Amavi Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim. Strong nose of black fruits with light cedar, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, cola, herbs and spices. Medium plus in body with medium acidity. Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, black plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, coffee, herbs, dark chocolates, black tea, peppercorn and cola. Long finish with no tannins and tangy cherries. This is a delicious 10-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Walla Walla Valley. Rich and fruit forward. Complex and …

2016 vintage

Drinking well now. well-balanced, ripe plum & cassis, soft tannins, with a note of green pepper.

2016 vintage

Last bottle of a six pack purchased some time ago. The last reviewer nailed it: " Incredible QPR on this. In perfect drinking window right now. Dark fruit and herbs and well integrated oak, and tannins have mellowed wonderfully." An absolute bargain in this price range (I paid $20). Wish I'd bought more.

2016 vintage

Incredible QPR on this. In perfect drinking window right now. Dark fruit and herbs and well integrated oak, and tannins have mellowed wonderfully.

2016 vintage

Very good! A few years aging have really done the trick. Much more integrated and approachable. Mellowed lingering tannins showcase the complex dark fruits.

2016 vintage

Holding up well, especially at this price point. Good notes of bright fruit, thick mouth feel.

2016 vintage

Talk about a wine punching way above its weight class! Wow! Needed a couple of years in bottle to come together. What a QPR. Testament to how much promise Walla Walla has.

2016 vintage

Solid, as always. Varietally and AVA correct. Perhaps a bit "massaged" in the winery at this price point, but to good effect and with gentle hands. Enjoyed by all.

2016 vintage

Not super complex but quite enjoyable. Similarly to others here, I liked it more on day 2. Has probably hit its peak.

2016 vintage

Dark inky purple, espresso, dark fruits on the nose. Dark fruits, light spice, light oak, medium tannins with long legs.

2016 vintage

Still needs a longer decant or even better drink on day 2. The rough edges have smoothed out. Not super complex but not expected either. Coffee and some caramel on both the nose and palate. Good QPR.

2016 vintage

For the price a great day to day wine. Have bought two different years of this and all have been good. I bit more fruit than I like but typical from Washington wines.

2016 vintage

Loads of vanilla and coffee on initial PNP. Best on day 2 as the flavors and overall wine becomes more integrated. Good food wine that paired well with grilled burgers.

2016 vintage

Perhaps tomorrow it will be better

2016 vintage

Drink up cork is giving away ... these bottles have been stored in basement 61 degrees

2016 vintage

Picked up six of these at $15/ea last year. Wasn't expecting a lot at that price point, but it's perfectly drinkable. I'd keep the food to something you might have with a Pinot. It was also fine by itself. We had turkey sammies on toasted black bread with basil pesto mayo. The wine delivered fruit, smooth tannins and seemed to drink better after a one hour decant. 86+

2016 vintage

Ridiculously vinegary. Did not improve with time.

2016 vintage

Consistent with previous bottle. Tannins have softened significantly in just a few months. Ready to drink, as far as I'm concerned, but it will probably be serviceable for three or four more years.

2016 vintage

Past it’s drinking posted window. A little funky on the nose when opened, but blew off with air. Past it’s;prime but was OK. No need to describe what I was tasting,,,,,was my last bottle of this.

2011 vintage

Good vintage. Medium plus tannins. Fruit forward

2016 vintage

Drank at butler’s. Hell yes with chili. Way better than last time.

2016 vintage

Excellent!

2016 vintage

Needs some time. A little rough around the edges on PNP, but certainly came around after a long decant. You can tell its Washington and that's a good thing. Very solid, well made Cab, that will only get better. Great QPR at $17!

2016 vintage

Nice inexpensive Washington Cab

2016 vintage

Had it out on the cul-de-sac. Was drinking nice - there's no reason to hold. No notes or score.

2016 vintage

Popped and poured making dinner to give the wine some air. A solid Cab with good QPR. Fruit and restrained oak on the palate. Probably needs a year or two.

2016 vintage

Bottle was not good. I clearly waited too long - which is strange for a 2011 which tend to age decently.

2011 vintage

My last bottle of this. It never lived up to the hype, but more than that has been puzzlingly inconsistent. Some bottles have shown real potential, others have seemed mediocre or off-putting for different reasons. This one has interesting floral scents, but tastes of spoiled cherries and blackberries, diluted pepper, and notes of pure alcohol. It's like a watery zinfandel or a disjointed Tuscan.

2011 vintage

Will try to decant the next bottle. Opened up by second glass.

2011 vintage

This wine followed a bottle of 2012 Ultraviolet Napa cab. This was my strong preference of the two! Much more even and balanced. Not nearly as sweet. Just a much better structure overall. Wish I had more!

2011 vintage

Tight and restrained at this point, a must decant if you have to try it now. It needs cellaring to improve.

2011 vintage

Really not that exciting of a bottle. Had that peppery taste of a zinfandel.

2011 vintage

Not sure how this made the top 100 list? Almost tasted tainted. We had a glass and then corked it and will try again tomorrow. Hopefully we will have better results then.

2011 vintage

Not a very complex can at this point in its life. Seemed quite light on fruit compared to most Cabs from WW Valley. Decent wine, but better can be had for price.

2011 vintage

Disappointing, but I think it may have potential to improve. I just PnP and it improved after a little while. I'll leave the other bottles on the shelf for at least another year.

2011 vintage

Our second bottle of this, and just as disappointing as the first one. Very angular. All hard edges with a strong vegetal streak. If you are looking for a cab with some richness and depth this isn't it. There are plenty of better wines for half the price. Glad it's gone!

2011 vintage

In total agreement with previous notes. So many better options for the price. Cured meat, a little smoke, more than a little minerality, and cherry. Lots of cherry.

2011 vintage

Flavors for black cherry, blueberry, cinnamon and slight green pepper. Not integrated that well and a little flabby. Decent pizza wine, but better options for the money.

2011 vintage

Nice aromas of cola, licorice, and blackberry. Harsher on the palate with similar flavors battling with a high tannic load. A bit of green pepper on the finish after the wine opened up. Drinkable on the whole, but I'm not planning on seeking this out in the future.

2011 vintage

Tasted over 5 days with argon to slow oxidation. Day 1, odd notes of cherries with strong herbaceous notes and spiky alcohol on the nose despite leaving open for 2+ hours; gave it a cherry cough medicine feel. Palate similar with very tight tannins, although had good acidity. Alcohol integrated over the next couple days. By day 4, still nice cherry notes with cinnamon and wood spice, finishing on a bed of mildly bitter mocha-laden tannins. Day 5, wine fully …

2011 vintage

83 Cab/7 merlot/ 4 malbec/3 syrah/3 cab franc. Summit View, Lake Lescollines, Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge. 100% Walla Walla fruit; 95% french oak/5 % american (79% used, 21% new oak) 14.2 %; approx 5200 cases produced. Rich, candied cherry fruit, I'd guess more CA than WA. A little chewy.

2011 vintage

Red currant and spicy oak on the nose, smells like good cabernet to me. High elevation vineyards than pepperbridge and all old oak. Meaning they are trying hard to distinguish that this is not a "knock down" or declassification of Pepperbridge. Fairly lifted for a Cabernet on the back end.

2011 vintage

Taste with Connoisseur at FHE. Brooding, blue fruit and quite tannic.

2011 vintage

My impression is that the wine is too young to show what it's got. Flavors of cherry and cassis along with a hint of tobacco. It all seemed a bit compressed, and the acid stood out a bit too much. It never really seemed to open up. Hopefully. It will flesh out with time.

2011 vintage

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Amavi Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley

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