Tasting Notes by Charles Smith: Refreshing, the juice of the sun! Mouth-filling with tangerine, Meyer lemon custard and a kiss of butterscotch.
Silky and rich to the last sip! Vineyard Evergreen (40%) Planted in 1998 by Jerry Milbrandt, this vineyard is located along the steep bluffs above the Columbia River in the Ancient Lakes AVA.
The area is cool due to the influence of the river, and the soil is composed of basalt, gravel, silt and calcareous deposits deposited by glacial floods.
Like all Milbrandt vineyards, Evergreen is sustainably grown.
The grapes from this vineyard have a sublime minerality and excellent acidity balance that is highly praised by winemakers.
Frenchman Hills (32%) This vineyard was planted in 1998 and is located approximately 30 minutes drive north of Wahluke Slope, in one of the warmest areas of the Columbia Valley.
However, Frenchman Hills Vineyard is at a higher elevation of 503m and is therefore in a cooler location.
The area is also frost-resistant and has limestone and crushed basalt soils in the upper parts of the vineyard.
Rosa Hills (14%) Located at an elevation of 1323 ft (411 m) in a natural south-sloping bowl on the southern slope of Rattlesnake Hills, Rosa Hills was planted in 1977.
The majority of the fields are planted on silt loam to calcareous soils interspersed with chunks of broken basalt.
Gearhart (7%), High River (5%), Moxie (2%) 2021 was one of the warmest vintages ever in Washington State.
Good weather and mild temperatures led to early bud break and the warmest June on record, resulting in very small berries.
The subsequent veraison and the start of ripening was smooth and even, resulting in a beautiful, long ripening period and a harvest of fantastic, incredibly concentrated fruit.
Overall, 2021 was a distinctive and beautiful vintage, producing fantastic wines to enjoy now and into the future.
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.