Dark ruby in the glass, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of plum reduction, cherry compote and blackberry jus before displaying red and purple flowers with sweet oak nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is juicy with a dusty edge before swinging to gripping tannins across the mid-palate. Concluding with a dusty, dark-berried essence, the wine lingers with a soft tannic edge that will remain food-friendly through the end of this decade. The wine spent 22 months in 35% new French, American and Hungarian barrels. Only 1,554 bottles were made.

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard opens with a straightforward core of fruit on the nose, a bit on the sweet side at first, then juicy blackberry and red plum sway into focus with elements of purple flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is clean and correct, with ripe, dark berry flavors leading to the slightly rigid and tannic mid-palate an ending with a firm, grippy, food-friendly finish. 400 cases made.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard reveals aromas of plums and currants, framed by creamy new oak. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, juicy and quite intense, but—like the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard bottling—it's also quite firm and chewy, with a somewhat drying finish.

Like the Merlot, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Hills Vineyard has a straight, classic style, and shines for its drinkability. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and with lots of tobacco leaf, earth and dark fruits, it should drink nicely through 2024.

Another charming, medium-bodied and lightly textured effort is the 2013 Seven Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from 1982 plantings in Walla Walla. Plums, blackberries, peppery herbs, incense and lots of spice all emerge from this enjoyable Cabernet geared for drinking over the coming decade.