2015 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon
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.
A warm, dry spring arrived early in 2015 and was followed by a hot summer. Careful canopy management throughout the growing season helped protect the grapes from too much sun. Although warm daytime temperatures persisted throughout the fall, evening temperatures were cool which helped to perfectly ripen the vintage’s small, thick-skinned berries. The resulting wines are both powerful and elegant.
Hand-harvested grapes picked at the peak of ripeness were sorted, lightly crushed and fermented in small stainless-steel tanks. Once fermentation started, the cap was pumped over aggressively to extract color and structure. As fermentation neared completion, pump overs were handled more gently to further extract color and flavor without imparting harsh tannins. The wine was aged 22 months in 90% new Vicard French oak barrels, Randy’s preferred cooper at Dunn Vineyards as well.
The 2015 Feather is a vibrant, dynamic wine that possesses deep crimson color, supple tannins and balanced acidity. Expressive aromas and flavors of dried Bing cherries and bittersweet chocolate are complemented by hints of red pepper and thyme that gain focus on the mid-palate and add appeal to the wine’s long, layered finish.
97 POINTS - JEB DUNNUCK
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley |
| Acid | 0.58 grams / 100ml |
| PH | 3.9 |
| Alcohol | 14.80% |
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Volume | 750 ml |
2015 FEATHER - 97 POINTS
"The 2015 Feather is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 90% new French oak barrels. Its inky purple color is followed by a seamless, pure, impeccable balanced Cabernet that has loads of currants, scorched earth, graphite, and espresso aromas and flavors. Deep, rich, gorgeously pure and polished, with building tannin, it's a heavenly Cabernet Sauvignon that has everything you could want. It's the finest vintage to date of this cuvée and it's capable of lasting for 20-25 years."
2015 FEATHER - 96 POINTS
"The 2015 Feather is lovely, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, blackberries, petroleum jelly and burning embers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ripe and powerful, with an expansive attack and an ample core of dark berry fruit, underpinned by a fine-grained, stony chassis of ripe tannins. This wine is made by Howell Mountain veteran Randy Dunn, and its profile will be familiar to followers of the wines he produces there."
2015 FEATHER - 93 POINTS
"Beautiful aromas of blackberries, black olives and flowers follow through to a full body. Round, silky tannins and a delicious finish. Shows tension and focus."
The 2015 Feather is a blend of four distinct Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon growing regions selected to create a complex, layered wine. Equal parts Dionysus (Columbia Valley) and Weinbau (Wahluke Slope) vineyards give the wine its structure and backbone, along with intense fruit flavors. Summit View Vineyard (Walla Walla) adds a dark fruit component, particularly notable on the mid-palate and Sonnet Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills) brings elegant, refined tannins to the finished blend.
Randy Dunn is one of the world’s most celebrated makers of extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignons.
Dunn established his reputation at Caymus Winery from 1975 to 1985, where his Cabernet Sauvignons became the benchmark for the industry. In addition, his artistry shaped other premium wineries that now enjoy an acclaimed place in the sun (Pahlmeyer, Livingston, La Jota and others). Since 1979, Dunn has produced roughly 5,000 cases a year of his Dunn Vineyards Cabernets.
Randy is known not only for his famous wines, but for his philosophy on how to make wine. He does it his way - leaving the floor of the Napa Valley “to corn and melon farmers,” he tends his vines in the red stony soil of Howell Mountain. There are no road signs; no retail sales. And don’t look for him in a winery tour guide. No time for that, as Randy spends his quiet hours making his wonderful heirloom wines.
Randy lives with his wife, Lori, next to the winery on Howell Mountain.
