Novelty Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Columbia Valley, Washington

“A concentrated, lively wine with fresh black fruit aromas and a hint of vanilla spice. Focused and flavorful on the palate, with expressive layers of ripe plum, black currant and wild blackberry combining to create a rich mouthfeel that leaves a lingering, stylish impression.” – Mike Januik, winemaker. The Columbia Valley is a diverse growing region that produces a wide range of fruit expressions, and few Washington winemakers know the vineyards as well as veteran vintner Mike Januik. Like previous vintages of this wine, Mike relies on Novelty Hill’s estate vineyard Stillwater Creek on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills to build the base for the wine, then blends in layered complexity by using grapes from a small selection of top Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope and the Columbia Valley sites to further enhance flavors and mouthfeel. Winemaking: Gentle pump overs during the early stages of fermentation extract color and flavors without imparting harsh tannins. Gravity racked every 5 months to soften and clarify the wine. Aged 20 months in 65% French, 35% American oak barrels; 40% new. Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot.