Winemaker Notes
Obelisco, Quintessence and Ciel du Cheval are all considered to be among the best vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA. These particular vineyards always express the terroir of Red Mountain especially well. The rich soils, dependable air drainage, and limited rainfall result in highly concentrated berries with dense skins, rich inky color, and daring complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Dense and chewy now at three years of age, this wine shows incredible decadence and a seamless texture. Mocha, tar and anise all brilliantly combine, as the wine is obviously quite big, yet displays a good sense of elegance. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next decade.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Stone Cairn checks in as 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot that was brought up in 50% new French oak. This deep ruby/purple-hued beauty gives up a great bouquet of crème de cassis, spicy oak, chocolate, and flowers. Beautifully balanced and medium to full-bodied, with both richness and elegance, it ranks with the finest examples of this cuvée I've tasted. If it was from Napa, it would be three times the cost. Drink bottles over the coming 10-12 years, if not longer.
Rating: 93+ -
James Suckling
Blackberries, raspberries, cloves, walnuts and mixed peppercorns on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Succulent and polished. Chocolatey notes on the finish. Delicious already, but better from 2022.
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Andrew Januik is one of a handful of second generation winemakers in Washington. Aromas of espresso, blackberry and black cherry lead to a palate that brings a lot of freshness and structure.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Dark ruby at its core, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Cairn starts with a firm, concentrated nose with hints of sage and thyme with an undercurrent of dusty vanilla, resinous purple flowers and spiced black plum. Full-bodied, the palate is dense with rich, dark fruit flavors of crème de cassis, blackberry jus and redcurrants before firm, gripping tannins build across the mid-palate. With a long-lingering and dusty finish, the Cabernet will better be paired with food. The wine aged 21 months in 50% new French oak.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation 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. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
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.