Wine of the week: Greenwing, 2019 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Brian Rudin grew up skiing the steep Cascade Mountains in Washington state. The self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie” said he’s fearless about waiting for the opportune time to pick cabernet sauvignon grapes.

“If you wait too long, you can get burned by the season-ending frosts and freezing temperatures,” said the winemaker of Greenwing, in Washington state’s Columbia Valley. “But if you start too early, you trade off some of the textural finesse and aromatic expression that can happen later in the game.”

Rudin is behind The Press Democrat’s wine of the week winner — the Greenwing, 2019 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $30. This cab is a steal for the price with its generous fruit — cherry, raspberry and black plum — coupled with its crisp acid. Its notes of anise and cracked black pepper in the mix make it even more interesting. With 86% cabernet sauvignon and 14% merlot, it has good structure and firm tannins. It edged out the other contenders for wine of the week because of the caliber of this cab at this price.

Other striking, but more expensive, cabernet sauvignons include: Covenant Solomon, Lot 70, 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $200; Inglenook, 2018 Rutherford, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $100; Lail Vineyards’ Blueprint, 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $90; and Sullivan Rutherford Estate’s Coeur de Vigne, 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $120.

As for the Greenwing, what gave it the edge was its extended growing season, which allowed its grapes to fully ripen, Rudin said.

“Washington state is an incredible place to grow grapes,” he said. “We have over 300 days of sunshine out in the Columbia Valley. We have incredible soils, ample clean water off the Columbia River and epic hillside sites for growing cabernet.”

What many don’t know about cabernet, Rudin said, is that it’s one of the wine grapes that takes the longest to ripen on the vine.

“Being a late ripener pushes its harvest in Washington state out to mid-October, when the season starts to become cool on a daily basis,” he said. “This phenomenon really preserves the acidity of cabernet grown here, and you’ll frequently find that Washington cabernets have racy, juicy acid, juxtaposing their ripe flavors and broad textures.”

The most challenging part of making cabernet, Rudin said, is that it runs the risk of feeling hard on the palate.

“Think of thick-skinned cabernet as akin to a rough cowhide that, with refinement, can make a butter-soft Italian leather sofa. … It takes us two and a half years in the cellar and bottle to get it there, and we never take our eye off texture all the while.”

Greenwing, founded in 2017, is a brand in the Duckhorn portfolio. Rudin said he endeavors to produce wines that overdeliver.

“Great wines don’t need to cost a fortune,” Rudin said. “In Washington state we offer incredible value in the world of wine, and we want this $30 cabernet to taste like wines twice the price.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com and 707-521-5310.