Mark Ryan 'Long Haul' Red Mountain Red Blend

Mark Ryan 'Long Haul' Red Mountain Columbia River Red Blend 2013

Following the Columbia Valley Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick Red Bordeaux Blend 2013 earlier this week, I pulled from the cellar another label from the region from the same vintage for a comparison tasting. Tonight I selected this Mark Ryan Red Mountain Red Blend, another Right Bank Bordeaux Blend. 

We discovered and acquired Mark Ryan wines when we visited their tasting room in Woodinville, WA during our Seattle Woodinville Culinary Wine Experience back in 2018.

(Son) Ryan and Linda - Woodinville, 2018

Mark Ryan McNeilly founded Mark Ryan Winery in 1999 with the goal to produce the quality wines achievable from Washington State vineyard sources. Largely self-taught, Mark learned winemaking through study and mentorship from some of the area's most experienced producers. 

Mark Ryan produces a broad portfolio of wines that can be found in distribution and are served from their tasting room in Woodinville, an epicenter of more than a hundred tasting rooms of Washington State producers, since most of the vineyards are located hours away in remote locations of Central Washington State. 

This label, Long Haul was one of his first vintage releases, produced crushed and pressed in garages of friends and family, barrel in warehouses in the Seattle area. He opened the Woodinville, WA facility in 2003.  

Like many of the Woodinville and region's producers, Mark Ryan sources its fruit from growers of the large established vineyards. Many of these are long established relationships under contracts for specific rows of a vineyard or blocks. While not Estate wines, where the grapes are sourced from producer owned sites, it offers the next best thing. This consistent sourcing is important and essential if one is to reflect Terroir, the unique essence of climate, soil, site, as it manifests itself in the wine, consistently over time, from vintage to vintage.  

The Long Haul label is a 'Right Bank' blends of Bordeaux varietals, meaning it is predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Franc making up the majority of the blend. The 2013 Long Haul is sourced from vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA in the Yakima River Valley, a Columbia River tributary in Central Washington, the smallest appellation in the state.

Despite what its name suggests, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead, the name is derived due to the cheatgrass which is prolific and covers the area in springtime, which has a reddish color, hence the area the name, "Red" Mountain. 

The appellation sits on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes and is a notable source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers.

Red Mountain fruit produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington. This is due to its terroir with a climate that is one of the hottest in the region with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. This results in a low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries. This combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.

Mark Ryan 'Long Haul' Red Mountain Columbia River Red Blend 2013

 

This label is comprised of fruit from three of most prolific well-known vineyards in the region. This release is composed primarily of Merlot from the legendary Ciel du Cheval Vineyard planted on calcium-rich clay beds that give the wine a rich, delicate texture and feminine aromatics. 

 

Combined in the blend are grapes from the equally renowned Force Majeure Vineyard, a relatively younger, high elevation site, which provides rich fruit with bold structure. 

 

The other vineyard source is Yakima Valley’s Red Willow Vineyard that contributes aromatics and depth and complexity to the blend. 

 

The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities

The blend for this release is 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. It was aged in 62% new, 38% once used French Château Ferré in barrels for 21 months. A total production of 1,130 cases were released. 

Winemaker Notes: "The Long Haul offers plum, cassis, and savory aromatic probles on the nose that morphs into a lush entrance of black fruit, caramel, tea, and earth. Silky, velvety tannins combine with mid-palate structure and acidity that leads into a lengthy finish."

The 2013 Long Haul is ruby in color, darkening gradually toward the inside of the glass. Aromatically, the wine shows of brambly, wild blackberry and raspberry, along with sweet baking spices that surprises with bright cherry and darkens to a range of black fruits toward the end of the sip. Subtle minerals mingle
with the ne, dusty tannins bright acidity on the finish. 

This was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Dark purple colored, medium full bodied, tightly wound, structured black cherry and black plum fruits open with a layer of cinnamon spice with notes of black tea, earthy tobacco and hints of caramel on the lingering tannin finish. 

RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2140079

www.markryanwinery.com

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-ryan-columbia-valley-wine-tasting.html

https://twitter.com/MarkRyanWinery

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011 

Wanting a nice Syrah for a BBQ rib dinner, I pulled from the cellar the oldest vintage of our collection of this producer's labels. Our visit to Force Majeure Vineyards was one of the highlights of our Walla Walla Wine Experience in 2018. 

