The Illusionist
Reserve Cabernet · Red Mtn + WW + HHH 07 / 15 $65
Estate Cabernet with a long memory.
Red Mountain at its core, drawn from estate blocks across Walla Walla and the Horse Heaven Hills; big-shouldered, graphite-laced, and structured to age.
Aromatic dark berry and earth, into cassis, red cherry, and fine-grained tannin.
Wine & Spirits Top 100 20222019 vintage
Grapes
Red Mountain-led Cabernet
86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot. Aromatic dark berry and earth into cassis and red cherry.
Terroir
Estate warm-site power
Estate blocks in the Horse Heaven Hills, on Red Mountain, and in Walla Walla, on flood deposits, loess, and caliche. Warm, high-pH soils ripen small berries with thick skins, for firm tannin and power.
Region
Red Mountain + Walla Walla + HHH
Anchored on Red Mountain, Washington's benchmark for dense, age-worthy Cabernet.
Winemaking
Cellar-built
Twenty months in 48% new French oak; 14.0% alc. Fine-grained tannin and the acidity to age a decade-plus.
What it is
Why it matters
Why it's cool
The Illusionist Reserve Cabernet Composition86% Cab Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Cab Franc, 3% Merlot
AVA(s)Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills
VineyardsRed Mountain, Blue Mountain, Phinny Hill (Elene's Block)
Oak / aging20 months, 48% new French oak
Alc14.0%
DrinkBuilt to age a decade-plus
Scores 2023 IWR 95