Winemaker Notes
A combination of dark fruit intermingles with notes of cassis, mocha and wildflowers. This wine has a rich and smooth mouthfeel that exhibits fine-grained tannins while still maintaining a sense of lift and freshness.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A little more fresh and lively than the Ciel du Cheval, the 2014 Champoux has sensational purity in its lifted bouquet of cassis, black raspberries, violets and spring flowers. There's a touch of graphite that develops with time in the glass, and the wine has fine, polished tannin and an elegant, silky texture. It doesn't have the heft of the Ciel du Cheval but shines for its purity and elegance.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine & Spirits
Andrew Will’s classic wine from Champoux, a blend of merlot with cabernet sauvignon, franc and malbec, is showing its age with a tawny sheen. Tobacco, horsehide, dried orange peel and plum scent the mouthfilling dried-fig sweetness. Its succulent texture will pair well with braised beef.
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Wine Spectator
Combines a refined structure with a rich and polished texture, showing red currant, orange zest and dark chocolate notes that lead to firm but ripe tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Best from 2018 through 2023.
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.