JB Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon Yakima Valley 2021

Bright black cherry dominates the nose followed by cassis and huckleberry notes. It is a beautiful nose, with some herbal character that adds dimension and complexity. The palate is soft with rounded edges. Medium bodied with balance throughout. With the pleasant sweetness of oak on the attack, this is a crowd-pleaser.

This wine a blend of three different vineyards, made with the intent of showcasing the best of Yakima Valley. This vintage has fruit primarily from the upper valley: Elephant Mountain Vineyard, Two Blondes Vineyard, and  Red Willow. Red Willow is a James Beard nominated vineyard, yielding earthly grapes with blueberry notes. Elephant Mountain grapes offer plush mouthfeel, balanced on the palate, with nice acidity. Two Blondes is the coolest (temperature-wise) site and the fruit offers incredible aromatics. When blending these vineyards together, Justin created a wine that is balanced, aromatic, full bodied and a great example of Cabernet grown in the Yakima Valley. 2021 was a very hot growing season and this wine is more approachable than previous wines and already smooth, round, with nice tannins. The hot vintage created higher than normal levels of glycerol, a result of warmer fermentation temperatures as well as higher sugars which creates a perceived sweetness or ripe fruit flavor.