2012 North by Northwest Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
Color: Lustrous Ruby
Nose: Chocolate, Blackberry, Eucalyptus, Toasted Almond, Vanilla, Leather, Clove
Flavors: Plum, Blackcurrant, Chocolate, Tobacco Leaf, Earth, Nutmeg, Anise
Mouthfeel: A rich entrance flows into a layered mid-palate. The fruit, earth, and tannins find a smooth balance with a long finish.
North by Northwest represents wines made from inland grape growing appellations of the Columbia River Basin of Oregon and Washington. The Columbia Valley is renowned for the ability to grow high-quality grapes in an area of unique terroir. NxNW wines are fruit-driven, flavorful, and aromatic, with balanced structure. Meticulous vineyard selection, skillful blending, and uncompromised commitment to varietal expression yield wines with unique character, a combination exemplified by our NxNW series.
The 2012 vintage is comprised of fruit from several different vineyards, predominantly The Benches, Alder Ridge, Seven Hills, and Les Collines. The addition of Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot contributed to the blend’s full body and firm tannins. Chocolate and black fruits like blackberry and currant take center stage in this smooth and balanced wine. After a rich entrance, fruit and earth blend seamlessly through a lingering finish. Enjoy now through 2025.
The Benches (formerly known as Wallula Benches) is located in the Eastern corner of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in the Wallula Gap. The vineyard sits on southward-facing terraced blocks that range in elevation from 320 to 1,350 feet and overlook Wallula Lake, which provides cooling breezes to moderate extreme summer temperatures. This area is known for its rich, fertile Shano silt loam soils, which were deposited during the Missoula floods; it also benefits from uninterrupted senior water rights to the Columbia River.
The Process:
Fermentation techniques included cold soaking, punch downs, and pump overs, and extended maceration. Aging took place over 16 months in both American and French oak barrels.
Vintage Notes:
2012 brought a return to the classic eastern Washington vintage conditions and a departure from the previous two cooler years experienced in the area. Budbreak was slightly ahead of average, and a cool start to the summer slightly delayed vine development. In late July, warm and dry conditions returned and lasted through mid-October, allowing the fruit to ripen in an ideal situation.
When King Estate was founded in 1991, it was driven by a commitment to sustainability and profound respect for the land. The adventurous spirit that inspired us from the beginning continues to guide us as we nurture our vineyards to craft premium Oregon wines.
The King Estate story is woven into the history of Oregon wine, where winemaking is synonymous with discovery and sustainability. The last 30 years have been focused on innovation, craft, and a deep sense of respect for the land, the vines, and the people who enjoy our wines. We have been establishing our traditions, one vintage at a time.
Crafted with an artisanal style that celebrates the unique characteristics of the Pacific Northwest, our sustainably grown and thoughtfully produced wines are world-renowned.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Dark semi opaque plum color. Nose is bright and expressive with bright, ripe black berries, dark plum, black licorice and damp hay.
Body is nicely balanced front to back. Dry plums skins up front, damp wood, red cranberries, hints of red fruit rollup candy. Fully suspended fine grained dusty tannins add body. This quickly gives way to a dry grippy finish.
This is a well made Cab. Time has been kind. Good body, good tension, good fruit while also being pretty dry. This is a great wine that should appeal to a broad spectrum of palate. Intermediate to advanced especially. Columbia Valley is a gifted region. You can’t go wrong. Cabernet Sauvignon from this region is slightly restrained, while being expressive with great structure. Understated overall and this one is no exception.
At $109 a case this is beyond a steal. It’s Grand Theft Vino! It’s beyond head scratcher. In case I’m not making myself clear… there are gas station wines priced higher than this which you probably should never ingest. Not clear enough? Daou Cab sells for 3x and is complete utter garbage. The phrase “once in a blue moon” gets used way too often… This is not one of those times.
For comparison, over the years similar Cabs I’ve seen of this caliber include, Martin Ray Napa, District 7, Wellington, Moran Manor.
This is a 2012 vintage! Let me order my case-es before it’s all gone.
