- About This Wine
- Ratings & Reviews
- Tasting Notes
About This Wine
Ratings & Reviews
Tasting Notes
ABOUT THIS WINE
REVIEWS
TASTING NOTES
From the rugged slopes of Red Mountain, the 2019 Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon emerges as a wine of precision, power, and polish—a masterstroke in the transatlantic collaboration between Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle. This vintage stands as a testament to the harmony possible when Old World elegance and New World vibrancy are fused with discipline and vision. The cooler 2019 growing season yielded smaller berries with striking concentration, and this wine channels that restraint into a polished, aristocratic Cabernet with breathtaking depth and finesse.
In the glass, the 2019 Col Solare opens with a core of black currant, crushed plum, and ripe blackberry—pure Red Mountain expression—wrapped in a tapestry of dried sage, espresso bean, and loamy earth. There’s an almost Medoc-like structure here, but with the generosity and warmth that defines the Columbia Valley. The nose is refined yet brooding, drawing you into a palate that’s deeply layered and superbly balanced. Rich flavors of dark cherry and cocoa glide across the tongue, framed by tightly woven, ultra-fine tannins that speak to the meticulous élevage in 100% new French oak for 22 months.
The Cabernet Sauvignon (95%) dominates with noble intensity, while the 5% Cabernet Franc lends a whisper of aromatic lift and textural poise. Vineyards like Shaw 32, Quintessence, and the Col Solare Estate itself—cornerstones of Red Mountain terroir—contribute to a final blend that showcases the iron-rich soils, sun-drenched exposures, and wind-sculpted fruit that define the AVA. At 14.5% alcohol, the wine remains poised, never hot or overblown, carried instead by its remarkable freshness and age-worthy acidity.
This is a wine destined for the cellar, yet irresistible in its youth with decanting. It will easily evolve for two decades, gaining tertiary nuance and silken grace along the way. Col Solare 2019 is not just a standout from Washington—it is a standard-bearer for American Cabernet Sauvignon, offering the pedigree, craftsmanship, and sense of place that connoisseurs crave. In a vintage that challenged many, this bottling soars, delivering a wine that is both intellectually compelling and sensually gratifying. This is Red Mountain at its most refined.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 14.5%
In the glass, the 2019 Col Solare opens with a core of black currant, crushed plum, and ripe blackberry—pure Red Mountain expression—wrapped in a tapestry of dried sage, espresso bean, and loamy earth. There’s an almost Medoc-like structure here, but with the generosity and warmth that defines the Columbia Valley. The nose is refined yet brooding, drawing you into a palate that’s deeply layered and superbly balanced. Rich flavors of dark cherry and cocoa glide across the tongue, framed by tightly woven, ultra-fine tannins that speak to the meticulous élevage in 100% new French oak for 22 months.
The Cabernet Sauvignon (95%) dominates with noble intensity, while the 5% Cabernet Franc lends a whisper of aromatic lift and textural poise. Vineyards like Shaw 32, Quintessence, and the Col Solare Estate itself—cornerstones of Red Mountain terroir—contribute to a final blend that showcases the iron-rich soils, sun-drenched exposures, and wind-sculpted fruit that define the AVA. At 14.5% alcohol, the wine remains poised, never hot or overblown, carried instead by its remarkable freshness and age-worthy acidity.
This is a wine destined for the cellar, yet irresistible in its youth with decanting. It will easily evolve for two decades, gaining tertiary nuance and silken grace along the way. Col Solare 2019 is not just a standout from Washington—it is a standard-bearer for American Cabernet Sauvignon, offering the pedigree, craftsmanship, and sense of place that connoisseurs crave. In a vintage that challenged many, this bottling soars, delivering a wine that is both intellectually compelling and sensually gratifying. This is Red Mountain at its most refined.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 14.5%
96 POINTS - "Made with 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a fresh, juicy, firm profile with a dense core of dark fruit and dusty florals. Lifted aromas of spiced cherry, plum skin and fresh blackberry add complexity to the nose. Full-bodied and firm on the palate, it features a delightful tannic edge and a balanced expression of spicy oak as the wine unpacks along the ever-evolving finish. This beauty will remain food friendly and age-worthy until its 21st birthday, perhaps even longer. Grapes from the Quintessence, Col Solare Estate and Shaw vineyards were used. The wine aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak, and approximately 36,000 bottles were produced." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
95 POINTS - "A study in refinement and elegance, fruit takes a back seat to floral, savoury and mineral elements in the wine's aromatics of violet, lavender, sage and subtle black currant. The palate continues to demonstrate grace with black tea, crushed stone, savoury garrigue and cassis flavours. Beautiful." - Decanter
94 POINTS - "This is attractive, with crushed blackberries and blackcurrants, chocolate orange, anisette and spicy herbs. Full-bodied with tight and compact yet finely polished tannins. Structured and firm with finesse and a velvety mouth-feel. It slowly reveals dark-fruit character as it progresses, which lasts long on the palate. 95% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc. Needs some time to soften. Try from 2025." - James Suckling
92 POINTS - "Beautifully balanced with a silky mouthfeel, this wine's rich black fruit aromas tip-toe up to cassis territory. Tinier notes of lilac and pork fat hitting the red-hot coals of a grill are stunning. Blackberry, black tea, orange peel and dark chocolate flavors are winning in every way." - Wine Enthusiast
90 POINTS - "Refined and expressive, with multilayered blackberry, savory tarragon and stony mineral flavors that build tension and structure toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030. 2,992 cases made." - Wine Spectator
95 POINTS - "A study in refinement and elegance, fruit takes a back seat to floral, savoury and mineral elements in the wine's aromatics of violet, lavender, sage and subtle black currant. The palate continues to demonstrate grace with black tea, crushed stone, savoury garrigue and cassis flavours. Beautiful." - Decanter
94 POINTS - "This is attractive, with crushed blackberries and blackcurrants, chocolate orange, anisette and spicy herbs. Full-bodied with tight and compact yet finely polished tannins. Structured and firm with finesse and a velvety mouth-feel. It slowly reveals dark-fruit character as it progresses, which lasts long on the palate. 95% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc. Needs some time to soften. Try from 2025." - James Suckling
92 POINTS - "Beautifully balanced with a silky mouthfeel, this wine's rich black fruit aromas tip-toe up to cassis territory. Tinier notes of lilac and pork fat hitting the red-hot coals of a grill are stunning. Blackberry, black tea, orange peel and dark chocolate flavors are winning in every way." - Wine Enthusiast
90 POINTS - "Refined and expressive, with multilayered blackberry, savory tarragon and stony mineral flavors that build tension and structure toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030. 2,992 cases made." - Wine Spectator
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas of black currant, plum, and blackberry with subtle notes of dried herb, coffee, and loamy earth. Layered in complexity with flavors of dark cherry and cocoa, this wine has rich, refined tannins that lead to a long, elegant finish.