Charles & Charles Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Discover why Charles & Charles Cabernet Sauvignon is a standout favorite among wine enthusiasts! This bold and complex wine is a delightful expression of Washington state’s premium vineyards. It bursts with rich flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, and plum, followed by a subtle hint of spice and vanilla from oak aging.

The velvety texture and smooth, full-bodied finish make it incredibly versatile, whether you're enjoying a cozy night in or hosting a dinner party. Pair it with grilled steak, hearty pasta dishes, or a simple cheese platter for a perfect match.

As featured in Wine Spectator’s Best Buys, this wine offers incredible value without compromising on quality. A must-have for any wine lover’s collection!

The Wine

We have been waiting for the right vintage to make a straight Cabernet Sauvignon and decided that the small, concentrated berries this vintage made it the perfect year to start. All the fruit for this wine comes from sustainably farmed Goose Mountain vineyards which is a spectacular vineyard contiguous with the renowned Red Mountain AVA (though we think our fruit is better!). The higher elevation and steeper slopes mean cooler nights and poorer soils relative to Red Mountain, which is ideal for world class grape growing. The Cabernet Sauvignon was de-stemmed and then fermented with native yeast, followed by the wine being on its skins for 35 days (fermentation being about half that time). We make this wine without any intervention to preserve the honesty and integrity of the fruit and place. We had access to some beautiful Goose Mountain Syrah that we thought would add complexity and spice. We fermented the Syrah with native yeast and whole cluster and blended it together with the Cabernet Sauvignon right before we blended and moved all the wine to old barrels. In the barrels, we were looking to soften and concentrate, not to add toast and vanilla thus the choice of used neutral barrels. The resulting wine has intense black currant, espresso, black olive, and dusty herbs with broad shouldered structure.

The Vineyard

All the fruit is largely grown on the Goose Mountain portion of the Goose Ridge Ranch in the Columbia Valley, AVA. The soils for this beauty of a vineyard are composed of alluvial sands deposited by the Missoula Floods that sit over volcanic soils deeper beneath. The ranch is contiguous with the Red Mountain AVA which many consider to be the premiere Washington Cabernet Sauvignon spot though of course we would argue that the cooler, hillside location of our fruit is superior. You can be the judge.

The Terroir

About 15,000 years ago the Columbia Valley was flooded by a series of ice age floods that deposited silt and sand over the entire area. The sediments deposited by the floods now make up the area’s present-day sandy and gravelly soils. These conditions are ideal for grapevines and fruit development and allow all our vineyards to be planted on their own roots. The northerly latitude means more sunlight during the growing months which allows extended phenolic development, embodying unusual texture and naturally soft tannins. Large diurnal swings (30+ degrees on average between high and low temperatures).