By Duane Pemberton
Winery website: www.saviahcellars.com
Price: $28

The Walla Walla Valley has really grown-up in many ways, not the least of them is its ability to churn out world-class Cabernet Sauvignon at prices that drive regions like Napa crazy. This stellar bottle of Cab comes from Saviah Cellars and is a really good example of what the Walla Walla AVA is capable of for under $50.

Technical Data:

• Vineyard Sources: Pepper Bridge Vineyard, Anna Marie Vineyard, McClellan Estate Vineyard
• pH: 3.69
• TA: 0.54 g/100mL
• Alcohol:  14.1%
• Cooperage: Aged 20 months in small oak barrels - 50% new French oak
• Production: 1200 cases

Nose: Black cherry cola with overtones of vanilla, dark chocolate, dried raspberries and spice. I also get notes of shoe polish, leather, tobacco and charred meats.

Taste: Black raspberry, black cherry cola, leather sole of a shoe, peppercorn, licorice, 80% cocoa and a hint of vanilla. This is a sublime Cabernet Sauvignon that sets the standard for excellence, not only in its price point but for many cabs 2-3x its price. The tannin, acids and fruit are totally spot-on. If I used the 100-pt rating system, I’d give it a 98. But as it stands, W.E.P. Rules, so this is easily a 200% rating.

W.E.P. Rating: 200%

How we rate:

http://www.winefoot.com/how-we-rate/