2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Creek Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The nose nicely balances ripe black fruits with a savoury note. Plenty of deep and dark fruits with layered fruits and currants. Powdery tannins dominate the mid palate but there is good fruit core to balance this. (AC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A briary array of purple berries with mulberries, as well as pastry, roasting herbs and leaves. The palate has a very forthright feel with a focused mid-palate that delivers plenty of richness and power with balance. Drink or hold.
Bright medium ruby. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate and licorice, with complicating inky and herbal nuances; a bit blacker in character than the Canoe Ridge Estate Cabernet. Tactile, broad and rich; fairly full on the palate without going over the top, spreading out to saturate the sides of the mouth with cassis, black cherry, menthol and licorice flavors. The tannins are a bit less refined than those of the Canoe Ridge but this wine shows more depth of flavor and texture, not to mention length. A darker, chewier, broader style, perhaps with less restraint but plenty of finishing sweetness to its dark berry fruit. (14.5% alcohol)
One of Chateau Ste Michelle's flagship bottlings, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Creek Vineyard offers up a deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, black plums and loamy soil. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with bright acids, juicy fruit and powdery tannins that turn somewhat drying on the finish, depressing my score. I suspect this site may have suffered in the heat this year.