This, the final installment of the Owen Roe Winery series, will feature two wines - Sharecroppers Cabernet Sauvignon and Abbott's Table (thanks to Jason and Jeff for pushing me to include these). Overall, a great tasting of the Owen Roe wines, with 7 of the 8 wines tasted making it on to my "buy again" list (unfortunately, the 2007 Owen Roe Pinot Noir Eola - Amity Hills will not be making it back to my dinner table). Bottom line is that Owen Roe Winery is making some very nice wines that you should definitely try if you have not done so already.On to the wines for this bonus round...
Owen Roe 2007 Sharecropper's Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The Northwest-wine.com website has this to say about it:
Owen Roe Sharecroppers Cabernet 07 has smoky blackberry and dark cherry aromas that leap out, signaling the showiness of this young Cabernet. Packed with juicy black fruit flavors--especially cassis--this is a big mouthful of Cab, with dried herbs and earth on the slightly chewy finish. David O'Reilly strikes again: great value, great wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, David O'reilly describes this as a very concentrated wine with flavors of cassis, blackberry, and a hint of juniper. The yield was down for the 2006 vintage, meaning less wine, but a more concentrated wine. Made from Elerding and Alderdale Vineyards in the Yalkima Valley, there's also a bit of Red Willow Vineyard fruit in the wine. The wine is ready to drink, and David says: "It will blow you away".
I had never actually had this Owen Roe wine before. Getting so stuck in Ex Umbris and Abbott's Table over the years, I think this one had fallen off my radar. In the end, though, I only liked it, but didn't love it. It's a nice effort, with good dark berry fruit and a decent balance, but it didn't "blow me away" as David suggests. For under $20, it's a nice Washington Cabernet to have on hand, but, for me it's just not that memorable.
What you should do: Put it at the bottom of your Owen Roe wine list and if you happen to see the Sharecroppers Pinot Noir, buy that instead.
My rating: 85
Northwest-wine.com has this to say about it: Owen Roe Abbot's Table 2008 - Abbot's Table 2008 is the perfect example of a "smooth" wine. Velvety, lush, round flavors glide over your taste buds. The Zinfandel and Sangiovese provide the backbone and show in the lingering finish of sweets plums, raspberries and cherries.
More than a third of the 08 Abbot's is Bordeaux varietals - the deep cassis and black cherry flavors are a perfect complement to the fresh, bright red fruits. There's a meaty complexity to the finish that adds even more character to an already outstanding value table wine.
Upon release, the 2008 is better than the 2007 and just might be the best Abbot's Table yet.
What you should do: Buy it! This is a great sub-$20 bottle of wine. I have a few more in my cellar and will definitely buy others when those run out.
My rating: 88
Gadget
Glad to see some love for the Abbot's Table wine. Year in, year out, it's one of my favorite bottles of wine.
agree. it's really a nice offering from owen roe. as a consistent performer and a good value, i tend to favor the ex umbris just slightly more, but they're both great wines for the price.