Old man once told me “a word to the wise is enough”
@stinks yes. I quite like it. It’s like damp wood, or drift wood, or damp forest floor. It’s just a note that evokes a certain thought or reference. It might be a little different for others. For example, I see some other notes refer to leather. I think we are all referring to the same essence. This is all a good thing. Good terroir representation. Good fidelity.
I am sorely tempted to bite on this one. One of the last things I need is more wine, however. My cellar runneth over, so to speak.
That being said, what is pushing me is that I have long, long been looking for a cab with the depth of tanins which I have purchased only on rare occasions–too rare, it seems for most of what I do purchase falls short of my ideal. This is based largely on the description, “Fully suspended fine grained dusty tannins add body. This quickly gives way to a dry grippy finish.”
Wet hay? Damp wood? Gack! Those are a bit off-putting descriptions, and I just hope that I can’t sense them to any recognizable degree… So I am going only for six bottles and an October delivery.
2012 North by Northwest Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
The Process:
Vintage Notes:
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$720.00/Case for 12x 2012 North by Northwest Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley at King Estate Winery
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Sep 29 - Tuesday, Sep 30
2012 North by Northwest Cabernet Sauvignon
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Less than four months to drink it before it “expires”. Sounds like a fun challenge! Looking forward to some rattage!
@mattykillpatty
/giphy craven-actually-temper
What’s the reasoning behind this not shipping to OH? Wine country connect delivers to OH so it’s the fulfillment co.
@user34904412 every winery needs its own licenses to ship you wine, state by state. WCC is just a conduit.
Visit freethegrapes.org
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon by NxNW, Columbia Valley
Dark semi opaque plum color. Nose is bright and expressive with bright, ripe black berries, dark plum, black licorice and damp hay.
Body is nicely balanced front to back. Dry plums skins up front, damp wood, red cranberries, hints of red fruit rollup candy. Fully suspended fine grained dusty tannins add body. This quickly gives way to a dry grippy finish.
This is a well made Cab. Time has been kind. Good body, good tension, good fruit while also being pretty dry. This is a great wine that should appeal to a broad spectrum of palate. Intermediate to advanced especially. Columbia Valley is a gifted region. You can’t go wrong. Cabernet Sauvignon from this region is slightly restrained, while being expressive with great structure. Understated overall and this one is no exception.
At $109 a case this is beyond a steal. It’s Grand Theft Vino! It’s beyond head scratcher. In case I’m not making myself clear… there are gas station wines priced higher than this which you probably should never ingest. Not clear enough? Daou Cab sells for 3x and is complete utter garbage. The phrase “once in a blue moon” gets used way too often… This is not one of those times.
For comparison, over the years similar Cabs I’ve seen of this caliber include, Martin Ray Napa, District 7, Wellington, Moran Manor.
This is a 2012 vintage! Let me order my case-es before it’s all gone.
Old man once told me “a word to the wise is enough”
@winesnob
In for 2 cases. Don’t sleep on this Cab.
/giphy okay-thorny-hand
@winesnob
Is that good? Is that smell common?
@stinks yes. I quite like it. It’s like damp wood, or drift wood, or damp forest floor. It’s just a note that evokes a certain thought or reference. It might be a little different for others. For example, I see some other notes refer to leather. I think we are all referring to the same essence. This is all a good thing. Good terroir representation. Good fidelity.
I am sorely tempted to bite on this one. One of the last things I need is more wine, however. My cellar runneth over, so to speak.
That being said, what is pushing me is that I have long, long been looking for a cab with the depth of tanins which I have purchased only on rare occasions–too rare, it seems for most of what I do purchase falls short of my ideal. This is based largely on the description, “Fully suspended fine grained dusty tannins add body. This quickly gives way to a dry grippy finish.”
Wet hay? Damp wood? Gack! Those are a bit off-putting descriptions, and I just hope that I can’t sense them to any recognizable degree… So I am going only for six bottles and an October delivery.
@Jackinga you won’t be disappointed. Especially for the price.
