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Wine Recommendation
DiStefano Wines
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon(Columbia Valley)
Winemaker Mark Newton and his wife Donna DiStefano, Special Events Director, own and operate this small winery in Woodinville. Mark started in the wine business after a visit to California’s Domaine Chandon, inspiring him in 1994 to produce a methode champenoise from Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Whittlesey Mark sparkling wine. In 1990 he shifted gears from bubbles to Bordeaux blends, naming the new wines after his wife’s family. Enologist Matt Glaser and Associate Winemaker Hillary Sjolund round out the production team.
Bright, opaque ruby with crimson at the rim, this youthful wine has slow-moving tears. On the nose it is varietally expressive and unique with cassis, mulberry, smoke, pine needles, pinecone, tree bark, sap, and molasses notes. It has a very smooth entry with plush fruit -- plum, cassis, and some underlying herbaceous notes -- and then the wood tannins kick in. The finish is long and slightly chewy. This understated style of Cabernet is not typical of the Columbia Valley, and is a refreshing change of pace from the sweet, ripe, more heavily oaked styles. Serve it with pork chops with maple bacon or lamb shanks with eggplant.
Reviewed February 6, 2007 by Catherine Fallis.
Other reviewed wines from DiStefano Wines
The Wine
Winery: DiStefano Wines |
The Reviewer
Catherine Fallis
Founder and President of Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing the joy of wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people, Catherine is creator of the “grape goddess guides to good living,” a series of books, television presentations, seminars, and e-learning programs. The fifth woman in the world to become a Master Sommelier, grape goddess Catherine Fallis is still very much down-to-earth. |