Marketing Director and wife of winemaker Todd, Carrie Alexander was kind enough to host us and help arrange some of our wine tastings and winery visits. 

We assembled a collection of Force Majeure wines after hosting Carrie and winemaker Todd Alexander here in Chicago during their release tour back in 2017.

This vintage release if from the previous generation winemaker at Force Majeure. Force Majeure Vineyards was originally called Grand Reve which means “great dream” in French. It was founded in Woodinville, near Seattle, in 2004. It was a collaboration between businessman Paul McBride and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson who spent a decade managing vineyards in Eastern Washington’s prestigious Red Mountain AVA. He and McBride wanted to focus on Rhone-style varietals and they were soon winning raves and ratings from Wine Advocate and other reviews. 

McBride and his wife Susan changed the winery name to Force Majeure. They hired winemaker Todd Alexander who was previously winemaker at Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa Valley to oversee winemaking.  

Jeb Dunnick of Wine Advocate has called Force Majeure “One of my favorite estates in Washington… This label is comprised of Red Mountain fruit, with grapes sourced from the crème de la crème Ciel du Cheval vineyard. 

Today, Force Majeure wines are increasingly from their estate Force Majeure Vineyard on a steep, rocky site on the upper slopes of Red Mountain and their Walla Walla estate vineyard as more and more plots come online. 

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011

This is a blend of 96% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Rousanne. It was aged two years in 33% new French, 67% neutral French barrels. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated but nicely balanced, smooth but more subdued blackberry and dried cherry fruits with notes of olive tapenad, spice, leather and hints of black pepper with fine acidity and tannins on the lingering finish,  a nice accompaniment to our BBQ rib dinner. . 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1788978

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

Mark Ryan Columbia Valley Wine Tasting

Mark Ryan Columbia Valley Wine Tasting

One of the recommended producers to visit during our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour, Woodinville Wine Experience was Mark Ryan Winery. Mark Ryan wines are the artwork of Mark Ryan McNeilly a self taught winemaker who learned the craft working with well known producers, acquiring Bordeaux varietal grapes from renowned vineyards in the Columbia Valley Red Mountain appellation. He produces an extensive portfolio of wines from across the region, but is most notably known for several art crafted Bordeaux Blends. We tasted and acquired these wines at the Mark Ryan tasting room in Woodinville, Washington. 

Woodinville is a Seattle suburb that has become a wine mecca with several dozen tasting rooms of producers of wines sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley in the center of the State, three hours to the east. The tasting rooms inhabit numerous free standing sites as well as several commercial centers that resemble outlet malls but filled with wine producers. 

The wine flight offered at the Mark Ryan tasting room consists of Burgundian varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Oregon, and several Bordeaux varietal blends sourced from the Washington State central Columbia Valley. Mark Ryan dutifully lists the vineyard sources for each of its wines accordingly. They represent the notable famous sites from the Central Washington State appellations. Vineyards and their applicable appellations that provide grapes for Mark Ryan Wines include Red Willow from the Yakima Valley AVA, the famous Ciel du Cheval vineyard from Red Mountain AVA, Klipsun, Red Mountain, Quintessence and Obelisco Vineyards from Red Mountain, Olsen Vineyard and Red Willow from Yakima Valley and Phinny Hill Vineyard from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.

The fact that these famous vineyards source grapes to many producers, the differences in their various labels is the result of their handicraft of winemaking since they all come the same sites, rather than the difference of the vineyard sites themselves. Never-the-less, we were extremely impressed with the quality of wines coming out of the Columbia Valley producers. 

Many of these wines rival the premium wines from California notable regions such as Napa and Sonoma Valleys, some at relative bargain prices of up to half less, since they don't yet have the cache of the more historic areas. Seize the opportunity to discover these wines as this differential won't last as they become better known.

Like many of the Woodinville and region's producers, Mark Ryan sources its fruit from growers of the large established vineyards. Many of these are long established relationships under contracts for specific rows of a vineyard or blocks. While not Estate wines, where the grapes are sourced from producer owned sites, it offers the next best thing. This is important of course to reflect Terroir, the unique essence of climate, soil, site, as it manifests itself in the wine, consistently over time, from vintage to vintage. 

