Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 is made from 100 percent Cabernet

Napa Valley vintner, Randy Dunn, brings his artistry and expertise to Washington State to produce small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley's finest vineyards. His reputation for producing world-class Cabernet spans more than four decades. After making wines at Caymus from 1975-1985, Randy established Dunn Vineyards on Howell Mountain where he continues to craft distinctive wines of high acclaim.

Tasting Notes: Fresh and expressive, offering ripe blackberry, rose petal and sandalwood aromas. The flavors are vibrant yet focused, layered with dark plum, blueberry, semi-sweet chocolate and clove, wrapped with silky texture and a lengthy finish.

Vintage: The 2009 growing season started a bit cooler and wetter than usual, but the arrival of dry weather in June led to a good fruit set. By July, temperatures had warmed and stayed that way into September. With the warm weather and the vintage’s lower than average yields, grapes ripened quickly and evenly, sparking one of the earliest and fastest harvests on record.

Winemaking: Hand-picked grapes were sorted at the winery, lightly crushed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks. At the peak of fermentation, the cap was pumped over three times daily to extract optimum concentration and tannins. A few lots were fermented with 20% of the stems returned to the tank to give the finished wine added structure, texture and complexity. The wine was aged 22 months in 90% new Vicard French oak barrels.

Vineyards: This wine represents Randy’s seventh vintage in Washington. A frequent visitor here, he has settled on his favorite vineyards: Weinbau and Stone Tree on the Wahluke Slope (40%) were chosen for delicate structure and ripe plum aromas and flavors. Dionysus in the Tri-Cities (20%) gave the wine an added layer of structure and earthiness. Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla (10%) was used to add richness to the mid-palate and for its dark fruit flavors. The balance is comprised of select Columbia Valley and Red Mountain sites chosen for added complexity and balance.

ABV: 14.2%
pH: 3.81
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley AVA

"Deep, dark ruby-red. Musky black cherry, bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and rose petal on the nose. Less viscous than the Pirouette but with explosive fresh fruits nonetheless; this is a full degree lower in alcohol at 14% following a bit of de-alcoholization. Rather suave flavors of sweet berries and dark chocolate. Finishes with serious but ripe tannins that coat the front teeth. This cabernet will require patience"
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Nov/Dec 2012), 92+ pts

"Crafted by Napa veteran Randy Dunn, the Long Shadows 2009 Feather – pure-Cabernet Sauvignon relying heavily fruit from The Benches and Sagemoor’s Weinbau – offers scents and palate-staining impressions of dark berries, spice cake, and tobacco. Thanks to bitter-edged herbal and damp earth elements it is, metaphorically speaking, cooler not to mention less confectionary than most of its stablemates. Finishing with length and sufficient complexity to intrigue, this will, I suspect, merit following for a decade. "
- Wine Advocate (David Schildknecht, December 2012), 92 pts

"Smooth and almost buttery, this new Cabernet from Randy Dunn has plenty of blackberry and black cherry flavors, along with silky tannins. The midpalate fades a bit, though perhaps the wine is just in need of a bit more bottle age. - PG"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 31st 2012), 90 pts