Tasting notes by Charles Smith: Persistent, powerful and dynamic.
Black raspberry, fresh tobacco, woodland earth, violets.
Delivering true beauty seamlessly.
Leather, dried roses, fresh morel mushrooms.
Time is of the essence with this wine, and the rewards are endless.
Fields Northridge 100% Located on the Missoula glacial flood plain, the loamy soils of fine sand over silica limestone make this the perfect place to grow fruit.
The high altitude here means it gets cooler in the evenings, which slows the ripening process and results in wines with minerality and concentration.
A hidden gem! 2019 started slowly with cooler than average, late bud break and fairly mild weather throughout the year.
An earlier than normal freeze in October was an issue for some fields, but our higher elevation vineyards had good airflow and were able to extend the growing season well into late October without any freeze-ups.
The result is wonderful maturity and beautiful wines with great balance and character.
Overall, we are very pleased with the wines produced in 2019, which have more finesse, incredible flavors and beautiful balance.
93 Points James Suckling Aromas of plum, tobacco leaf and forest floor.
Medium to full-bodied with velvety tannins.
A solid palate with aromas of red cherry and milk chocolate.
Very concentrated and well balanced.
A wonderful dried floral finish.
2024 onwards would be best.
Founded in Walla Walla, Washington, winemaker Charles Smith is the only person to have won Winemaker of the Year from both Wine Enthusiast (2014) and Food & Wine (2009).
His wines have received 141 ratings of 95 or above and 588 ratings of 90 or above from major wine publications such as Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, and continue to receive further acclaim.
The brand was started with a singular vision: to create the best value Cabernet Sauvignon in America.
“How is it made?” Traditional winemaking.
Natural fermentation.
Barrel aged.
And bottled without filtration or fining.
In other words, it is the same technique used for making wine in very small quantities, by hand, but on a larger scale.
The wine is clearly conveyed in black.
"This is Cabernet Sauvignon.
"The CS label identifies the wine as made by Charles Smith.
They also produce limited edition single vineyard, single expression and Bordeaux varietal wines.
and a Loire-style single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.
This is the latest chapter in the story of Charles Smith and his wines.