Tasting flight:

The scheduled tasting flight on offer for the day was as follows and as pictured. This is a great bargain to taste this range of quality wines for $15, which is refundable with purchase. As usual, we tasted, and acquired several wines beyond the standard flight. 

Megan Anne Cellars Chardonnay 2015, sourced from notable vineyards in Dundee Hills and Eola-Amity Hills in the Willamette Valley in Oregon

Megan Anne Cellars Pinot Noir 2015 from the Willamette Valley Chehalem Mountain 

Readers of these pages know we're fans and collectors more based on Bordeaux Varietal wines and have we focused the following wines that were comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Interesting, these wines were based on grapes sourced from the same vineyards, as noted above and were largely differentiated by the composition of the Blend of the grapes in each label.  

Mark Ryan 'Long Haul' Red Wine Blend 2015

The Mark Ryan Long Haul label is composed primarily of Merlot from Yakima Valley’s Red Willow Vineyard where the average vine age is 25 years. The vineyard site's ancient soils were above the Missoula flood plains of the river valley. Being predominantly Merlot, this is in the style of the Right Bank Bordeaux, or those produced in the appellations on the north and east sides of the Gironde River that bisects the region.

Vineyard Sources:

• Red Willow, Yakima Valley
• Ciel du Cheval, Red Mountain
• Klipsun, Red Mountain
• Quintessence, Red Mountain
• Olsen, Yakima Valley

Blend

• 84% Merlot
• 6% Cabernet Franc
• 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2% Petit Verdot

This was dark garnet colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant dark berry, accented by what some refer to as violet and spiced plum, we detected notes of dark mocha, spice, hints of cassis and cedar with firm but approachable tannins on the lingering finish.  

RM 92 Points, Wine Advocate gave it  (89-91) Points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2781533

Mark Ryan Water Witch Red Wine 2015

Vineyard Source was the Quintessence Vineyards on Red Mountain

Producer's note:

Quintessence Vineyards is a 410-acre parcel of land with a base elevation of 675 feet, rising to 1,025 feet as it reaches Red Mountain AVA's southwest-facing slopes. Quintessence founders Dick Shaw and Paul Kaltinick planted their first vines as partners on Red Mountain in 2010. They launched Quintessence with a planting of 68 acres along Red Mountain's southwestern slope. Positive response was immediate, with customers pointing to "world class vineyard management" and "spectacular fruit" as some outstanding attributes. Additional planting followed, with similar success. Now, with the expansion along the eastern ridge and slop of Red Mountain, Quintessence will encompass some 300 acres in total. Quintessence is made up of premium land, a talent for farming, dedicated management, ideal growing conditions, and a love for what they do.

310 cases produced; aged in 70% new French oak barrels

Blend

• 60% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 30% Merlot
• 8% Cabernet Franc
• 2% Petit Verdot

Dark garnet and purplish colored, full bodied, rich concentrated bright forward extracted black raspberry fruit accented by layers of exotic spices, sweet mocha chocolate and notes of sweet oak and creme de cassis with silky polished tannins on a full long smooth polished finish. 

RM 93 points; Jeb Dunnuck The Wine Advocate (92-94) Points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2892511

Mark Ryan 'The Dissident' Columbia Valley Red Blend 2016

Like the wines above, this is also a Bordeaux varietal blend, sourced from several Columbia Valley vineyards, distinguished largely by the composition of the blend. Like the others, we tasted and acquired this wine at the Woodinville tasting room. This label was $20 cheaper than those above representing great value QPR (Quality Price Ratio) in this Bordeaux Blend.

Winemaker's Notes on 'The Dissident'; 

Some of Washington State’s finest vineyards have provided fruit for the 2016 The Dissident. The Dissident is a wine that we create to complement the Dead Horse and Long Haul. People sometimes think The Dissident is made up of wines that don’t make the cut in the final blends of the Dead Horse and Long Haul, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The same vineyards, barrels and attention to detail go into crafting The Dissident as go into every wine in the Mark Ryan program. While the Dead Horse and Long Haul are crafted to be supremely ageeable, The Dissident is built to offer a more approachable wine younger in its development. 

