JB Neufeld, "Old Goat" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Yakima Valley, WA

Justin Neufeld's full talent as winemaker is showcased here, made without compromise. Keep this in your cellar to age for the next 20+ years, or if you decide to open now, it will show all the characteristics of a young stallion-esque St-Julien Cabernet.

COUNTRY: United State of America (USA)

STATES: Washington

APPELLATION: (AVA): Yakima Valley

REGION: Columbia Valley

SUB-REGION: Yakima Valley

VINEYARD: 100% Red Willow.  Block:  Peninsula (upper side)

VINTAGE: 2018

GRAPES: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

SOIL:  Calcareous, volcanic soils with an influence of ancient riverbeds.

PRACTICE: Sustainable

VINIFICATION: aged 28 months in 83% new French oak and 17% neutral French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Deep Ruby

BODY: Full body with a good amount of tannin and low alcohol.

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Intense but subtle nose of red berry jam, dried mint, blond leather, and blonde fresh cigare tobacco. Vegetal notes of black currant leaves. Very Fresh.

FLAVOR: Strong tight Tannins, medium body with a strong vegetal and pine forest finish, and present acidity.

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL:  14.5%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION:  Definitely your choice for a strong beef stew, red wine with roots vegetable. Pasta a la Bolognaise, Ribeye with red wine sauce and wild forest mushroom (and matches French fries) rack of lamb with mint sauce.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: JB Neufeld

The winery was created by the husband-and-wife team, Justin, and Brooke Neufeld. Justin produced its first vintage in 2008. The winery is the only of its kind in Washington, focusing exclusively on Cabernet Sauvignon within the Yakima Valley AVA. d. The goal of the brand is to not only showcase the diversity of the terroir found in the valley through its vineyard-designate bottlings but to use that diversity to build a more complex and balanced Cabernet Sauvignon by blending sites as well.

The Yakima Valley AVA has the most diverse terroir of all the AVAs in Washington.  All the vineyards are located on south-facing slopes created by a series of ridges that are oriented West to East, which is a geological anomaly unique to eastern Washington.  

JB Neufeld's focus is to preserve not only the qualities of the wine but also the place and time from which they were made. They aim to build a Cabernet Sauvignon that possesses multiple layers of complexity that reveal themselves as the wine opens up in the glass. JB Neufeld achieves this by having a winemaking style that is dedicated, thoughtful, and precise to the terroir of their valley.

ABOUT THE VINEYARDS: Red Willow Vineyard

Red Willow is located in the northwest corner of the Yakima Valley and on the south slopes of Ahtanum Ridge. This is also within the bounds of the Yakima Indian Reservation. The furthest western vineyard within the Yakima Valley AVA. Made up of four distinctive blocks. Founded in 1971 Red Willow is one of the oldest vineyards in Washington State. The vines are grown on steep hillsides, with unique formations of soils unlike any other. the valley gradually rises to put it between 1100-1300 ft. elevation. A gentle south-east facing slope flows throughout most of the 60 acre block. Soils are classified as a Warden sandy loam.

Some 12,000 years ago, the peninsula-shaped land formation was bordered by water during the repeated Lake Missoula floods which occurred at the end of the ice age. Due to its higher elevation, 1200-1300 feet, the peninsula vineyard site was above the water level and thus was not affected by the water deposited silt and sand that much of the valley floor received. Its soils are poorer and more ancient than those of lower elevations.

Peninsula Block:

A high elevation site once surrounded by water on all sides except the North during the great floods, wine roots began here with the first planting of 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon that is still in production today. The 40 acre parcel is underlied by Calcareous, volcanic soils with an influence of ancient river beds.

Much like the Chapel block, the west tends to be shallower with a degree of clay influence, while the east supports deeper loess soils of sandy and silty loam. Because of a close proximity to the Cascades, one can find many volcanic stratas, pumis and volcanic rocks throughout.