2019 Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Feather Vintage Select Reserve is a highly selective blend of small lot, barrel-fermented Cabernets crafted from Feather's best barrels. If you’re a fan of the regular Feather bottling, just wait until you try the upcoming release of the 2019 Vintage Select! It’s seductive, finessed, rich, round and undeniably the champion of the lineup this year, offering a world-class Cabernet with an alluring nose that tempts with aromas of dark cherry, pure oak essences and picturesque floral notes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate starts to unwind with a soft floral grip and oak spices of vanilla and cardamom that sing in harmony and unison with devastatingly gorgeous consequences. I find myself returning to the glass, continuing to smell the wine as it offers a seductively floral elegance and such profound pleasure that just smelling the wine gives me goosebumps. But once I cross the threshold and taste the wine, the palate becomes intoxicatingly mesmerizing and the definition of elegance and grace. For anyone who thinks that Washington Cabernet needs to be big and bold and generously layered with gobs of sappy, over-oaked dark fruit should reconsider; let this wine be the guiding light for any non-believers that Washington State can produce elegant, world-class Cabernet that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best that the world has to offer. Head and shoulders above the rest of the lineup this year, I know that once the 2019 Feather Vintage Select is released, it will surely evaporate on contact and be sold out everywhere. If you’re able to, buy as much of this limited-production masterpiece as you can, since it literally leaves me silent and breathless with goosebumps as I try to remember every detail of every layer while smelling the wine, as it imprints lasting memories of what iconic, age-worthy, world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State can be and—more importantly—what all future Cabernets that possess elegance and grace will be measured against. I consider myself lucky, privileged and fortunate to have experienced such an extraordinary and profound Cabernet. My only regret is that, with such limited production, there isn't enough to go around for everyone. At only $110 upon release, this is the deal of the century, as it should be three times the price. Good luck finding some. Keep your eye on winemaker Gilles Nicault for great things to come!

Dark and exotic in the glass, the 2019 Feather, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, impresses with a burst of dusty rose and black raspberries lifted by a hint of fresh mint. This is supremely elegant, with silky textures and wild berry fruit underscored by saline-minerals and silty coating tannins forming toward the close. The Feather displays its heroic structure through the finale, tapering off with tremendous length, as notes of sweet tobacco and lavender slowly fade. While this is youthfully poised today, the 2019 will pay dividends in the cellar.

All Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is a rich, powerful wine loaded with notions of cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and crushed stone. Full-bodied on the palate and concentrated, it has building tannins, a great mid-palate, and the balance and class to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and, I suspect, evolve for decades.