Review: 2019 DeLille Cellars Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon
DeLille Cellars primarily produces Bordeaux style blends, but today we are trying one of their 100% cabernet sauvignon wines, and it’s an exciting one. The grapes for Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon are drawn from four vineyards in the Red Mountains region in southeastern Washington state. If you haven’t heard of the Red Mountains wine region before, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with it. It is an AVA, an official American Viticultural Area, that produces excellent wines, particularly cabernet sauvignon and merlot. As interest in Washington state wines has increased in recent years, this region has drawn particular attention. Let’s give it a try.
The wine pours deep purple in the glass and has a gentle nose of plum, tobacco, and black olive. On first sip, it is tight and restrained, and even shows an unpleasant alcohol note. Given time to open, it transforms into a surprisingly soft wine, particularly compared to the power often found in Napa cabernet. Enjoyable notes of plum, blackberry, and savory black olive play together quite nicely with light wood tannins, and once it had a chance to breathe, the wine showed no sharp edges or negative notes. The mouthfeel is silky, and the finish is fairly long as notes of plum slowly fade. When I paired it with steak and a bold, roasted tomato sauce, the wine came into its own as the acidity brought necessary structure to help it stand up to the strong acids and fats in the meal. The price point is a bit high, but for fans of cabernet sauvignon, it’s definitely worth trying, particularly when paired with flavorful dishes.
B+ / $75 / delillecellars.com
2019 DeLille Cellars Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon
$75
