Happy Washington Wine Month to you all! Many years ago I was at Januik and Novelty Hill having an informal tasting with friends. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Andrew Januik, whom I knew was become more and more involved in his family winery. I was able to snag him for several minutes as he casually mentioned ‘I’m thinking of doing my own wine’ to all of our delights. When queried more he shared that he wanted to do a Red Mountain project.
In all fairness, Andrew didn’t choose an easy vintage to make his first Andrew Januik wine. But what he has crafted since its inception has been seriously good stuff. I’ve been really impressed with these wines that now include his ‘Southern Sojourn’ wine from Argentina. His ‘Stone Cairn’ is a Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that is inky and intense, with beautiful texture and a good core of finesse. The wine is sourced from a host of Red Mountain AVA vineyards including Shaw, Obelisco, Quintessence, and Ciel du Cheval vineyards. Oak treatment is moderate, usually around 55% for roughly twenty months.
Last Friday I had the great opportunity to visit Andrew and taste through a vertical of his ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon. There certainly was a common theme of richness, great acidity and tons of non-fruit tones that are a classic marker for Red Mountain. I found the 2011 ‘Stone Cairn’ (OB, 91) to be nicely evolved and peaking now, which is an awesome wine and shows plenty of richness despite the coolness of the vintage. Both the 2012 and 2013 bottling were great for different reasons. The 2012 has killer finesse and verve, coming off slightly more nuanced, while the 2013 is rich, dense and still has great freshness. Both have awesome aging potential. I was blown away with the new release, the 2018 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ (OB, 94) which is fresh and vibrant but has a seamless texture and gorgeous aromatic and flavor range. This is one for the cellar. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/wines/andrew-januik/ Here are my tasting notes from my Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Retrospective tasting.
2011 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The bell pepper and tobacco leaf tones mingle with wild blackberry on the nose. The palate shows good stuffing with a nice core of dark fruits with sweet pipe tobacco and anise tones. This is showing beautifully as the wine should be enjoyed over the next five to seven years. Drink 2021-2026- 91
2012 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2012 ‘Stone Cairn’ is a fabulous showing from this outstanding vintage. On the nose this takes on lighter herbal tones alongside blackberry, milk chocolate and tobacco leaf. The palate shows a great air of elegance with rich dark fruits that mingle with espresso grounds and shades of blueberry compote. The bright acidity and great core of fruits and lighter saline tones make me think this has long way to go. Drink 2021-2032- 93
2013 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2013 ‘Stone Cairn’ is a fantastic wine that shows plenty of exotic appeal. Tar and black licorice tones march on with espresso bean and blueberry cordial on the palate. This still has a great core of freshness. This is sensational wine that has at least another decade to go. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2014 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2014 ‘Stone Cairn’ shows off intense exotic spices with shades of creosote, black currants and black cherry cordial on the nose. The palate has incredible freshness and verve, with a great dusting off salinity. A wonderful; wall of dark fruits greet you with fantastic length. Enjoyable now, this will cellar well over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2015 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- I love where the 2015 ‘Stone Cairn’ is at the six year mark. Creosote tones alongside mocha and blackberry compote flavors mingle with smoky undertones on the palate. This is already quite nicely evolved and probably is best consumed over the next five years. Drink 2021-2026- 92
2018 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 ‘Stone Cairn’ by Andrew Januik is quite possibly the finest wine I have tasted from this talented young winemaker. The wine is dense and chewy now at the three year mark. The nose has really great range from tar and pipe tobacco to blueberry compote, mocha and loganberry preserves. The wine shows incredible decadence and a seamless texture. Once on the mouth this effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. This is big but has a great sense of elegance, as this beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon will cellar well for another decade or more. Drink 2021-2034- 94