Winemaker Notes
The wine has an abundance of fruit and earth flavors that bring depth to the mid-palate. Lively acidity and polished tannins keep this wine evolving over the next 15 years.
This wine has balance and power which reflects what the vineyard can deliver.
Blend: 44% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot/Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Possessing an almost Château Lafleur-like raspberry, strawberry, floral and graphite bouquet, the 2013 Champoux Vineyard is medium to full-bodied, juicy, lively and polished, with an already approachable, endearing personality. Nevertheless, it has building mid-palate depth, lively acidity and enough ripe tannin to keep it drinking nicely for another 15 years.
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James Suckling
This has some lifted and riper aromas of plum paste and tarry nuances, leading to a palate that delivers a bold, fleshy and full-ish impression with baked plums. Smooth tannins. A blend of 44% merlot, 29% cabernet franc, 18% cabernet sauvignon and 9% petit verdot and malbec. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
Merlot (44%) takes the lead on this wine followed by Cabernet Franc (29%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (18%), with the balance of blend of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Alluring aromas of black plum, earth, flowers and green herb are followed by generous, palate-coating dark-fruit flavors. It brings a sense of texture that captivates.
Editors' Choice. -
Wine & Spirits
This blend leads with merlot (44 percent), followed by cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and malbec. It’s a wine of sunbaked intensity, with scents of roasted plum and flavors darker still—toward dried fig and plum. Its generous texture is lifted by lacy acidity, and should lend some cushioning to pepper steak.
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.
"Surely this is Horse Heaven!”
Its wide prairies and rolling expanses led an early pioneer to proclaim that the region looked like “horse heaven,” and as a result, the area was appropriately named. Horse Heaven Hills is in south central Washington state, geographically bound on its northern border by the Yakima River and in the south, by the larger Columbia River.
Its proximity to the Columbia River contributes to a variety of climactic factors that dramatically affect its grapes. In particular, an increase in wind from changes in pressure along the river, which flows from the cool and wet Pacific Ocean, inland to Washington’s hot and arid plains, creates 30% more wind than there would be otherwise. These winds moderate temperatures, protect against mold and rot, reduce the risk of early and late season frosts, diminish canopy size and toughen grape skins.
The vineyards bordering the river are on steep, south-facing, well-exposed slopes, with well-drained, sandy-loam soils. But the soils of the appellation are diverse throughout, ranging from wind-blown sand and loess, Missoula Flood sediment, and rocky basalt. Horse Heaven Hills has an arid continental climate with elevations ranging from 200 to 1,800 feet.
The first vines of the appellation were planted in 1972 in an optimal spot now referred to as the Champoux Vineyard. Today it remains the source of some of Washington’s most desirable and expensive Cabernet Sauvignons. In fact, the appellation as a whole boasts many of Washington’s top scoring wines. Its primary grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.