2023 Two Mountain Rattlesnake Hills Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

From two Rattlesnake Hills sites, this Cabernet Sauvignon stays true to the variety, offering plenty of herbal freshness alongside lovely red and black fruits. This wine was sourced from the Schmidt and Portteus Vineyards. Aromas of desert pine, wild lavender and currant jam alight the glass. The palate offers fresh red berries, dried strawberries and mint with notes of clove and star anise. It's fresh and delicious and perfect for food.

This is the wine that really sealed the deal for me with Two Mountain. It’s a total showstopper. Wildly aromatic and packed with blackcurrant, elderberry, unsmoked cigar, briar patch, crushed rock, leather, toasted spices, and subtle lavender. Fuller-bodied than the Merlot or Cabernet Franc, but still very much in the mid-weight class, it prioritizes varietal expression and balance over sheer power and ripeness. The wine aged for 19 months in a judicious 25% new French oak, just enough to gently polish the edges. Something like Bordeaux meets Mount Veeder? It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what this wine reminds me of. Maybe it’s simply pure Washington goodness at a ludicrously accessible price point.