2015 Ste. Michelle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

This has been a somewhat lazy Saturday for me, but at least I made it to Costco to do a little shopping!  And while I was there, of course I had to check out the wine selection to see if there was anything new or interesting, and I happened upon a bottle of 2015 Ste. Michelle Vineyards Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Apparently this was a tribute wine for the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington, and since it's Washington wine month, I figured why not try a bottle?  Besides, I really liked the classic, Bordeaux style of the label on this bottle.

The wine is a bit lighter in color than I might have expected, of course it could also be because a wine this old really should still be in a barrel, but I digress...  The nose is a bit odd, as when the glass is still you get a good whiff of spice and kirsch, but then with a little air, the notes of leather and black cherry really come out.  The taste is actually quite nice, with a rush of blackberry and cherry that transition to some nice black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are still rather tightly wound, but the finish is long, smooth and very dry despite the rather bright acidity.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice everyday Cabernet, and a terrific value as this wine was just $12 at Costco.  This is a good meat and potatoes sort of wine, which is a good thing as I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye with a big baked potato and some haricots verts almondine.  Cheers!