Today’s wine isn’t merely one of the first reds from Walla Walla to attract international acclaim. It’s one of the greatest domestic Cabernets of all time. It may have come along a generation after the Californians that won the “Judgement of Paris,” but it’s a landmark red all the same—which makes its price not merely surprising but shocking. I hold a special place in my heart for wines like Woodward Canyon’s “Artist Series” Cabernet Sauvignon:

It may once have been dubbed a “cult” wine, but these days it’s an American classic right up there with the likes of Ridge, Mayacamas, and Heitz. The artist featured on the label may change every year, but the vineyard sourcing, stellar quality—and yes, pricing—have remained remarkably consistent. Today’s ’18 took us all by storm with its saturated dark fruit and buffed-to-a-high shine tannins, and a quick scan of the critical reviews confirms that we were not alone in our enthusiasm. Not only is this the perfect time of year to pull the cork on such an opulent bottle of red wine, this is the perfect wine to enjoy both today and 10 years from now. We’ve got a decent-sized batch to share with you today, and at this price, you’d be wise to load up!

The Walla Walla area of Eastern Washington State has become a destination appellation for Cabernet Sauvignon (and, more recently, Syrah) thanks to pioneering estates like Woodward Canyon. Founded in 1981 by Rick Small and his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small, the winery and vineyards are on land that had been in Rick’s family for generations. Rick’s first vineyard, planted in 1977, was on a hillside plot previously devoted to wheat cultivation, and the Smalls were instrumental in establishing the Walla Walla AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1984 (for comparison, the Napa Valley AVA was established in 1981).

For the “Artist Series” Cabernet, the original Woodward Canyon estate vineyard, planted in silty loam soil at the western end of the Walla Walla production zone, is supplemented with fruit from some of Washington State’s greatest heritage vineyards—including, most notably, the famed “Champoux” vineyard, in the Horse Heaven Hills, which now counts Woodward Canyon among its co-owners. Rounding out the blend is fruit from the “Weinbau” and “Sagemoor” vineyards. In addition to sharing a similar sandy/loamy soil composition, these sites all fall within the broader Columbia Valley growing zone, an almost desert-like landscape protected by a “rain shadow” from the Cascade Mountains to the west.

Driven by 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, this ’18 has an especially dark-fruited personality thanks in part to small percentages of Petit Verdot (7%) and Syrah (3%) in the blend. At this young stage in its life, there are some coffee ground/cocoa notes imparted by 22 months of aging in 28% new French oak, but once the bottle was open for a bit, we found the wine to be full of dark, rock dust, and some classic graphite/pencil lead notes. It’s an inky purple-ruby in the glass moving to a magenta rim, with luscious aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, tobacco, tar, leather, and wild herbs. It is full-bodied and nicely framed by fine-grained tannins and great freshness. You can feel this huge surge of energy as the wine crosses your palate. If opening a bottle now, decant it 30-45 minutes before serving in large Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees. I wouldn’t be surprised if the wine tightens up somewhat over the next few years before really blossoming about 5-7 years down the line. Drink or hold? How about both? Cheers!