Drinkin’ a Nice Washington Cab

Terra Blanca
1998 “Red Mountain”
Washington State
Cabernet Sauvignon

Damn right! That’s my enthusiastic and matter of factly punctuated response to all questions concerning this wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon? Damn right, and it’s loaded with potent juicy, thick layers of dark berry flavors that are surrounded by mild tannins and a thick coating finish with awesome texture.

1998? Damn right, and it was a very nice vintage for the folks growing grapes in eastern Washington, noted as one of the warmest years on record for the region and producing some very ripe and fruit driven wines.


Red Mountain? Damn right, the newest and smallest AVA in Washington State is hitting on all cylinders with this vintage and Cabernet Sauvignon is going to get very famous in this appellation that is now only planted with 600 acres of vine. It has a following already and I thought I’d fill you all in so you can get with the program sooner than later.

Terra Blanca Vintners? Damn right, well I just said that to stay in character because I really don’t know Terra Blanca Vintners very well. I will, however, bump out some other wine from years past out of my wine saturated memory bank and put this Terra Blanca Cab right up front. Let me do a little research on Terra Blanca and I will be right back.

O.K. here is the scoop. Terra Blanca was established by Keith Pilgrim (Owner/Winemaker) about a decade ago with a 300-acre purchase of land and a U.C. Davis background in enology and viticulture. Keith has about 20 acres dedicated to Cab, 20 to Syrah, 15 to Merlot, 5 to Chardonnay, small lots of Malbec and Petit Verdot and a slew of other experimental varieties getting some space. Yep this guy is busy.

It looks like the total estate vineyard acreage is now at 80, that’s a nice chunk of Red Mountain land. The name “Terra Blanca” is Latin for white earth and is referring to the soils high calcium carbonate contents that lighten the vineyard soils. Desert temperatures, south-west facing hillside slopes, drip irrigation, sandy soils, long oak maturation and a skilled wine maker all add up to an irresistible bottle of Cab.

Do I need more of this wine? Damn right I do. With the packed plummy finish, sweet-spicy oak and concentrated pure fruit this wine is just what I need about 2 nights a week. I would do 3 but I’m not greedy. The back label says that this Cab is “rich in all it’s aspects”, and I couldn’t agree more. After 26 months in oak barrels this Cab comes bursting out of the gates and is guaranteed a spot on my wine rack anytime. A must try.

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