Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The best Cara Mia yet, this is Red Mountain Cabernet Franc from the estate vineyard, with 15% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot included. Stylish and compact, this seems sculpted with pure, vivid purple fruits, balanced against crisp, fine-grained tannins. The depth and concentration are noteworthy. Cellar Selection.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Bel Canto Cara Mia Vineyard is a Cabernet Franc-dominated blend that also incorporates 15% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. Showing a deep, ripe bouquet of mulled black fruits, toast, underbrush, mineral and assorted baking spice aromas and flavors, it flows onto the palate with a full-bodied, textured mouthfeel, excellent acidity and firm yet sweet tannin that lends focus and length on the finish. It will be better in 2-3 years and shine for 5-7 years after that.
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Wine Spectator
This firm red has sandy tannins around a lean, dark core of blackberry and licorice flavors. Rose petal notes add to the expressive finish. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
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 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.