Woodward Canyon, Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley

Have been working through a case over the years. Perfect structure and balance nose to finish right now. No decant.

2014 vintage

This wine has matured nicely. Decanted for about an hour, served with steak sandwiches with blue cheese. Tannins are integrated and fruit is still strong enough. Not quite as distinctive as prior vintages i remember, but still complex and very satisfying. Paired against a 2015 Vieux Telegraph and showed well. Agree with Motz: have one bottle left and will drink next year at latest.

2014 vintage

Drank over dinner at QA with Carter and Cecilia.

2014 vintage

My bottle. Lots of discussion at the table about this one: was it corked or was that just pyrazines? Eventually had to admit: though mild, the TCA was there.

2000 vintage

Flawed

2014 vintage

Pnp. Dark fruits and a lot of oak. Smoothed out a bit over 4 hours. We enjoyed it but had much higher expectations. Sometime I’m reminded that wines don’t always improve with age. If you like it drink up. I definitely preferred this wine when it was young.

2014 vintage

Cassis, oak, baking spice, vanilla. Not sure the fruit will last long enough for the substantial oak to integrate, but a few more years can only help it. As usual, I agree with Motz.

2014 vintage

Margot's bottle. DREAM below captured it perfectly: "plenty of rich dark fruits with a plush texture and a somewhat rustic crunch on the finish with notes of licorice and dark chocolate." Excellent as the OV always is, but what makes the WC OV great is major time in the bottle. A little more secondary complexity was needed for it to compete with the Rocks-funky Cayuse Camaspelo also on the table.

2014 vintage

Cheerios aroma. Not the most red wine aroma, but Cherrio. Opens up quick in my glass. Firm and taut spiced blackberry fruit.

2014 vintage

Certainly needs more time and shows plenty of rich dark fruits with a plush texture and a somewhat rustic crunch on the finish with notes of licorice and dark chocolate. Quite nice but drunk alongside a good Bordeaux (2015 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut Brion), it's overmatched for balance, freshness and texture. My opinion, of course.

2014 vintage

Really good. Earthy cab

2014 vintage

Pretty killer upon opening with powerful jammy fruit, bit of oak and spice. After a bit of charcuterie and about 30 mins open time the fruit seemed to fall away a little. Probably need to sit on this one a while longer.

2014 vintage

Man this was good. Lush and silky with both power and restraint.

2014 vintage

Sweet fruit and oak, medium structure, and somewhat overwrought. The wine showed hints of what might be perceived as VA, likely the result of angular alcohol. Technically 'excellent' and I would not turn it down if offered, although I would choose the same vintage Estate Reserve every time. It needs two to four years to settle. Aging beyond 2025 seems risky.

2014 vintage

The color is a rich inky purple and its as deep and dark as a Stephen King novel could get. Heavy legs, still watching them try to build momentum to actually drip. Nose is dark black fruit, blackberry, plum, bell pepper, some forest floor, tar/resin, tobacco box. It took a while to get here surprisingly, it was tight as a drum until a few hours in and it finally opened up. On the palate, its thick and heavy. Fruit is …

2004 vintage

Friends brought this when they dropped by for beef stew on 4/7/18. It had a wonderful, rich, deep bouquet of black currant, blueberry, olive, toast, cocoa, licorice, herb and spice aromas. The palate was rich, elegant and layered with flavors of black currant, blueberry, toast, cocoa, licorice, herb, spice and minerals.

2014 vintage

Had this at taste of washington. Now of course we couldnt taste every wine there but we hit a lot. This wine and Betz heart of the hill were without question the WOTN.

2014 vintage

Double blind. Definitely cab. Dark herbal wood. Green pepper. From nose would guess BDX. Maybe a bit ripe. Darker side of cab spectrum - I would get St. Estephe. Palate is kind of volatile with lacquer or something. I would have guessed BDX but the palate shows it was something else. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 4/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 13.5/20.

1998 vintage

I just love aged WC Old Vines Cabs. This was so great right out of the bottle, so no decant needed. Dark black cherry, earth, blackberry coulis, mineral...all packed in with a great finish. Wish I had more.

1998 vintage

96% Cab, 4% Petite Verdot. Aroma of black fruit. Taste of black fruit and other berries - very complex! Full body with LONG finish!

2014 vintage

Just fantastic WA cabernet. This bottle had a slightly bubbled label and the cork was just barely hanging in there: compacted and hard, loose in the neck, but fully intact. The color was still vibrant with a little rimming, but no bricking. Dunk without a decant over an evening listening to come great vinyl. It had an intoxicating nose and slightly faded fruit. Every sip invited another.

1998 vintage

Delicious, holding up great.

1998 vintage

Drank bottle- 6/1/16 Open and first few taste the wine was tight but opened up nicely. Although approachable now it can use a few more years of cellaring. Nose and palate- sweet black fruit with hints of toast, vanilla And chocolate. Tannins are gripping but not overwhelming.

2004 vintage

Old Vines means old world. This has a great, sophisticated old world style to it. Not "fruit forward" but steely and earthy. Perfect amount of oak that doesn't overpower. The fruit is dark and rich. Subtle tannins, restrained alcohol, yet long, smooth finish. Remains one of my favorite Washington cabs

2004 vintage

Brought this to a blind tasting and the consensus was Amarone, which gives you an idea of the style. I liked it more than you'd expect for my palate (fairly Old World), but not something I could recommend for the money. Big, black, very ripe fruit, with a fair amount of spice including an almost cinnamony note, and clearly a fair amount of alcohol, though you don't actually taste the heat. I could see a different palate absolutely loving this, …

1998 vintage

Great old wine! Rich and smooth, with almost Amarone like quality. All dark fruit, burnt wood and cocoa powder. Amazing.

