Russell Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - 2002

Okay - I am dating myself here, but back in the late 80's I remember being invited to a few crush parties at the home of Dr. Roy Fowler in Walla Walla. Dr. Fowler had a few grapes in front of his country home and in the fall, a few of the local "garagistas" would gather for crushing of the grapes. Besides the crush, there was always lots of wine and fabulous food designed by Dr. Fowler's chef-daughter.

If memory serves me well, one of those garagistas was now-winemaker Larry Krivoshein of Russell Creek Winery. Larry's original wine label was named "Diggers." The name "Diggers" was a tongue in check regarding Larry's profession at the time. In fact, I remember having a bottle of Diggers red wine in our wine collection. My former husband and Larry were professional colleagues. If you haven't figured out yet where the name "Digger" comes from, does a funeral director come to mind? Okay and that was another time many moons ago. Now to the wine ---

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a glass of Russell Creek Cabernet Sauvignon - 2002 at Vintage Cellars downtown Walla Walla. Russell Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Walla Walla and Columbia Valley grapes. In the nose I picked up a little earth and cedar. A mouthful of semi-sweet chocolate, a bit of mocha and dark brambleberries. I would say that it typifies some of the big tannic "monsters" that Walla Walla has been known for. This is definitely a food wine (the glass of wine begged for a thick slice of prime rib or medallions of beef with a wild mushroom ragout) and a wine that I feel is going to age very well. It's also a great value for the quality at $28 a bottle. Sante!