Tasting Notes: Abeja Heather Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
Ten years on the earth, three years in the bottle. Get it before Joel McHale does.
Posted by: Julie H. Case on Jan 18, 2012 at 11:15AM
27 Comments
The wine: Abeja, 2008 Heather Hill, cabernet sauvignon
Price: $55 suggested retail. Appearing on local shelves for $66–$80
Introductions: The 2008 Heather Hills cabernet sauvignon is the first exclusively Walla Walla Valley cabernet from winemaker Abeja. It’s also the first made entirely with grapes from Abeja’s Heather Hill estate vineyard. Sure, fruit from Heather Hill has been making appearances in Abeja’s various Columbia Valley wines for years, but winemaker John Abbott wanted to make a single varietal, single vintage, single vineyard estate wine.
The Heather Hill vineyard was planted in 2001, and since then Abbott has been biding his time, waiting patiently to be assured that the estate vineyard could produce the same exceptional wine year after year. Even he was surprised that it took until 2008. The older Abbott gets, he says, the more he likes his wines to show their place, and this wine expresses some serious Walla Walla Valley terroir.
Tasting Notes: The first thing you’ll notice is the incredible intensity of this wine: It’s inky dark, with a pronounced staining of the glass, which connotes the amount of contact the juice has had with the grape skins. On the nose there’s a slight smokiness, an almost gamey, meaty quality which leads quickly to the pencil lead, violet, rose and sandalwood, all layered over tons of voluptuous, dark fruit.
There’s bramble on the palate, on top of layers of dark cherry and blackberry, and again a bit of smokiness. The toasty notes—which are the result of 100 percent French oak barrels—are not overwhelming, but warm. The tannins are serious, almost reminiscent of an Old World red, but not bracing. Rather they give this cabernet backbone.
In a state that makes some seriously fantastic cabernets, this is one of the exceptional ones. It’s intricate. Elegant. Intense, though not bombastic. It is one beautiful bottle of wine.
Drink This Wine If: You like complex, New World/Washington state reds with serious finesse. The care taken both in the vineyard and in the winery are evident in the wine’s structure and ability to age.
Drink Now vs. Drink Later: While the Heather Hill is memorable now, it is going to age very nicely. Don’t hesitate to put it in your cellar. If you just can’t wait to open that bottle, know that this wine benefits from some breathing space. An hour in the decanter will amply reward your patience. The longer the Heather Hill is open, the more those violets and roses come out, both on the nose and palate, and the more the layered fruit comes forward.
Buy the Bottle/By the Glass: This is a wine that merits getting yourself on the Abeja list, not just to track future releases, but because this is the easiest way to track down this first vintage. Because there were only 270 cases produced in 2008 (190 in 2009), few bottles remain on the shelves. Whole Foods Bellevue has a few, as does Wine World Warehouse. Since this cabernet would pair exceptionally nicely with a big fat juicy steak, you’ll also find it on the John Howie bottle list ($135).
You won’t, however, find it at Pike and Western wine shop because a certain famous actor-comedian and Almost Live! alumnus is apparently a fan. He bought the entire allocation before it could even hit the shelves.
Tags: Wineries, Wine, Wine Tastings, Washington Wines, Wine Wednesday, Tasting Notes, Abeja
Excite to try this wine. Sounds awesome…. Nice article…
I have had the 2008 several times and think the comments in this article were ‘spot on’
I’m no enophile, but as a writer I have to say that anything with traces of pencil lead sounds pretty intriguing to me. Nice piece. And love the tie-in to Joel McHale. Damn wine hog!
Great article. I like just about any wine out of Walla Walla and this wine sounds fantastic. Do me a favor next time and review a wine a little more in my price range, say about $9. ;)
Intriguing sounding wine, love those intense, gamey, smokey Cabs. Your description certainly grabbed my attention— I guess I better buy some soon since it sounds like it will soon be made of “unobtainium”. Nice piece. Next time, a Viogner? Or maybe a worthwhile NW Grenache?
I’ve never heard of this wine-sounds delicious!!!!! Whole foods in Bellevue, eh? Once the snow melts I need a taste!!!
I like my wine with “backbone”, I’m more of a Syrah or Malbec fan but you are very persuasive, I am intrigued.
Thanks for the introduction to this wine. I’ve had other wines from Abeja and introduced my work colleagues to them at a happy hour. I’ll keep my eye out for this one.
Thanks for the heads up! This will come to mind next time I get my fillet on. Which, tends to happen more often than not.
Thanks for introducing me to this new wine. I love 2009 Raised by Wolves Cabernet Sauvignon by Elevage Wine Co. and this sounds like it could be another new favorite. Will definitely try it out! Thanks!
Great discovery and great anecdote about Joel McHale. I especially like the advice about drinking now/drinking later. Too many good vintages are drunk too early in the US, and that’s a shame.
Great tasting notes column; more, please!
Hurrah for Washington wines! This looks like an intense bottle.
Well written. Keep it up!
Love Abeja wines. Haven’t had this yet and sounds like I’ll have to wait until next vintage! That’s not very nice! Tease :)
Mr. McHale himself just sent me a direct message on Twitter to confirm, saying “Yes, I love Abeja. Love It…” Just in case you thought he was some unapproachable celeb.
This article makes me want to run out to the nearest Whole Foods and capture a bottle to savor. Love the way in which you make this wine jump off the page – and hopefully into my glass. More, please!
Nice to hear about this wine, it sounds like a great new offering from the region. I’m anxious to get my hands on some and pair it with duck or rare roast beef. Thanks for the tip !
Sounds deliciously complex. Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to visit Abeja next time I travel out that way.
Nice piece, I want to get a bottle now and of course the steak to go with it.
You had me at Abeja. But this sounds like one to stock up on. Thanks for the tip!
Got a glass? Let’s open a bottle. Started to salivate with such a scrumptious description! All aboard for Walla Walla!
Oh, that pencil-lead note in Walla Walla wines! Perfect description. Good write-up, thanks!
Intriguing description, it sounds like the wait to produce a varietal cab paid off. I would love to try this one. Cheers
I like the informative and educational format of this article. Lots of information in an economy of space. I would read more of these so I can know what to buy for my wife. (She is a wine drinker; I prefer Scotch.) My only request is to have a link where I can buy the bottle online—esp. a rare bottle like this one.
I don’t usually drink wine in the middle of the day, but right now I just want to run to the store and buy a bottle….or maybe a few. Great piece.
I am getting thirsty reading the review! I think some wine tasting is in my future.