Vineyard Sources:

• Quintessence, Red Mountain
• Ciel du Cheval, Red Mountain
• Klipsun, Red Mountain
• Obelisco, Red Mountain
• Phinny Hill, Horse Heaven Hills
• Red Willow, Yakima Valley

Blend

• 56% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 24% Merlot
• 17% Cabernet Franc
• 3% Petit Verdot

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, dark berry, black currant and black cherry fruits are accented with notes of spice, mocha and hints of cedar with subtle tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 91 points; Wine Advocate (92-94) Points (June 2017)

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2914672

Mark Ryan Winery 'Lost Soul' Yakima Valley Red Willow Vineyard Syrah 2015

 

Mark Ryan Winery offers this extended barrel aged Syrah. Sourced from fruit from the Red Willow Vineyard in Yakima Valley, Lost Soul is a single vineyard representation of Red Willow Syrah and embodies the cooler side of Syrah. The wine was aged in 54% new thick staved 500L French oak barrels for an extended period of 30 months.

The Red Willow vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in the state of Washington. It is a family operation owned and operated by Mike Sauer, his wife Karen, sons Jonathan and Daniel, and son-in-law Rick Willsey. The vineyard is located on the Yakama Indian Reservation, on steep south-facing slopes in the Cascade foothills, in the Yakima Valley AVA. The first wine grapes were planted in 1973 under the direction of Dr. Walt Clore, a legendary viticulturist and winemaker that helped found the early days of Washington State quality wines. 

This was dark inky purple, full bodied with black berry and black raspberry fruits accented by pepper, smokey, earthy leather with smooth sweet tannins.

RM 91 points; Wine Advocate, 93 Points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2989932

https://www.markryanwinery.com/  

Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Big Red Wine Dinner

Mouton, Dominus, Insignia Highlight Beef Tenderloin Big Red Wine Dinner

A 'pour boys' wine dinner was held with wine buddies Dr Dan and Bill C, when Bill and Beth were back in town to celebrate son Drew's baby's christening. We hosted a wine dinner that featured a line-up of ultra-premium classic reds. Highlights of the wine flight included Mouton Rothschild, Joseph Phelps Insignia and Dominus.

I pulled from the cellar 1984 vintage Mouton Rothschild to commemorate Drew's birthyear and paired it with a near year 1986 vintage Dominus. Dr Dan brought a Dominus 2006 and a Phelps Insignia 2007 to punctuate the dinner flight. Bill brought a Constant Cabernet Franc 2007 and a Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet.  Son Ryan attended and brought a Chateau Calon Segur 1995.

For the opening we served shrimp cocktail and a cheese flight of artisan cheeses with two whites, Lanson Champagne and Ken Wright Chardonnay. To transition to the red flight we served a unique Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz.

The ensuing red flight accompanied dinner. Beth brought a dinner salad and Linda prepared her notable spectacular beef tenderloin (shown left) with scalloped potatoes and a medley of grilled vegetables.

For dessert, Linda served a trio of petit fours with mixed fresh berries with which I poured Kracher Scheerube Trockeberrean Auslese (TBA).

If the wine flight looks ambitious, it should be noted that Bill and Beth's sons Will and Matt also joined in the tasting, and Ryan's friend CJ dropped in and joined in during the evening as well. 

The wine flight ....

Pre dinner -
Lanson Champagne NV
Ken Wright Cellars Chardonnay 2009
Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006 

Dinner course -
Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Calon Segur 1995
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1984
Dominus Estate 1986
Dominus Estate 2006  
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007 
Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013.
Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

After dinner - dessert / cheese course -
Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

For brevity, I won't repeat previously featured wines that are featured elsewhere in this blog, but rather will link to those reviews.

Lanson Champagne Brut Rosé Rose Label NV Champagne Blend

We served this label just last weekend at a family dinner. That post is linked here. 

Ken Wright Cellars Washington/Oregon Chardonnay 2009

I discovered Ken Wright Cellars' wines when I traveled to Seattle during a two year engagement there back around the millenium. Since 1994, he primarily has been producing terroir driven vineyard designated Pinot Noirs sourced from more than a dozen different vineyards released under almost as many labels. Ken Wright Pinot Noirs are from nearly a dozen highly regarded sites including Del Rio Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, Ciel du Cheval in Washington's Red Mountain district, and Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla. The Ciel du Cheval vineyard is the prime site for Force Majeure wines, a featured producer of a recent producer tasting posting.

