Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Château Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a powerful, deeply concentrated, and beautifully broad-shouldered red wine that showcases the incredible intensity of one of Washington State’s oldest and most prestigious estate sites. Planted back in 1973, the Cold Creek Vineyard features old, woody vines thriving in low-fertility, sun-drenched loamy sand and gravel soils. These harsh conditions yield small berries with remarkably thick skins, translating into a deep, ink-like color and dense flavor profile. The wine opens with an invitingly complex nose dominated by dark chocolate, black cherry fruit, cloves, and refined undertones of tar and tobacco leaf. On the palate, it is full-bodied, polished, and supple, balancing a concentrated core of rich black fruit and licorice with broad, velvety tannins and a nicely integrated structure earned from 24 months of aging in French and American oak barrels.

Food Pairing: Pairs wonderfully with charcoal-grilled ribeye steak, slow-braised beef short ribs, rosemary-infused roasted lamb, and mature hard cheeses like an aged cheddar.

92 Points - James Suckling