2021 ABEJA Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
Quick Description
- "Generous and Delicious NOW!" ~96 Owen Bargreen
- "Delicious and Built to Cellar" ~95 Decanter
- "Washington Winery of the Year" ~ Great Northwest Wine
- 100pt Winemaker, Behind Columbia Crest’s Wine Spectator #1 of 2009
- Nominated for Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards
- BHW has the Lowest Price Anywhere!
- Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles
2021 ABEJA Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
- "Generous and Delicious NOW!" ~96 Owen Bargreen
- "Delicious and Built to Cellar" ~95 Decanter
- "Washington Winery of the Year" ~ Great Northwest Wine
- 100pt Winemaker, Behind Columbia Crest’s Wine Spectator #1 of 2009
- Nominated for Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards
- BHW has the Lowest Price Anywhere!
- Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles
About the Wine
If you think about a 96pt rated Napa Cab from a top vintage and 100pt winemaker, you would be happy to pay $150 or more. Well, that’s what you’re getting here from Columbia Valley for under $60. This wine is better than Leonetti or Quilceda Creek which sell from $125-200/btl.
Founded by the pioneering Ken and Ginger Harrison, this winery has become synonymous with excellence in the Columbia Valley, and the 2021 vintage? It’s a masterpiece that will have wine lovers and critics alike buzzing for years to come.
From the Skysill, Heather Hill, and Mill Creek vineyards—some of the most prestigious estates in the region—this wine is a true reflection of the land, the history, and the people behind it. For the Wampflers, winemakers Dan and Amy Alvarez-Wampfler, the goal is simple: to craft wines that reflect the best of the Walla Walla Valley. And they have succeeded. With a commitment to estate-grown, sustainable fruit, the wine offers complexity and depth that’s hard to match.
Dan Wampfler is the winemaker who helped craft Columbia Crest’s 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which became Wine Spectator's No. 1 Wine of the Year in 2009, has poured decades of expertise into every bottle of Abeja wine. This is a winery that knows how to make exceptional wine—and it shows.
This isn’t just another Cabernet—it’s the best of what Washington has to offer, and the critics agree. In fact, Abeja was named 2023 Washington Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine, cementing their status as the go-to producer in the Pacific Northwest. And let’s not forget Abeja’s remarkable run at the Great Northwest Invitational, where their wines have repeatedly taken top honors—Best of Show, Double Platinum, and the kind of praise that tells you this is a winery you can trust for nothing but the absolute best.
Abeja’s commitment to quality isn’t just limited to their wines, either. The Inn at Abeja is nominated for Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards—a testament to the unparalleled hospitality and serene, wine-country atmosphere they’ve cultivated over the years.
When you drink the 2021 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon, you’re not just tasting a wine—you’re experiencing the culmination of a vision that started with Ken and Ginger Harrison back in the late 90s. From finding the perfect vineyard to restoring a historic farmstead, they laid the foundation for what Abeja has become today. With Dan and Amy at the helm, the dream has transformed into something much bigger—a world-class winery with a world-class reputation.
2021 was a great vintage for this region. Wine Spectator blessed this year with a 93 point review and said they "come across as beautifully balanced with rich fruit, well-retained acids and ripe tannins."
Aging: 21 Months in 60% 2nd use 40% new French oak.
Tasting Notes
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot. Crushed blackberries greet the nose with a minty freshness intertwined with warming vanillins and rich umami undertones. The broad entry is filled with a medley of crushed berries and stone fruits. The palate is firm but elegantly structured, promising enjoyment from now well into the years ahead. Layers of nocino, cocoa, and Oolong tea bring further intricacies to the dark fruits, leading into a full and drawn-out finish.
Critical Reviews
The 2021 Abeja ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful rendition of this wine that has 13% Merlot blended in and hails from the Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley, and White Bluffs AVAs. Once on the nose this offers dark currants and sandalwood tones alongside Black Forest cake and tar accents. The palate is deep and refined with a smooth mouthfeel and great sense of concentration. Generous and delicious to consume now, this will cellar well for at least another fifteen years. ~96 Owen Bargreen
The varietal calling card of this Cabernet Sauvignon (with 13% Merlot) from throughout the Columbia Valley is its savory core. Aromatics of bay leaf, eucalyptus and whispers of roasted hatch pepper mark an elegance accompanying this wine's depth and apparent longevity. The savory, dried garrigue and lavender notes envelope red and black fruits across the palate as black cherry flesh and perfectly picked blackberries are met with a prominent streak of graphite. Delicious and built to cellar. ~95 Decanter
Refined and attractively structured, with expressive black cherry and currant flavors laced with hints of tobacco and cedar as this finishes with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031. 4,216 cases made. ~93 Wine Spectator
This wine is pulled from vineyards across the Columbia Valley, including Heather Hill, Bacchus, Dionysus, Ciel du Cheval and Destiny Ridge. A nuanced wine, it shows winemaker John Abbott in top form with its rich, layered fruit flavors, dazzling sense of texture and lengthy finish. It's drinking beautifully but promises to have a long life in front of it in the cellar. ~93 Wine Enthusiast
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon opens in the glass with a balsamic tinge, giving way to mentholated herbs and musky blackcurrants. It is silky smooth yet lifted in feel with sweet inner herbal tones and masses of ripe dark red fruits. This finishes structured and long yet still quite fresh. ~93 Vinous Media
Well-balanced, fresh-tasting and generous in red and black fruit. A zingy, lightly tannic texture frames raspberries, black cherries and light cinnamon accents. 87% cabernet sauvignon and 13% merlot. Drink or hold. ~91 James Suckling
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Food Pairing
Ribs
Red Meat
Grilled Meat
Grilled
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