Ken Wright has distinctive branding of its family of vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, with the bottle labels featuring original artwork depicting caricatures or art drawings associated with the history, legend, geography or nature associated with that particular site.

Some Ken Wright vineyard artwork labels are shown here (right).

He also produces a small amount of Chardonnay sourced from a primary vineyard in Washington and this label, a blend sourced from sites in Washington (73%) and Oregon (27%). In recent vintages he has only produced a limited production of two white wines, a pinot blanc and Chardonnay from Celilo Vineyard near White Salmon, Washington.

This was light honey/straw colored, medium body with tones of stone fruits, hint of almond, apricot, ginger or almost a whisper of cognac on the slightly sweet finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1043077

http://www.kenwrightcellars.com/

Mollydooker Goose Bumps Sparkling Shiraz 2006

I often remark in these pages about the Australian sense of humour. This wine defies logic and even description  ... what were they thinking when they produced this? To say this is unique is an understatement. At fifty dollars a bottle, one can get a nice and authentic French Champagne. I don't think their (Champagne's) franchise is in jeopardy with this offering.

Dark purple color, medium full bodied, dark brooding black and blue fruits accented by spice, tones of cassis, pepper and hints of bitter dark chocolate. The bubbly was very subdued leaving us to wonder if this bottle had been compromised and lost some of its fizz. I think so but I vaguely remember our last bottle of this we had a Christmas a while back.

RM 85 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1163061

https://mollydookerwines.com/

The red wine flight ...

Altamura Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

We've had this in the cellar for more than a decade waiting to be unveiled. It could've been held for another decade. A classic Napa Cabernet in every sense, it seems to be at its apex now, not likely to improve with further aging, but showing no signs diminution whatsoever.

In 2009 Wine Spectator wrote "The 1999 California Cabernet vintage was a great success when it was released, delivering many of that decade's best wines. Now 10 years old, the top Cabernets of that harvest have, for the most part, aged the way wine lovers who cellared them hoped they would; time has worked to their advantage."

Founded in 1985 by Frank and Karen Altamura on 400 acres that have been in the family since 1855,  Altamura was the first winery located in the Wooden Valley about nine miles northeast of the town of Napa. Wooden Valley is bordered by the Vaca Range to the east and "Napa Mountain" to the west. Altamura vineyards lie in the southeastern hillsides of Napa Valley at elevations of 700 to 1000 feet. 

The area produces rich concentrated fruit that has been used in well-known labels including Caymus, Groth, Pahlmeyer, Stags Leap and Mondavi. Frank started his winemaking career at Sterling in 1976, then on to Trefethen in 1979, then Frank worked at Caymus with Chuck Wagner and Randy Dunn before setting out on his own.

Altamura said at the time that this was one of the most intense wines they had produced. Dark garnet colored, medium to bodied, concentrated forward bright vibrant expressive sweet black raspberry, black currant and sweet blueberry fruits with tones of mocha, spicy oak and cinnamon, with hints of leather and cigar box with long chewy tongue coated finish of silky smooth soft tannins.

RM 92 points.

A comment from fellow Cellartracker UNIONST from Montclair .. "wine spectator just did a blind retrospective tasting of napa valley cabernets from the 1999 vintage. this wine tied for first, beating out heavy hitters like insignia, bryant family, bond melbury and vecina, spottswoode, viader, silver oak alexander valley and napa valley, harlan, colgin herb lamb vineyard, cakebread, etc."

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=144753

http://www.altamura.com/

Chateau Calon Segur St Estephe 1995

Chateau Calon-Ségur Grand Cru Classe St. Estephe Bordeaux 1995 

Robert Parker says this is one of the great sleepers of the vintage.

Dark ruby/purple colored, medium-full bodied, classic Bordeaux with earthy, leathery black berry and black raspberry fruits accented tones of cassis, cedar and hints of black olive and mocha with a long smooth floral finish

RM 92 points. 

