The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines is the 25th anniversary of this wine. The gentleman on the label is A.P. Woodward after whom this parcel of real estate takes its name and it will remain as the permanent label in future vintages. The wine is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot with the Cabernet sourced from Sagemoor and Champoux Vineyards planted in the early 1970s, about as old as you will find in Washington. It was aged for 22 months in new French oak. A saturated purple color, it offers up a super-fragrant perfume of wood smoke, spice box, incense, espresso, black currant, and blackberry. Burly, muscular, and full-bodied on the palate, the wine has superb density, incipient complexity, and layers of savory fruit. There is enough structure to support a decade of cellaring and it should be at its best from 2017 to 2036.
Woodward Canyon remains under the leadership of pioneering vigneron Rick Smalls. He has relinquished some of the winemaking duties but remains deeply involved in the estate’s viticulture. The top cuvees are built to last (a 1984 Cabernet from a challenging vintage tasted on the day of my visit was in fine form) and reward extended cellaring.
Tel. (509) 525-4129; www.woodwardcanyon.com
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