2016 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Set in a vertical tasting of the 2014–2018 vintages, the 2016 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers a more floral and focused nose than previous vintages and is marked with refinement and purity of fruit. 2016 was the first year the estate implemented an optical sorter, and the wine displays gobs of black cherry, dusty blackberry and roasted plum in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is balanced and offers fine-grained tannins that will continue to evolve with elegance and precision. This lovely Cabernet glides to a delightfully lingering finish and promises to drink well for years to come. Give it a try!
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Including 11% Merlot, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley reveals a ruby/purple color as well as beautiful notes of crème de cassis, white flowers, lead pencil, and classy oak. Beautifully textured, medium-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it has ripe tannins and a great finish. It's another classic, layered release from this estate that can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years.
Bright medium ruby. Sexy perfumed lift to the aromas of cassis, black cherry, raspberry, mocha, menthol, licorice and violet. Wonderfully broad and mouthfilling but conveys an impression of weightlessness; all in finesse but there's no shortage of stuffing here. Intense flavors of red and darker fruits, milk chocolate and spices show a clever light hand with the oak (70% new French). Richer and more pliant than the 2015 version, and also better balanced. The very long, slowly mounting finish saturates the palate with a complex perfume of fruits, flowers and spices and noble tannins. Like the Merlot, this is not an obvious powerhouse but a classy, utterly seamless wine with a light touch.
Attractive dark plums and berries make for an attractive nose that carries a sense of ripe fruit with freshness intact. The palate follows suit with a sleek, rich serving of blackberries and blackcurrants, framed in smooth-honed tannins. Drink or hold.