97 points James Suckling; 95 points Wine Spectator'; 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar







Château Mouton Rothschild 1984

Considering the lackluster poor 1984 vintage in Bordeaux, this is remarkably holding its own after 32 years and not only still has life left but showed quite well and was impressive drinking. I should've known it would still be holding up but couldn't be sure. Glad I pulled it out to try but wish I had more. Such a classic wine, I remember purchasing it even though  its been almost three decades, and I remember drinking the other bottles back at the time. This is our last bottle of this vintage. 

Slightly opaque, dark garnet colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced, classic Bordeaux characteristics of dark berry, plum and black cherry fruits, tones of floral, earthy leather with cigar box and tobacco. leaf with light mouthfeel, silky smooth polished tannins on a moderate subdued pleasant finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=11506


 Dominus Estate Red Wine 1986

Like the Mouton Rothschild, Dominus is one of the world's great classic Bordeaux varietal wines.

It is the work of legendary Christian Moueix, son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and French producer of classic Bordeaux wines including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in Saint Emilion.

Christian Moueix discovered Napa Valley and is wines in the late 1960s, while attending the University of California in nearby Davis. In 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard near Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1982,  he entered into a partnership to develop the vineyard and, in 1995, became its sole owner. He named the Estate and wine ‘Dominus’ or’ Lord of the Estate’ in Latin, to underscore his commitment to stewardship of the land. 

I remember the anticipation of tasting this wine when I purchased a case of the 1986 vintage upon release back at the time. Friends and family have often heard me tell this story .... I tasted a bottle from the case every couple of years with similar results ... 'interesting, complex, tightly wound, closed and uninspiring, is that all there is to this wine?' Then after about twenty years, I tasted another bottle and exclaimed, "Ahah, THIS is what this wine is supposed to taste like!"

Impatience was/will be punished, and patience will be rewarded, for those that had/have the resolve to put this wine aside and let it age gracefully to develop, finally settle, and open to reveal its true character and potential. But by then, when it finally presented its potential, I only had a couple bottles left. This is one of those remaining bottles, which at age 30 is better than ever, now revealing its full potential and true character.

The 1986 Dominus Estate was the fourth vintage produced by the John Daniel Society. The grapes were grown solely at the Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, along Hwy 29 in southwest Napa Valley. This vintage was the first of the “second series” of Dominus Estate with the 1986 through 1988 vintages using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the blend. - the '86 release being 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot.

Those early vintages had distinctive branding of a label art series with each vintage label having a portrait of producer Christian Moueix by well-known American artist Jim Dine. This series ended in 1991 with subsequent labels all being the simple plain design, up until the most recent release in 2013, returning to this tradition with a portrait of Moueix returning.

The 1986 Dominus Estate has a dark garnet/ruby color, medium bodied, an aromatic floral nose, this wine shows elegance, finesse and excellent balance, a complex symphony of red and black fruits with layers of mineral, earthy leather, spice, truffle, hints of cassis and tobacco turning to a smooth, polished long finish with pleasant acidity.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1424

http://www.dominusestate.com/

Dominus Estate 2006 

Perhaps the Dominus 2006 reflects a change in style to produce wines that are more approachable at an early age, a popular trend to market wines favored by a larger audience. Or, the 2006 reflects the outstanding vintage with all the elements of terroir coming together. Dominus says, 'the 2006 epitomizes the best qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon in a top terroir of Napa Valley. At first, the wine displays tremendous power. Then, it surprises by the purity of the fruit and the lingering finesse. It clearly possesses a fantastic aptitude for aging.'

“When I drank Dominus 2006 in Europe recently, it confirmed what is for me the best definition of a great wine,” Christian Moueix declared. “This wine travels well. Dare I say that the 2006 vintage is our best so far.”

This release is incredible - a huge powerful forward wine that explodes out of the glass - rich concentrated, complex, a massive wine. Dark garnet/ruby colored, full bodied, brooding chewy mouthfeel that coats the tongue, ripe forward black berry fruits punctuated by a layer of chocolate, coffee beans, truffles and cigar box, turning to big chewy firm tannins that are tamed by being well integrated. This is a huge wine that begs for cheese, chocolates, beef and more - not for the feint of heart. Incredible, indeed.

The 2006 blend is comprised of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year.

RM 96 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=528169

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2007  

Son Ryan said this morning, the morning after, its a pity to try so many spectacular wines all at once, they overshadow each other. Better to have one to enjoy it. Oh well. 

