Blackwood Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 15 years from the vintage release, though exceptional vintages can cellar well beyond 20 years.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted lamb chops, braised beef short ribs
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the esteemed Red Mountain AVA in Washington State, the Fidelitas Blackwood Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful testament to one of the region's most distinctive vineyard sites. Blackwood Canyon Vineyard, situated on the warm, south-facing slopes of the appellation, is celebrated for its challenging, gravelly soils and intense heat accumulation. This terroir forces the vines to struggle, resulting in small, concentrated berries with thick skins. Winemaker Charlie Hoppes masterfully coaxes the essence of this rugged site into the bottle, employing precise fermentation and aging in high-quality French oak barrels. The resulting wine is renowned for its deep, inky color, muscular tannic structure, and rich layers of dark fruit, cocoa, and earthy minerality, embodying the bold, age-worthy character that has made Red Mountain a legendary haven for Cabernet Sauvignon.
🍾 About the Producer
Fidélitas was founded in 2000 by veteran Washington winemaker Charlie Hoppes, formerly the head red winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Joined by his son Will Hoppes, the winery embodies an unyielding dedication to Bordeaux grape varieties cultivated exclusively within Washington State's prestigious Red Mountain AVA. Situated on warm, southwest-facing slopes, the region's intense sunlight, fierce winds, poor gravelly loam soils, and profound diurnal temperature fluctuations foster thick-skinned berries with formidable concentration and natural acidity. The estate vineyard, first planted in 2008 and farmed sustainably with Sustainable WA certification, is complemented by premier fruit partnerships with iconic sites such as Ciel du Cheval and Quintessence. Winemaking employs micro-lot fermentations in oak and neutral barrels, yielding structured, deeply expressive wines. The estate's benchmark portfolio is anchored by the flagship Optu Red and Optu White blends, vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignons, and varietal Malbecs.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon