In a few days, we’re going back to Cave B Estate Winery at SageCliffe as part of the WBC-or-Bust Contest. (No, I wasn’t a contest winner; I was one of the judges.) In advance of the trip, we recently enjoyed a bottle of Cave B’s 2006 Cuvee du Soleil.

We first tasted Cuvee du Soleil two years ago, when we stayed at the breathtaking Cave B Inn, located at the Columbia River and 1-90. At that time, Alfredo “Freddy” Arredondo had just been Head Winemaker for one year, creating wines from some of the oldest vineyards in Washington state. We were smitten – with the wine, with the beautiful surroundings and with Cave B’s dog of the same name, Cuvee – a beautiful, friendly Black Lab.

One night, Cuvee followed us to our cabin, walked right in and immediately plopped herself down on the rug in front of the fireplace. Sensing she found dog lovers (we have three adorable Cavalier King Charles and also had a wonderful Black Lab at the time), she wouldn’t leave – and at some point in the middle of the night even jumped onto the bed to sleep.

But I digress. We recently received a free sample of Cave B’s signature 2006 Cuvee du Soleil, a jammy and rich blend of Cab Sauvignon (44%), Cab Franc (31%) and Merlot (25%). If you read this blog on a regular basis, you’ll know my palate prefers Bordeaux blends, so of course 2006 Cuvee du Soleil was a winner – full-bodied and well-balanced.

The 2006 vintage was released almost a year ago, so the aromas and flavors have really opened up since it won a Silver at the 2009 Seattle Wine Awards. 

We weren’t able to meet Freddy when he was in Seattle a couple of months ago, so we didn’t get a chance to taste his just-released 2008 Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Tempranillo. The 2008 vintage was the first vintage that Freddy produced completely on his own, so we are really looking forward to our visit in a few days.

Cheers!