2014 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week, and in case you haven't heard, we've had some flooding issues here in Elkhart over the past week, with all the two feet of snow melting, combined with another few inches of rain.  Tomorrow I am heading over to a friend's to help him start the clean up efforts on his house, which still has 6" of water in the basement, but tonight there's time for wine!  I've opened a bottle of 2014 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (9%), Malbec (4%), Cabernet Franc (2%) and Petit Verdot (2%), all from the Seven Hills, Octave, Pepper Bridge and Waliser Vineyards.  So let's see how this one tastes!

In color, the wine is a deep, inky consistency with garnet along the edges.  The nose is a rush of ripe black fruit, cassis and hints of strawberry and mint.  The taste envelops the palate with blueberry, blackberry and tart cherry that eases into some subtle exotic spice notes midpalate.  The tannins are nicely integrated, providing for a luxurious and very dry finish that seem to last a minute or more.  This is a wonderfully structured, old-world style of Cabernet that's just perfect for a relaxing evening.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, it's one of the best Cabernets of 2018 so far (yes, I know it's still early).  This is a wine that would pair well with a nice steak, venison or a hearty winter stew, but also would go well with a wild salmon.  Tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a rare grilled porterhouse, grilled asparagus and a big baked potato.  Cheers!