Winemaker Notes
Andrew Will continues to see merit in keeping the blend of this wine close to a 50-50 split of Merlot and Cab Franc. These two varietals play off each other very well and create a much more focused version of this wine while still retaining a full structure and complexity without the addition of Cab Sauvignon.
Blend: 57% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, begins with a red-fruited nose with dusty core of mineral-rich earth and red, floral bouquet wafts. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, the wine expresses flavors of black plum and dusty, dark cherry, showing a clean and spicy wine with a tannic core that is still grippy. The wine will age well or can be enjoyed now with its food-friendly expression at its current stage.
Rating: 93+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
Violet, cassis, blueberry, cedar, and graphite notes all emerge from the 2016 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, which is from a great vineyard on Red Mountain. A blend of 57% Merlot and 43% Cabernet Franc brought up in 25% new oak, it's young and primordial, with loads of fruit balanced by good acidity, but it needs time to come together.
Rating: 92+
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.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.