2015 Cabernet Sauvignon

Drew Bledsoe’s 50-acre McQueen holding at SeVein at 1,450 feet is planted mostly to clones 4, 6 and 8 of Cabernet Sauvignon, but he also has bits of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec planted on this north-facing slope in what winemaker Josh McDaniel describes as “a buckle from the tectonic plates.” (Bledsoe will soon plant some Syrah on a new south-facing ridge.) McQueen, says McDaniel, produces fruit that is “always lower in alcohol and more acid-driven” than Seven Hills just 300 feet below it. There’s also more wind at McQueen, which brings smaller clusters and berries and more tannins, but the site enjoys longer hang time. Bledsoe also is part-owner of another slightly lower vineyard within Sevein featuring deeper soil and more protection from the wind. And he recently purchased 48 acres of land just south of Walla Walla, in a cooler site across from Forgotten Hills, where he is building a winery and has already planted five acres of Syrah. And he also started a Chardonnay project with the 2016 vintage, working with purchased fruit. Still, Bledsoe is moving in the direction of estate-grown wines (except for the Chardonnay), even if he continues to purchase red grapes, including from some of Leonetti Cellars’ old blocks.

McDaniel, who officially took over as winemaker from Chris Figgins in 2015, also finished the 2014s. Production is now about 7,500 cases per year, but the new winery is built for 10,000 to 12,000. A new Bledsoe Family Winery label will be introduced for the Chardonnay, Syrah and rosé, while Doubleback will be used just for the Cabernet. Incidentally, with the 2015 vintage, there will now be a Doubleback Reserve bottling entirely from estate fruit.