Expensive wine 162: 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Once again, Washington state producer offers quality and value – and just in time for the holidays

Thank you, 10000 Hours.

In an era when finding expensive wine worth writing about has become past difficult, this Washington state producer has done the blog proud twice.

The first was in January, with its red blend. Today, we have the 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($30, sample, 14.5%), which takes the red blend in a decidedly Washington state cabernet direction.

That means a dense, rich red wine that doesn’t taste like it came from Napa – so less obvious oak, more intriguing tannins and lots and lots and lots of black fruit. So layers and layers, though hardly subtle. The winery’s tasting notes probably wax a little more poetic about espresso beans than they should, but I’ll forgive the excess. The wine is that well done – and it’s hardly the kind of style that I wax much poetic about.

The rest of the technical stuff: Five grapes the blend, though 84 percent cabernet; the grapes come form Washington state’s Red Mountain, a highly acclaimed region; and this wine will age maybe 8 or 10 years, another plus at this price.

Highly recommended, and just the thing for a holiday dinner for a red wine drinker who wants to go a slightly different direction.