This is another incredible classic wine. This should serve as a benchmark for excellence, against which other wines will be compared. Its as near perfect as it can be. I remember doing the  cult  wine flight out in Napa several years ago and this is what it was like.

This is another Bordeaux blend that provides complexity and sophistication but punctuated by Napa Valley big bold forward concentrated fruits. 

This is elegance personified, silky smooth, polished, sexy, sensuous, the words can't do justice to this wine. Delicious. Memorable. Put some away to revisit again, and again and again. 

The blend of the '07 Insignia is Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 8%, and Petit Verdot 4%.

RM 98 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=674245

Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2013. 

As I wrote in these pages last week, this may be the best release of this label I have tasted, being by far the most vibrant and expressive forward fruits I can remember. 

Citing the metaphor of taking a knife to a gunfight, this Pinot Noir is no match for the bigger, more forward, firmer and tighter Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Relatively speaking, it is big for a Pinot, but lighter and smaller than these Bordeaux varietal wines featured tonight.

This is not a wimpy wine but powerful, as Pinots go, yet smooth and polished, a symphony of concentrated dark berry fruit flavors with layers of black raspberry, black cherry, hints of cranberry, graphite and tones of tobacco leaf, spices of thyme, bay leaf and floral violets with a long lingering tightly wound fine grained tannins on the finish.

RM 92 points

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous both gave this 95 points Vinous; Wine Enthusiast gave it 92 points and a Cellar Selection

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2041534

http://www.calerawine.com/

Constant Diamond Mountain Winery Diamond Mountain District Estate Cabernet Franc 2007

Our visit with Bill and Beth to the Constant Vineyards estate high atop Diamond Mountain was one of the highlights of our Diamond Mountain Appellation Napa Valley Wine Experience in 2011.

This was a great punctuation mark on the Bordeaux varietal wines as Cabernet Franc is used in the blend to add spice and highlights to the Cabernet and Merlot varietals.

This was bright dark ruby/purple colored, medium to full bodied, this was bright vibrant full forward black berry and currant fruit with a bold punch of sweet almost cinnamon spice accented by tones of mocha chocolate, soft sweet oak with dusty lush pleasing tongue coating lingering tannins.

RM 93 points. 

Bill's notes from Cellartacker - "Deep purple color. Light nose of fig and light floral aromas belie a wonderfully flavored Cab Franc. Opens with a bit of sweetness on the front palate, cocoa on the mid palate, silky tannins and a long lingering finish highlighted by cassis and a touch of oak. A wonderful accompaniment to smoky, bacon infused chowder and prosciutto wrapped, stuffed chicken breast in a sweet and spicy pepper sauce.

WCC 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694548

http://www.constantwine.com/



Camiana Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Bill also brought this from his cellar. The wine is full bodied and dark inky purple color, the nose is perfumed with violets, cedar box and dusty earth, The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon flavors are complex, tight and dry, with big firm tannins masking the intense concentrated black berry and black cherry fruit accented with tobacco, hints of cassis and sweet oak.

RM 92 points. 

This wine is great now but should be laid down for five to 10 years.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1268057






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For the dessert course ...

Alois Kracher TBA #12 Zwischen den Seener Scherube 1998 

Amazingly, the drinking window for this wine on Cellartracker is 2009 - 2027!

Brownish orange tea colored, full bodied, thick chewy, rich unctuous, concentrated sweet honey, smoky almonds, lychee, sweet ripe caramel apple, apricot, pear and balanced citrus acidity, the lychee, caramel/vanilla, orange blossom finish goes on and on.

RM 93 points. 

At 356 g/L of residual sugar, this has over three times the sweetness level of Coca-Cola but its fruit nectar essence makes for sensuous pleasant sipping.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=40335

Todd Alexander joins Force Majeure Winery

Force Majeure Red Mountain Vineyard and Winery - An emerging tour de force in premium Washington State Columbia Valley wines ...

We had the pleasure of meeting Todd Alexander, Head Winemaker and General Manager of Force Majeure, the highly-acclaimed winery from Washington State’s Red Mountain AVA, and his wife Carrie, during their recent marketing trip to Chicago. 

