Robert Karl Horse Heaven Hills Claret 2007
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Wine
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Robert
Parker
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2007 Horse Heaven Hills Claret (red wine) is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 14% Petit Verdot, and 6% Malbec. The fruit was sourced from our estate vines at Gunselman Bench, Andrews Horse Heaven Ranch, McKinley Springs and Phinny Hill vineyards. It was aged in 70% French oak and 30% American oak for 21 months, 50% of the oak was new. The ideal consumption is 2 to 5 years from release date, but this wine will develop for another 5-7 years. The alcohol by volume is 13.5%. This wine was bottled August 4, 2009.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The inky purple 2007 Claret is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, with the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec aged for 21 months in 50% new French oak. It offers up an already complex bouquet of cigar box, violets, incense, herbal notes, and blackberry. On the palate it has layered fruit, plenty of spice, excellent depth and concentration, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. This lengthy wine will be at its best from 2012 to 2022.
Other Vintages
2006-
Robert
Parker
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.