To demonstrate this cuvee’s aging potential, I was shown the 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Dedication Series (the predecessor to Old Vines). It was made from 100% Champoux fruit and finished at 13.8% alcohol. It is an elegant, spicy, complex wine which has achieved its plateau of maturity with another 10-12 years of peak drinking ahead.
Woodward Canyon, directed by its founder Rick Small, remains one of Washington’s benchmark wineries. The two Chardonnays are outstanding.
Tel. (509) 525-4129; www.woodwardcanyon.com