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Owen Bargreen

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It was an unforgettable tasting experience tasting each vintage of Cabernet from 1998-2011 at Dunham Cellars.

Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Retrospective

August 14, 2024

It was a meeting of the minds at Dunham on Draft Day 2024 as we eagerly awaited both a spectacular tasting and the Seahawks future draft selection. It has been several decades since I first tasted at this famed Walla Walla outpost. Dunham Cellars, one of Walla Walla’s iconic wineries, was founded by the Dunham family in 1995. Over the years I have found that Dunham crafts some of the most consistently good overall lineups in the state. These are wines that exude value and consistently overdeliver for the price.

Dunham relies on the talented hands of winemaker Rob Campisi, who was formerly assistant winemaker at Dunham. Rob trained under eminent Washington winemaker, Dan Wampfler and he crafts quite a wide range of wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Trutina (Bordeaux style blend), Three Legged Red (red table wine) and the "Shirley Mays" Chardonnay, a dedication to Eric's grandmother.  

We were tasting every vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon from 1998-2011 which was an unbelievable experience. There were a few surprises in terms of highlights. One of the biggest surprises was the 2000 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) which was amazingly good and flinty as some of the fruit came from the En Cerise Vineyard. A wine that was no surprise was the 2002 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) which is still shining brightly and showed deep concentration and texture from this brilliant vintage. The finest showing was the 2007 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 94) which was deep and rich, showing similarly to my last tasting of it from a 3L.  We were also shocked how good the 2011 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 91) was showing. This was one of the better wines I have recently tasted from this vintage that had very difficult harvest conditions. Learn more about these beautiful wines at dunhamcellars.com Here are the great new wines by Dunham Cellars.

1998 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 1998 shows damp earth and wild mushroom notes aromatically. Fresh and showing good richness, enjoy now and love the next few years. This is a really impressive effort. Drink 2024-2029- 90

1999 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon stored in a combination of French and American oak, this offers layers of truffle, black currants and salty earth on the palate. Even more impressive than the ’98, with a tad more stuffing, enjoy now. Drink 2024-2029- 91

2000 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2000 is a really well-made wine from a tough vintage. Amazingly this has a high percentage of fruit that was sourced from the En Cerise Vineyard owned by Christophe Baron. Salty and savory with wild blackberry fruit character this is seriously good. Roughly 50% new French and American oak. Drink 2024-2030- 92

2001 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2022 Cabernet bottling also has a touch of En Cerise Vineyard involved. Dried sage and mint combine on the nose alongside wild blackberry. This shows good finesse with dark currants and coffee ground notes. Drink 2024-2030- 91

2002 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- Nicely textured this 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon has good finesse and lift, showing dark currants, chocolate and sagebrush notes. Tobacco notes really entice here as this is showing nicely now. Drink 2024-2030- 92

2004 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon shows good body with brace currant cordial, mocha, tar and creme de cassis notes on the palate. Soft and refined, enjoy now. Drink 2024-2028- 91

2005 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon offers garrigue alongside tar, pipe tobacco and marionberry compote on the nose. The palate is lithe and shows good freshness with lighter to medium bodied black fruits with herbal notes. Drink 2024-2030- 91

2006 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2006 Dunham Cabernet was sourced from the Lewis and Double River Vineyards and was stored in French and American oak. The nose is beautifully perfumed, as this shows good weight and finesse. Concentrated black currants and boysenberry fruit flavors combine with espresso grounds. Drink 2024-2030- 93

2007 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning wine that is showing beautifully right now. Mocha, tar and creme de cassis notes com bine with salty earth. Beautifully structured and plush on the mouth, enjoy now. I have formerly enjoyed a 3L of this wine and can attest that the wine still has a long way to go. Drink 2024-2032- 94

2008 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- Refined and delicious, this 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a deep core in the glass. This shows concentrated loganberry and black cherry concentrate alongside espresso grounds. Very refined with good structure, this is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2024-2030- 93

2009 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The really good 2009 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon is a gorgeous nose aromatically with sagebrush and shades of oregano alongside black cherry,  espresso grounds and tar. The palate is plush with a refined texture and serious texture on the palate. Right in its sweet spot, enjoy over the next seven years to come. Drink 2024-2031- 92

2010 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2010 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful wine that comes off a touch on the leaner side but will provide drinking enjoyment now. Once on the nose this takes on crushed sage and mint notes that combine with coffee grounds and wild blackberry. The palate is soft and refined with good structure. This is a bit lacking weight. Drink 2024-2027- 90

2011 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon- One of the biggest surprises of the tasting, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is nicely herbal with good structure. This shows good concentration considering the coolness of the vintage. Mocha, tar and sagebrush combines with coffee grounds. No reason to cellar this excellent 2011. Drink 2024-2029- 91

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