Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

The 2022 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon is a richly textured, elegantly structured wine. Aromas of black cherry, sweet spice, nutmeg, and earthy undertones lead to a concentrated palate of dark fruit flavors. Silky tannins provide a refined framework, balancing the wine’s plush mid-palate and sophisticated finish. The wine reveals even greater complexity as it opens, hinting at its potential for graceful aging.

The 2022 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon is anchored by two renowned Washington growing regions. Horse Heaven Hills vineyards impart silky tannins and Old World elegance, while White Bluffs vineyards, home to some of the state’s oldest Cabernet vines, add depth and structure. Weinbau Vineyard’s Block 10 brings low yields and intense concentration, and the historic 1972 Cabernet plantings at Bacchus and Dionysus contribute firm tannins and a powerful backbone.

The 2022 Columbia Valley growing season brought challenges, rewards, and, ultimately, a vintage to celebrate. Winemaker Gilles Nicault worked closely with growers on canopy management to ensure a balanced vine while a large crop allowed for aggressive thinning at veraison to promote even ripening. Cool early September temperatures were followed by a warm, sunny stretch through October, providing ideal hangtime for the grapes to reach physiological maturity. The resulting wines showcase vibrant color, impeccable structure, and expressive, layered flavors.

Hand-harvested grapes picked at the peak ripeness were sorted, lightly crused, and fermented in small stainless steel tanks. During early fermentation, the cellar team pumped over the cap 2-3 times daily to enhance color and structure. As fermentation progressed, pumpovers were gradually softened to preserve fine tannins and texture. After fermentation, the wine was transferred to French oak barrels, 85% new, where it aged for 22 months,　developing depth, balance, and refined complexity.

Long Shadows Vintners was founded in 2002 by Washington wine visionary Allen Shoup, who was President and CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle from 1984-2000 forged internationally acclaimed winemaking partnerships with Piero Antinori (Col Solare) and Dr. Ernst Loosen (Eroica Riesling).  Long Shadows Vintners now builds upon those successes by bringing an elite cadre of the world’s most celebrated winemakers from the finest wine regions around the globe to Washington in order to create world class wines that showcase the viticultural excellence of Washington State’s Columbia Valley. Each celebrated vintner partners individually with Shoup and resident winemaker Gilles Nicault on a distinct winemaking program to produce a single “best of type” wine under a unique label.  These include: Pedestal Merlot by Michel Rolland (international consultant and owner of Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol); Sequel Syrah by John Duval (formerly of Penfold’s Grange, South Australia); Poet’s Leap Riesling by Armin Diel (Schlossgut Diel, Nahe, Germany); Pirouette by Agustin Huneeus (Quintessa, Napa Valley) and Philippe Melka (Bryant Family, Napa Valley); Chester-Kidder by Allen Shoup and Gilles Nicault (former winemaker at Woodward Canyon, Walla Walla Valley); and Feather by Randy Dunn (Dunn Vineyards, Napa Valley, formerly of Caymus), and Saggi by Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari (A. & G. Folonari Tenute). Long Shadows is named in tribute to the stature of this select group of individuals, who continue to shape the wine industry with their benchmark wines and wineries.