Redwood Creek Winemaker Sean Hails Grew up in Ontario, Canada

Columbia Winery™ 2016 LX2 Cabernet Sauvignon

With roots dating back to 1962, Columbia Winery has been discovering and celebrating Washington wine for over 55 years. Columbia’s forward-thinking philosophy continues today in the hands of a talented and innovative winemaking team led by Winemaker Sean Hails. We believe the sum of Washington is greater than its parts, inspiring winemaking and blending philosophies rooted in discovery, sourcing our fruit from across a range of Washington’s premier AVAs. Guided by our vision of high quality, approachable wines, each season we select premier vineyard sites, refine our oak regimen and cellar techniques to impart nuance, texture, and complexity in our wines.

About the Wine: We challenged ourselves to make the most exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the most prestigious vineyards. Our limited-release 2016 LX2 is that wine. Elegant aromas of plum and dark ripe blackberries rise from the glass and amplify layers of dark cherry on the palate. Layers of dark fruit sprinkled with hints of brown spice, leather and vanilla give our LX2 a big, beautiful structure with firm lush tannins and richly textured finish.

Viticulture Notes: The 2016 growing season began earlier than usual with warmer temperatures lasting through spring and into summer. The arid climate and ample sunshine led to an early bud break and accelerated vine growth. As we approached harvest, temperatures cooled and allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly. For our blend, we focused on fruit from Red Mountain and Wahluke – Quintessence Vineyard, on the eastern end of Red Mountain with a gentler slope coming off the mountain and Shaw Block 32 on the western end of the mountain. Weinbau and Klipsun Vineyards also played a role in the creation of LX2.

Winemaking Notes: We hand harvested LX2 in the cool mornings of mid-September and October, then delivered them to the winery in the early afternoon. From there, we hand sorted and destemmed the grapes, leaving only perfect tiny berries. Open top fermentation occurred at 85°F to 90°F with pump overs and punch downs, along with seed removal to extract color and flavor. Malolactic fermentation softened the acid level and created a complex mouthfeel. We aged LX2 in 225 and 265-liter barrels for 18 months with 70% French and 30% were American oak (82% new). To add another layer of spice, we double-oaked 26% of the wine in new French oak after blending.

Varietal Content: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 1% Malbec Appellation: Columbia Valley AVA Alcohol Content: 14.8% Titratable Acidity: 0.56/100ml pH: 3.77 Bottling Date: August 7, 2018 Cases Produced: 106