SOLD OUT -- I bet when you read that headline, you thought you'd be headed into Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Barolo territory. Nope, my top red wine of 2023 is a knockout Cabernet Sauvignon from a tiny new winery in the Walla Walla Hills of Washington.
The 2019 Hanatoro Cabernet Sauvignon takes me back to Christmas dinner 2015. It was the first time I'd ever made a standing rib roast, and it was to be paired with a bottle of 2007 Quilceda Creek, also a first for me. The stars aligned that night, as my roast was perfection on a plate, and the Quilceda was magic in a glass.
So yes, I am comparing Hanatoro's Cab to the one from Quilceda Creek, arguably our country's greatest producer of the varietal. Both wines have that explosion of cocoa, spice, dark fruit, and graphite that all of the best Cabernets in the world possess. It's my wine of the year, and I bought all 7 cases (84 bottles) that made their way to WNC.
2019 Hanatoro Cabernet Sauvignon
100 points - Josh Spurling
SOLD OUT
From great vineyards come great wines, and the Octave Vineyard is one of the best in the state of Washington. Just north of the famed Seven Hills Vineyard, it sits at 1,300 feet in elevation, and is primely situated to produce a world-class Cab. It's an unforgiving place with fierce wines and rocky soils stressing the vines to the max. Directly adjacent to the Octave vineyard on one side is Drew Bledsoe’s highly regarded home vineyard for Doubleback; the other side is the Figgins family’s ‘Serra Pedace’ Vineyard.
In 2019, the stars aligned, and all of the elements came together perfectly. A hot, dry (but not too dry), and sunny year provided optimal ripening conditions, and winemaker Justin Wylie had the raw materials to craft greatness. About 200 cases were bottled, and Justin crafted greatness. This is a world-class Cab at a way-too-low price. I don't think these folks fully realize what they have...yet.
The only publication to say anything about this wine was Wine & Spirits, who awarded the 2017 vintage of this wine as their year's best Cabernet. I firmly believe others will be chiming in soon, but for now, you'll just have to trust your neighborhood wine monger :) Once the "big guys" rate this at 95+ points, the price will go way up. I've seen it happen time and time again, and it's just the way it goes.
Almost all Cabernet Sauvignon with splashes of Merlot and Malbec, this sees 21 moths of aging in fine-grained barrels from the best cooperages of Central France. Deeply colored in the glass, nearly opaque, the nose is all cassis, black currant, mocha, plum, black fig, maple, and mint. Dense and rich yet lifted on the palate, it's certainly youthful now, but I thoroughly enjoyed it with a ribeye the other night. The more air the wine got, the more profound it became.
Take the journey you all. Drink some now for sure -- just decant it for 2-3 hours. But save some for later too. This will hit its peak form sometime between 2028 and 2030, and it will continue to rock your world through 2038, perhaps longer.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville