Today we share one of the great houses on Red Mountain. Founded back in 2011, Duckhorn pioneers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn saw the great potential for adding Washington Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain to their portfolio of wines. With what was initially only a few wines made, today Canvasback has a very large portfolio of wines — from Riesling and Rose to inky Cabernets. For years they have utilized the vineyard management talents of Dick Boushey to source from some of the state’s great sites including Klipsun, The Funk Estate, La Coye, Shaw and Quintessence Vineyards. Canvasback crafts their ‘Grand Passage’ Cabernet Sauvignon, entirely sourced from Red Mountain and also has a relatively new estate vineyard, the Longwinds Vineyard, on Red Mountain right above Col Solare. The Longwinds Vineyard was planted in 2013 and has 13.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.5 acres of Merlot, with the Cabernet grown in the rockier, exposed soils at the top of the vineyard, and the Merlot grown near the bottom, where the soils have higher water-holding capacity.
Former winemaker Brian Rudin is originally from Eastern Washington and worked at L’Ecole No. 41 before serving as head winemaker for four years at Cadaretta and Buried Cane. He made some amazing wines from the 2021 vintage. There is a new winemaker at Canvasback, Joseph Czarny, who worked under Brian. Last year Brian moved to Echolands to be their head winemaker in Walla Walla. I adored the 2021 Canvasback ‘Grand Passage’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 94) which is dense and heady stuff from Red Mountain. Learn more about these great new wines at https://www.canvasbackwine.com Here are the beautiful new Cabernet Sauvignon releases by Canvasback.
2022 Greenwing ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2022 Greenwing Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a range of sites throughout the Columbia Valley. This is smooth on the mouth, showing medium bodied dark fruits with chocolate and refined tannins. Enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2030- 90
2020 Canvasback ‘Red Haven Vineyard ’ Syrah- The 2022 ‘Red Haven Vineyard’ Syrah is full-throttle effort that is loaded with dense dark fruits on the palate, with scorched earth and menthol notes. Full-bodied and fully delicious, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2021 Canvasback ‘Funk Vineyard’ Syrah- The really good 2021 Canvasback ‘Funk Vineyard’ Syrah is a fabulous effort from this warm vintage. Coming from this famed stony site in the Rocks District, this offers Umami and roasted dates on the nose alongside shades of dried figs and blood orange zest. The palate is soft and inviting with a great texture and underlying tension. Approachable now, watch this evolve over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 94
2021 Canvasback ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a great wine made from this warm vintage. It is texturally beautiful, showing gorgeous cassis and mountain huckleberry fruit flavors that mingle well with chocolate and baking spices. Forward and delicious, enjoy over the next eight plus years. Drink 2024-2034- 92
2021 Canvasback ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from several sites in the Walla Walla Valley, the 2021 ‘Walla Walla Valley’ offers tar, menthol and sagebrush with rich dark fruits on the nose. The palate is soft and refined with a smooth mouthfeel and great sense of verve. Delicious and well-structured, enjoy this beautiful wine now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2036- 93
2021 Canvasback ‘Grand Passage’ Cabernet Sauvignon- A really great wine from this hot vintage, the 2021 ‘Grand Passage’ is their barrel select wine made from Red Mountain. This is seamless throughout the drinking experience, showing really good flavor range from boysenberry cordial and mocha to tar, leather, salty soils and shades of huckleberry. Full-bodied and delicious, enjoy now and over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 94
2021 Canvasback ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The famed ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ is perched below the Blue Mountains. This high elevation site was planted back in 2001. This shows stony and savory aspects with dried herbs alongside a rich core of black fruits with chocolate and Turkish coffee accents. Glorious to savor now, enjoy over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 94