2018 Seven Hills Artz Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, another weekend is in the books, and I figure it's time to make a nice Sunday dinner to enjoy before heading into a new work week.  And of course with a nice Sunday dinner, you need to open a nice bottle of wine to enjoy.  Tonight I've opened a wine that I brought back on my summer vacation to Walla Walla, the 2018 Seven Hills Artz Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a single vineyard Cabernet sourced from the Artz Vineyard in the Red Mountain District of the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep crimson color in the glass, with a deep, dark center, just as you would expect from a nice Cabernet.  A gentle swirl in the glass releases aromas of leather, blackberry, green grass and earthy notes of dusty limestone.  Take a sip and you're treated to an unexpected rush of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that gently ease into some earthy notes of graphite and dusty limestone midpalate, with elegant hints of vanilla bean and baking spice.  The tannins are nicely structured, but still a bit youthful, providing for a wonderfully dry finish with a velvety mouthfeel.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as I am a big fan for Seven Hills' single vineyard Cabernets (Summit View being my favorite) and this wine certainly devlivers.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from thick grilled steaks to braised short ribs and Yankee pot roast.  Tonight I am going the grilled steak route, enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in bison ribeye, along with some mashed potatoes and oven roasted baby carrots.  Cheers!

2013 Seven Hills Artz Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

All right, my do-nothing staycation is rapidly passing, I can't believe it's already Thursday!  So tonight I've decided to open up a special bottle of wine from one of my favorite Walla Walla producers, Seven Hills Winery, the 2013 Seven Hills Artz Vineyard Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is one of the first I've seen from Seven Hills that is produced from the Artz Vineyard on Red Mountain, and from what I've heard from my friends at Seven Hills, this is a wine with some broad shoulders, so let's see what cooks!

The wine is an inky black at the center with bright ruby along the edges, just what you'd like to see from a big Cabernet.  The nose is a symphony of green grass, rich black fruit and a bit of coarse minerality.  The taste is not nearly as fruit forward as the nose suggest, but rather the taste is quite dry at the outset and only after several seconds to the wonderful rich black fruit flavors develop, with blackberry, plum and cherry that appear like animal spirits that are whisked away at the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the best Cabernets I've had from Seven Hills.  This wine is drinking well now, but will likely shine over the next 5-10 years.  This is also a perfect big steak sort of wines, like those more expensive wines a couple states south of Washington, so tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap, along with a baked potato and grilled Brussels sprouts.  The big flavors and dry finish of this wine is perfect for a well marbled steak.  Cheers!