We met with Todd and Carrie to learn about Force Majeure and their work there to produce and market highest quality wines representing the rich and diverse terroir of the Red Mountain appellation. Todd gained notoriety at cult winery Bryant on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley where his wines earned high ratings and critical praise. There he learned the craft under legendary viticulturist David Abreu and winemaking consultant Michel Rolland, following in the footsteps there of such notable producers such as Peter Melka. He also spent time learning the craft at Plumpjack/Cade. Joining Todd was wife Carrie, who will be working in marketing of Force Majeure.

They join proprietors Susan and Paul McBride, who purchased the undeveloped land, that is now Force Majeure Vineyard, in 2004, and since then have developed the Force Majeure brand with their devotion and commitment to meticulous viticulture and exemplary winemaking. They have been sourcing Red Mountain fruit from the finest lots from the well known Ciel du Cheval vineyard, marketing under the branding Grand Reve Vintners. During this time they have been increasingly shifting focus to Force Majeure, highlighting fruit from the estate Force Majeure Vineyard as more and more plots come online. Up to now they produced the Collaboration Series featuring Washington’s leading winemakers and one of Red Mountain’s greatest vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. Now, with Todd at the healm of winemaking duties, they will focus on their estate vineyards starting with the Force Majeure vineyard.

Todd and Carrie moved with their their family from Napa Valley to the Columbia Valley to purse this extraordinary opportunity. Todd joined Force Majeure in 2014 so this year's release will be the first reflecting his craftmanship from the vineyards to the glass.

Force Majeure is growing production from 2,000 cases per year to 4,000 cases as their second 20-acre parcel comes into production. The winery’s focus has been on red Bordeaux varietals with acreage planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and Rhone varietals Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre with new plantings in Cinsault, Counoise, Viognier and others. This will allow Todd to explore developing product with both Northern and Southern Rhone style wines as well those reflecting the Bordeaux Left and Right Banks. Such is the diversity and of the terroir of the property.

The Force Majeure estate vineyard is in Washington state's Red Mountain AVA (appellation - agriculture viticulturual area. The original vineyard was planted in 13 acres, and an additional 10 acres planted in 2015. Force Majeure Vineyard is up against the hillside abutting Red Mountain.

Todd seeks to emulate the great labels of Pomerol, St Julien, Hermitage, Priorat, Côte-Rôtie and Chateauneuf-du-Pape - such labels as Lalande-de-Pomerol, Chateau Latour, La Ladone, and Chateau Beaucastel as benchmark wines. We're excited to watch the evolution and growth of his work as Force Majeure as he seeks to pursue his vision and realize the potential of this great property, and for him to express and develop his capabilities in a broad portfolio of premium wines.

Todd told of us the unique diversity, and superior terroir and great potential of the property, in the foothill butted up against the Red Mountain range overlooking the Yakima River basin. The diverse property has nine different soil types in a change of elevation from 900 to 1200 feet. The rocky upper part of the property has as much as a 40% slope, well-suited for the Rhone varietals, while the lower elevations of the vineyard's well-drained soils are more ideally suited to Bordeaux varietals, all with a Southwestern exposure to capture the afternoon sun, ideal for ripening the grapes.

The Yakima Valley AVA was the first AVA created in Washington State in 1983. The valley covers 600,000 acres in south central Washington, twice the size of the greater Bordeaux region, and fifteen times the size of Napa Valley. Yakima Valley is home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state with more than 60 wineries and 16,000 vineyard acres. Nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes.

In 1984 Columbia Valley was given AVA status, and Yakima Valley was enclosed within the Columbia Valley AVA. Since that time, several new appellations have been added including Red Mountain AVA and Horse Heaven Hills AVA, which are both contained within Yakima Valley.

Force Majeure currently has a winery facility in Woodinville, WA but will also be developing their own world class winery facility, renovating a historic rustic 11,000 schoolhouse from around 1900. 

Todd left us the Force Majeure Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 and Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2013, both sourced from the Force Majeure vineyard. Watch for my update with our upcoming tasting of these wines.

We met with Todd and Carrie at the famous Chicago landmark Italian Village Restaurant with their historic award winning wine cellar, now run by Wine Director Sommelier Jared Gelband who gave us a tour of the cellar featuring in my separate blogpost.

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/