2021 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting notes: Beautifully pure notes of crème de cassis, semi-sweet chocolate, candied violets, fresh-tilled loam, cigar humidor, and river minerals. The palate is rich and utterly seamless, coating the palate with black currant, concentrated blueberry, Madagascar vanilla, Turkish coffee, and dry-aged beef. A great example of the wonders of Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet in a great vintage. Will last 30 years with ease.
Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
100 Points - International Wine Report
"The 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon from Passing Time is the best wine I’ve ever had from the winery and maybe the best Cabernet I’ve ever tasted from Washington State. Kudos goes out to winemaker Chris Peterson, who produces better wine every vintage. Masterfully blended with a combination of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, it was aged in 80% new French oak and is a total stunner. Decadent, lavish, and enveloping, it’s a powerful wine that maintains lightness on its feet. Complex components meld together perfectly - think notes of fresh blackberries, black currants, blue plum skin, crushed flower petals, tobacco leaves, dried mountain sage, and powdered graphite. A full-bodied wine that leaves a finish that goes on for minutes, this is a serious wine that will be even better in a few years and then will last 20 years with proper cellaring. Run out and find this wine before it sells out - I wish I had a case! 475 cases made. Highly recommended and editor’s choice."
98 Points - Wine Advocate
"The most floral of the trio of regional Cabernets, the 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant with aromas of potpourri, black raspberry and notes of red and purple flowers that loft with generous oak tones. Full-bodied, round and complex, the palate reveals plenty of pleasurable, lip-smacking flavors complemented by a delicate notion of crème de violette and spiced black raspberry compote. Lifted by brown baking spices, baked earth, cedar and juicy tobacco, it offers sophistication with fine-grained tannins and succulent acidity as the wine glides to an elegantly long and velvety finish. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, the wine aged for 21 months in 80% new French oak. Only 475 cases were made."
98-100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
"Coming 56% from the Discovery Vineyard and the rest from the Wallula and Champoux, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills reveals a deep purple hue as well as awesome aromatics of ripe blackcurrants, spring flowers, fresh tobacco, and lead pencil shavings. These carry to a round, full-bodied, incredibly layered, expansive 2021 with perfect tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish."
97 Points - Owen Bargreen
"This 2021 ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ bottling mainly comes from the Discovery and Wallula Vineyards. Nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), the total heavyhitter of a wine opens with dense black floral tones that parade with espresso grounds, tar, tobacco leaf and shades of sagebrush that all take shape in the glass. The palate is seamless and very inviting with a smooth texture and fantastic flavor density. Black and blue fruits greet you alongside creme de violette, cassis and Turkish coffee notes, with underbrush accents. A joy to consume now, enjoy now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2024-2044"
96 Points - Northwest Wine Report (Sean Sullivan)
"Discovery (56%) and Wallula (32%) vineyard Cabernet make up the backbone of this wine, which is blended with 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, both from Champoux. Aged in 80% new French oak, the aromas boast notes of dried and fresh herb, black cherry, cassis, bittersweet chocolate, earth, and spice. The palate is all about suppleness, grace, nuance, and class. Fine grained tannins back it all up. Coffee notes linger on the finish. Far from a big bold bruiser, this wine focuses on Cabernet’s divine beauty and shows it vividly. But make no mistake, there’s sneaky power too. It’s absurdly delicious, with an extremely long life in front of it. Enjoy from 2027 to 2040. 14.8% alcohol. Natural cork. 475 cases produced."
