2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reviews
93 points from Eric Guido with Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is dusty and darkly floral, with a bouget of dusty rose, cedar spice box, and lifting nuances of mint and clove. It's seamlessly silky in style yet energetic throughout, with juicy acidity and vibrant red berry fruits underscored by a crisp mineral tones. A pleasantly bitter tinge lingers as edgy tannins pinch at the cheeks yet don’t get in the way of the 2022's energy and verve.
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 70%
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.
Tinte Vineyard (formerly E&E Shaw Vineyard) 30%
Planted in 1995 by Ed and Eve Shaw, Tinte Vineyard has been part of the Hightower story since 1999. Known for its intense color, concentrated dark fruit, and firm tannin structure, this site adds depth and character to our wines. Like every parcel on Red Mountain, it brings its own nuances, shaped by the Worden Silt Loam soils that force the vines to struggle and ultimately focus their energy into the fruit. We are grateful to the Shaws—not only for their vineyard, but also for Eve’s creative touch as the artist behind the original Murray label.
As our signature wine, our Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Red Mountain wine – bold and full of the flavors that make this region so special.
93 points from Eric Guido with Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is dusty and darkly floral, with a bouget of dusty rose, cedar spice box, and lifting nuances of mint and clove. It's seamlessly silky in style yet energetic throughout, with juicy acidity and vibrant red berry fruits underscored by a crisp mineral tones. A pleasantly bitter tinge lingers as edgy tannins pinch at the cheeks yet don’t get in the way of the 2022's energy and verve.
Red Mountain AVA 100%
Out of Line Estate Vineyard 70%
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.
Tinte Vineyard (formerly E&E Shaw Vineyard) 30%
Planted in 1995 by Ed and Eve Shaw, Tinte Vineyard has been part of the Hightower story since 1999. Known for its intense color, concentrated dark fruit, and firm tannin structure, this site adds depth and character to our wines. Like every parcel on Red Mountain, it brings its own nuances, shaped by the Worden Silt Loam soils that force the vines to struggle and ultimately focus their energy into the fruit. We are grateful to the Shaws—not only for their vineyard, but also for Eve’s creative touch as the artist behind the original Murray label.
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.