2004 vintage

Perplexing wine. Rich oaky sweet odor says OAK before it hits the lips. Uh-oh. On the palate it’s disjointed, like it’s falling apart. Surprisingly acidic, with a bitter element that throws off the taste buds, lots of oak (probably too much), kind of over-rich. Highly extracted, it feels less Wash than Cali, and there’s a distinct alcoholic burn on the finish as the fruit fades precipitously. Glancing at the bottle, it indicates 14.8% ABV though I’d guess higher. This is …

2004 vintage

fresh, bright on the palate. Beautiful. Fresh berries on the nose. Light purple in color

2004 vintage

Drunk at the boyz holidaze annual @ Purple. Started the eve off right, although t'was inferior to the 08 Rasa Creative Impulse [2nd bottle of the night].

1998 vintage

Very nice.

2004 vintage

Purple in color and just fading ever so slightly at the edge of the glass. 14.4% ABV. Sourced from Champoux Vineyard, the wine has a soaring nose of black fruits, tobacco and graphite. Rich and full bodied with great mouthfeel. Black currants, cherries, leather, cinnamon, mint and cassis on the palate. Silky tannins and an exceptionally long finish. Drink over the next 2-3 years.

2000 vintage

Drinking well. Decanted for an hour. Ripe cherry and plum flavors with smooth finish.

2004 vintage

Stunning wine, and it has aged so gracefully. Not decanted. Slight bricking. Subtle yet sumptuous aromas of black cherry, wet earth, and tobacco. Perfectly integrated, fine tannins gently support the rich fruit, with green tobacco notes and that unmistakably Walla Walla black olive note. Long, detailed finish that really fills the palate. Just lovely, and an awesome example of how well Woodward's best wines can improve with age.

1998 vintage

very nice & balanced, oak is there but integrated, heat is only real flaw

2000 vintage

A bright violet in color. 14.4% ABV. Super ripe with a nose of candied cherries. Leather, tobacco, maraschino cherries, smoke, spice, chocolate, mint and cassis on the palate. The finish is rich, earthy and long. This wine is in a holding pattern. Largely unchanged from the last bottle I had in the Summer of 2011. I will let my last few bottles cellar for another 3-5 years.

1998 vintage

I see why people give this big scores. It's got amazing depth of fruit and richness. But to my palate, it comes off a bit overheated and unbalanced. So, if you like them big and a bit loud, then by all means, save it for a special occasion.

2000 vintage

Very good, but picking up some brown notes and not nearly the great joy of the perfect May 2012 bottle.

2000 vintage

Gave this about 6 hours in the decanter before trying. The color is dark as night. Still opaque purple; nearly black. A huge wine, by just about any standard, almost liqueur-like. Deep brooding dark fruits with smoke and oak fairly prominent. Starting to take on rustic characteristics of a well-aged Cabernet. Even with hours of decanting, it's huge wine with a lot to like, but also a few over-the-top elements too, that might make it too much of a good …

2004 vintage

50+5+13+17+8=93

2004 vintage

Here is an example of the potential of Washington Cabernet. Starting to show some maturity and all about the fruit. No "Woodinville Cocktail" here just lovely, cool, restrained, layered, black fruit flavored with loamy earth. Excellent and seemingly with years of future left.

2000 vintage

- Garnet color. It's in total harmony with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Drank at the wildlife heritage foundation auction. Terrific wine. Was the best we opened compared to 08 Leonetti merlot, 05 beaux Freres (close 2nd), 05 domaine Drouhin Louise and 00 Silver Oak Napa Valley (a few years past it's prime).

2004 vintage

Dark red. Very big nose with lots of dark fruit, blood and maybe pepper. I thought serious new world syrah but no. Delicious dark fruit flavours and a very long tannic finish. The perfect wine to go with the Bryan's rib cap.

2000 vintage

Decent, bit acidic still, but nice

1998 vintage

Bonham's and Butterfield Pre-auction tasting (San Francisco) : Thinner nose, smoky, overoaked. 85

2004 vintage

A very nice cab that is still drinking well. I won't wait to drink the next bottle.

2000 vintage

Great tasting wine. Nose of deep earth and chocolate, it has polished tannins surrounding a deep berry and slight cherry fruit. I have a few bottles yet to get to and need to do so as I can't imagine age helping much more at this point. One never knows however...

1998 vintage

drank with family in Rockford. well received. moving in to the mature zone but not at all over the hill. still with good color and fruit but tannins have mellowed and integrated. decent mid-palate and finish.

1998 vintage

This wine is drinking so beautifully right now...likely at or near its peak! The nose is gorgeously aromatic, the texture silky, and the finish long and smooth. What a treat!

1998 vintage

Inky, dark, sweet fruit, cassis, toast, silky, full-bodied, hint of dirt, still fairly tannic, give others more time

2000 vintage

Tasted blind. (Group's #3 (my #2)). I guessed that this was a CA Cabernet - specifically a Bob Foley wine. I was almost sure that it was a Pride from 2000 or 2001. Nope. There was just a coconut-like aroma with a touch of volatility on the nose that made me think of the Foley style. This was a pleasant surprise to see a Woodward Canyon. Tasted next to 2 other 1998 wines - A Pomerol, and a CA Cabernet.

1998 vintage

Are you sure?

Woodward Canyon, Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews