2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reviews
92+ from Eric Guido with Vinous
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain is dark and brooding in the glass, with a bouquet of tart cherries, sage and cedary spice. It's cool toned and racy, with creamy textures, fresh acidity and a saturation of ripe red and black fruits that settles on the senses. The 2020 finishes with a tart concentration, structured and incredibly long yet beautifully balanced.
Past vintage review: 92+ from Anthony Mueller with The Wine Advocate
The 2019 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, made with 14% Malbec, unfolds with spicy red fruit aromas with a balanced juiciness and firmness. Oak and mineral notes complement the fresh, firm texture, promising aging potential beyond a decade. The wine spent 23 months in a combination of French and Hungarian oak, predominantly new.
Production notes
As much as possible, we take a non-interventionist approach to winemaking. We place great emphasis on vineyard selection, picking, pressing, and blending so that Hightower wines are naturally beautiful and free from pretense. We let the powerful and concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle. We like to think they’re wines with character through and through — in how they were made, how they taste, and in the connections they inspire.
Vineyard
Red Mountain AVA 100%
Out of Line Estate Vineyard 57%
In 2005 we finished planting 10 acres of vineyard: 6 acres planted with 5 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, 2½ acres planted with 4 clones of Merlot, and ½ acres of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot – with all of the plant material certified to be free of diseases and pests. Our vineyard rows are canted eleven degrees off of north-south. This orientation more evenly balances the sun exposure on each side of the vine row, increasing the exposure on the east and decreasing it on the west.
E&E Shaw Vineyard 43%
The grapes from E&E Shaw Vineyard contain floral and feminine characteristics. This vineyard lends intense color, concentrated dark fruit and tannin structure to Hightower wines. Most of Red Mountain is covered by Worden Silt Loam. This soil type retains very little moisture and contains little organic material, both causing the grapes to struggle tremendously. This struggle, channels the vine's energy where it needs to be – in the berries. Red Mountain is one of the warmest sites in Washington and receives an average of 6 inches rainfall per year.
Our signature wine, this Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the bold, distinctive character of Red Mountain. Dark fruit flavors like blackberry and cassis blend with subtle earthy minerality and a touch of spice, all framed by structured tannins. It’s a classic Red Mountain Cabernet—powerful, elegant, and built to age beautifully.
92+ from Eric Guido with Vinous
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain is dark and brooding in the glass, with a bouquet of tart cherries, sage and cedary spice. It's cool toned and racy, with creamy textures, fresh acidity and a saturation of ripe red and black fruits that settles on the senses. The 2020 finishes with a tart concentration, structured and incredibly long yet beautifully balanced.
Past vintage review: 92+ from Anthony Mueller with The Wine Advocate
The 2019 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, made with 14% Malbec, unfolds with spicy red fruit aromas with a balanced juiciness and firmness. Oak and mineral notes complement the fresh, firm texture, promising aging potential beyond a decade. The wine spent 23 months in a combination of French and Hungarian oak, predominantly new.
Red Mountain AVA 100%
Out of Line Estate Vineyard 57%
In 2005 we finished planting 10 acres of vineyard: 6 acres planted with 5 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, 2½ acres planted with 4 clones of Merlot, and ½ acres of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot – with all of the plant material certified to be free of diseases and pests. Our vineyard rows are canted eleven degrees off of north-south. This orientation more evenly balances the sun exposure on each side of the vine row, increasing the exposure on the east and decreasing it on the west.
E&E Shaw Vineyard 43%
The grapes from E&E Shaw Vineyard contain floral and feminine characteristics. This vineyard lends intense color, concentrated dark fruit and tannin structure to Hightower wines. Most of Red Mountain is covered by Worden Silt Loam. This soil type retains very little moisture and contains little organic material, both causing the grapes to struggle tremendously. This struggle, channels the vine's energy where it needs to be – in the berries. Red Mountain is one of the warmest sites in Washington and receives an average of 6 inches rainfall per year.
Tim & Kelly Hightower
Tim and Kelly Hightower founded Hightower Cellars in 1997 in Woodinville, Washington with a simple philosophy: "Get the best grapes and don't screw them up." With their grape supply primarily coming from Red Mountain, the husband and wife co-winemaking team set out to make high quality wine, beginning with their first vintage: 221 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Today Tim and Kelly aim to make wine that lets the powerful, concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself, producing wine with great character, that’s naturally beautiful and free from pretense. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle. We like to think they’re wines with character through and through – in how they were made, how they taste, and in the connections they inspire.
