g3 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled by Goose Ridge Vineyards

Showing well today, with even better potential.

Whenever I drive to work in Prosser, I pass the extensive Goose Ridge estate vineyards. The production facility is visible in the background from the highway. Their local tasting room is on Dallas Road in Richland. A cozy place, with a Bocce ball court and a wide open lawn perfect for events and sunsets.

"I strongly recommend purchasing a case or two for your home..."

Goose Ridge Vineyards was founded by the Monson Family in 1999. Goose Ridge is an estate winery dedicated to handcrafting wines from grapes grown on their 2,200 acre vineyard. This is the first Goose Ridge g3 I have experienced made by Winemaker Andrew Wilson. I have previously enjoyed the Tall Sage wines he makes too.

It is always a pleasure to drink and review Goose Ridge wines. I've been enjoying them for almost two decades. I hope the g3 Cabernet Sauvignon is available where you live, so you can enjoy it too.

With 12 years previous winemaking experience, Andrew specializes in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a focus on an opulent, concentrated style. Well done Andrew. I look forward to sampling more of your wines.

Note: Goose Ridge now has tasting rooms located in: Woodinville, Leavenworth and Walla Walla. So you have no excuse not to visit when visiting Washington state.

2015 G3 Cabernet Sauvignon, drink today, relish tomorrow.

Tasting Notes 2015 g3 Cabernet Sauvignon

For me, this wine showed best on the third day. I mean, it was really tasty and wonderful. This is the perfect party wine today, but if you cellar a few cases for tomorrow (a year or five) I think you will discover it will be more. Much more and rewarding.

Nose: Black fruit, spice, with something different I could not identify.

Palate: Dark, rich, earthy, with pleasant jolt of bright fruit, dry, medium body, fine tannin, textured wine, tingle on gums, friendly drinking, blackberry, tar, dried cherry, bitter chocolate on medium finish.

Day two: Bright cherry and stems on nose. Dried cherry and currant, pleasantly dry, medium body, medium intensity, fine tannin, with Bing cherry on the medium finish. Like.

Day three: Rich and focused, ripe dark fruit, blackberry, blueberry, fig, dry and almost juicy, touch of bitterness and dried herbs into dark chocolate on medium finish. Quite good. Drink me.

Thoughts: Not bad with broiled lamb on day one. A better match with spinach salad with tomatoes and vinegar/oil dressing. I think game bird or duck would be a good pairing on day three, and don’t forget the bitter herbs. Also a good BBQ and party wine.

This wine drank best on day three. I strongly recommend purchasing a case or two for your home, especially at such a reasonable price. Perfect wine if you only drink a glass a day, you can then experience how well this wine evolves over a few days. I expect this wine to continue to improve in bottle over the next five years.
Recommended, with good potential to improve in bottle.

State: Washington
Region: Columbia Valley AVA

ABV: 14.2%

Closure: Natural Cork

SRP: $15

Sample provided by winery

Goose Ridge Vineyards
Tasting Room
16304 N. Dallas Road
Richland, WA 99352
Phone: 509-628-3880
www.gooseridge.com

About

All of the grapes used in Goose Ridge’s five wine labels – Goose Ridge Estate, g3, Tall Sage, Stonecap and Cascadian Outfitters – come from their 2,200-acre estate vineyard, which is located a gently sloped site near Benton City and adjacent to the famed Red Mountain AVA.

The Monson family takes the taste of the place provided by Mother Nature and amplifies it with a focused commitment to modern vineyard management and sustainable farming practices.

All vines are planted on original rootstock in small lots with south to north row orientation to maximize sun exposure. Vineyards are managed for low yields – typically three tons per acre or less – to ensure intense, complex flavors from each grape variety.

“Our estate vineyard is unique in that we have many small blocks of fruit with their own characteristics and flavor profiles,” company president Bill Monson says. “This enables us to produced very special and different wines that share a common Goose Ridge fingerprint of bright, clean fruit character.”

We have bud break in Washington! Even my straggly Suffolk Red table grape vine has buds.

Cheers!

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