I have been one of the leading experts on Washington State wines for 15 plus years and really the only critic in the world that calls out bad wines. Too many critics are always glass half full kind of guys or gals. Well Sheridan Block 1 Cabernets are my favorite Cabernets from Washington that are not over priced. On Wine Bid you can usually get them under $100 with fees and shipping. Well I have tasted a ton of 2021 wines from Washington and it is an outstanding vintage. Well when I opened the 2021 Sheridan Block 1 I was taken back with the closure which you would find on a $6 bottle.
You can see the left is 2011 and the right is 2021. Now who would put that in a bottle of $100 Cabernet? Well the 2021 is about as bad as the cork and reached out to Scott Greer the wine maker and at post time have not heard back. Both of these bottles were shipped at the same time from Wine Bid and the temperatures were good when shipping so that is not the issue.
The Reviews:
- 2011 Sheridan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Block 1 – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley (5/16/2025)
Day 1: Way better than the tracker users on this one. Wonderful place right now with saw dust, blueberries, mild funk, stone, iodine, mild oak, celery and graphite. Wonderful place this wine is at. 94 points
Day 2: Even better. Menthol, funk, spice, blueberries, sour cherry, dust, earth, mushrooms, stone, graphite and cigar. Reminds me a lot of the 2011 Sandown from Clarendon Hills. Outstanding and balance Cab from Washington without the heavy oak of Quilceda. 95 points
Recommendation: Drink now for sure. This was really good on day 2 but over the day not as good watching the PGA Championship & Caitlin Clark. (95 points)
- 2021 Sheridan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Block 1 – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley (5/14/2025)
Day 1: The cork on this is embarrassing. Looks like a $8 bottle. I love this from other vintages and this is a disaster. As one of the leading experts in the world on Washington wines this disappoints. Harsh wine with oak, spice, dust and earth. Fruit is non existent. What a terrible wine. 75 points
Day 2: Wish I could say this got a lot better but it didn’t. Sour cherry, dust, underbrush, dirt and oak. Very unsatisfactory from one of the best Cab producers in the state. No flaws such as heat damage impacting this particular bottle. 78 points
Day 3: Kind of tastes like Quilceda Creek on day 3 which is probably why I hate it. Oak, ripe fruit, spice, menthol and vanilla. Very dense and concentrated in a bad way for my palate. Caymus fans would love this. 73 points
Day 4: Just a gritty wine with riper fruit. A harsh after taste. So disappointed consider the 2011 is off the charts and was shipped in the same shipment.
Recommendation: Again no heat damage or other flaws as I pick up them instantly. I have one more bottle and hope that one is better. (78 points)
