At the Auction of Washington Wines Barrel Auction and Picnic last week, Long Shadows winemaker Gilles Nicault captured the highest bid — $3,000 for a case of a special Cabernet Sauvignon, bottled just for the event at Chateau Ste. Michelle.

This luxe wine was sourced from some of the oldest vines in Washington state — the 40-year-old Sagemoor block 208.

And wow, this winning Cab Sauv is a gem. We savoured every sip.

We raise our glasses to both Gilles and Long Shadows founder Allan Shoup, who was named honorary vintner at this 26th Auction of Washington Wines — an event he helped create and which has raised more than $30 million, with most of the funds going to Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Since Allan founded Long Shadows in 2003, Gilles has served as director of winemaking and viticulture. As resident winemaker, Gilles works with seven highly acclaimed vintners, called by Allan to Washington state from the major wine regions of the world. The result is a highly successful production of Columbia Valley wines that showcase the best of this growing region.

But the barrel tasting offered by Gilles at the picnic wasn’t the only Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon that we enjoyed in the last few days. Over the weekend, we opened a bottle of 2009 Long Shadows Feather, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from Columbia Valley grapes by renowned Napa Valley vintner Randy Dunn.

2009 Feather is Cabernet Sauvignon at its purest – a deep, dark ruby color, with a balance and complexity that does Washington state proud. Wine Advocate awarded 92 points to this vintage and 94 points to the recent 2010 release.

Frankly, we think the ’09 Feather should receive 96 points – it was that beautiful.

Cheers!