2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Today was a fortunate day as I managed to get to the UPS store to finally pick up my wine club shipment from Seven Hills Winery!  These shipments usually go to my office, but with the pandemic and office closure, it was a bit of logistical gymnastics to finally get this shipment home to me, but it should be well worth it!  Tonight I've opened one of the two wines in this club shipment, the 2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is produced from the first significant Cabernet and Merlot planting in the Walla Walla Valley, and in the case of this wine, from the original estate founding Cabernet blocks planted by the McClellan Family in the early 1980s.  So, let's see how this old vine wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, as you might expect from a well-built Cabernet.  The nose exudes subtle aromatics of blackberry, lavender and bit of vanilla, none of which are overpowering, suggesting a more elegantly structured wine.  The taste is a rush of ripe blackberry, marionberry and cherry that just coat your palate with velvety richness, before transitioning to some peppercorn and bay leaf midpalate.  The tannins are just expertly structured, to provide a fine network of support for the long, velvety dry finish that has you reaching for more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it is easily the best Walla Walla Cabernet I've tasted this year.  This wine has characteristic old world styling that exemplifies the Walla Walla Valley, and would pair well with a variety of dishes from grilled steaks to wild salmon, mushroom risotto to lamb.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap, on a bed of grilled leeks, with some grilled white asparagus and a bit baked potato.  Cheers!