2014 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Clone 191 Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Wine Wednesday!  My favorite weekday, just ahead of Taco Tuesday, so what's on the menu tonight?  Well it's a very limited production wine from one of my all-time favorite wineries in Walla Walla, Seven Hills!  This is reported to be a big, bad Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clone 191 block of the Summit View Vineyard.  There were only 57 cases produced, so let's see what this wine has to offer!

The wine is just a deep, inky black color at the center with a tint of bright ruby along the edges, just as you'd expect from a larger-than-life Cabernet.  The nose is surprisingly subdued, with modest notes of leather, black currant and a hint of sweet vanilla.  The taste is interesting, with some ripe black fruit up front, blackberry, currant and a bit of cherry, that transitions to some some warm spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are young, but show good structure as they shape the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish that offers a reprise of black pepper spice at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, understanding that it's still quite young and will no doubt improve with some time in the cellar (I'm likely to put the rest of my bottles away and revisit this one sometime after 2020).  This would be a great steak wine, but it would also go well with some hard cheeses out on the patio (you know summer is just around the corner!).  Tonight I'm enjoying this one with a simple grilled steak, some grilled Brussels sprouts and a baked potato.  Cheers!