SHOP / 2017 Harrison Hill
Varietal
67% Cabernet Sauvignon
25% Merlot
8% Cabernet Franc
Appellation
Snipes Mountain AVA
Aging
Drink Now or Age 20+ Years
Vineyard
Harrison Hill
2017 Harrison Hill
Snipes Mountain AVA
The delicacy of older vines is on full display in this 2017 Harrison Hill, with subtle earthy aromas of leather and sandalwood, and savory herbal notes of tarragon and cinnamon stick. The wine is bright and dynamic on the palate, with a sophisticated core of fleeting dark berry flavors and exotic spices (green tea, cumin and fennel seed). Restrained in style, and with a promising structure that has earned a well-deserved reputation for rewarding aging, this vintage is nonetheless very compelling and cerebral in its youth.
95 Points
— Robert Parker
95 Points
The 2017 Harrison Hill begins with fresh ripe, dusty red fruits. Red plum, dark cherry skin, redcurrant, and soft elements of dried sage, dusty red flowers and hints of cinnamon waft out of the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is firm with a mineral tension and still-tight tannins, yet it offers elegance with a red-fruited profile that will blossom with bottle age. Concluding with a long, lingering finish, set this one aside for at least another year before opening, and enjoy it for another two decades.
October 2020
Additional Scores:
94
Wine & Spirits
94
Owen Bargreen
93
Vinous
Behind the Wine
2017 Harrison Hill
A Bordeaux-style blend from a small, historic vineyard on Snipes Mountain, this wine is labelled after the vineyard’s namesake – Harrison Hill. Over the past six decades, the state’s second oldest Cabernet vines have matured gracefully while producing progressively limited yields. This slow, elegant maturation is a compelling expression of what it means to be a terroir-driven wine.
Vineyards
Harrison Hill, a five-acre site in the Snipes Mountain AVA, still boasts a 1962 Cabernet Sauvignon planting by William Bridgman, a pioneer of planting European wine grapes in Washington State. These vines are the second oldest in the state, and the oldest used in commercial wine production.
Winemaking
Cold soaked for 24-36 hours, fermented 14-16 days on skin, aged 20 months in 100% French oak (100% new), and aged in bottle 8 months prior to release.