Beckstone Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
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Enthusiast
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Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color with a nose of sweet fruits, the wine opens with notes of ripe strawberries and a delicate dusting of cocoa powder. Earthy spices begin to layer mid-palate, as well as notes of blueberries and a balanced minerality. The finish is soothing with a lingering sensation of dark caramel and toffee
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromatics are an exotic combination of orange essential oil, cigar box, clove spice and a cheery-phosphate soda. It has a medium-bodied palate, with integrated tannins, a nice bit of acidity and flavors such as black cherry, roasted cacao nibs and a savory-meaty quality. This is an impressive wine for a modest price.
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Tasting Panel
I particularly appreciate this wine's lightly leafy aromatic tinge, which sets it apart from its California counterparts but pulls up well short of any suggestion of underripeness. Tasted blind, it could just as easily pass as a fine Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux than as a New World Cab, which is a high compliment in my book. Complex but gutsy and satisfying.
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James Suckling
Redcurrants with some floral and citrus aromas that follow through to a medium body with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Crisp and delicious.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Medium to dark garnet color; black fruit aroma, some chalk, earth, and oak, medium depth; medium bodied, layered on the palate; dry, medium acidity, very good balance; woody flavors, ripe fruit, light to medium intensity; medium finish. (Tasted: December 7, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2020-
Suckling
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Wine
Over 13,000 years ago sudden ice dam ruptures at Glacial Lake Missoula led to a series of cataclysmic floods that swept across eastern Washington and down through the Columbia River Gorge. These ‘Missoula Floods’ were instrumental in the creation of loamy soils – a gritty mix of sand, silt, and clay deposits that offer a diversity ideal for viticulture. At Beckstone, they source the highest quality fruit from these rich, layered soils at the Wallula Vineyards overlooking the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. ‘Beck’ is an archaic noun that refers to a mountain river, especially a swiftly running stream with steep banks. Their Cabernet Sauvignon honors these historical floods and the ancient balance of sediments that is evident in the wine.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
"Surely this is Horse Heaven!”
Its wide prairies and rolling expanses led an early pioneer to proclaim that the region looked like “horse heaven,” and as a result, the area was appropriately named. Horse Heaven Hills is in south central Washington state, geographically bound on its northern border by the Yakima River and in the south, by the larger Columbia River.
Its proximity to the Columbia River contributes to a variety of climactic factors that dramatically affect its grapes. In particular, an increase in wind from changes in pressure along the river, which flows from the cool and wet Pacific Ocean, inland to Washington’s hot and arid plains, creates 30% more wind than there would be otherwise. These winds moderate temperatures, protect against mold and rot, reduce the risk of early and late season frosts, diminish canopy size and toughen grape skins.
The vineyards bordering the river are on steep, south-facing, well-exposed slopes, with well-drained, sandy-loam soils. But the soils of the appellation are diverse throughout, ranging from wind-blown sand and loess, Missoula Flood sediment, and rocky basalt. Horse Heaven Hills has an arid continental climate with elevations ranging from 200 to 1,800 feet.
The first vines of the appellation were planted in 1972 in an optimal spot now referred to as the Champoux Vineyard. Today it remains the source of some of Washington’s most desirable and expensive Cabernet Sauvignons. In fact, the appellation as a whole boasts many of Washington’s top scoring wines. Its primary grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.