or maybe because of) having a successful career in investment services, Andre caught the wine bug – finding the joy of researching little-known vineyards, seeking them out, and enjoying their products. From there, it was a quick jump inside the restaurant industry, where he quickly became Best Young Sommelier in America.  From there, he was head sommelier for Thomas Keller’s restaurants. Winemaking was always a dream of Andre’s, and now it has come to full fruition, with this winery. The greatness simply can’t be denied, because it’s all right here in the glass:

There is a purity of fruit from these own-rooted Cabernet vines that you get from nowhere else.  The depth of black cherry, crème de cassis, blackberry and espresso is utterly sensational.  The flavors carry through on the palate with a seamless drinkability and voluptuous, full-bodied texture that plays on another level.  So let me Homer this one in – I love Washington’s Cabernets, and when you want big red wine, Washington Cabernet is going to take you there, and take you better than anyone else.

And maybe more to the point - Andre hooked us up with a great deal. Don’t miss it!