Winemaker Notes
Cherry and spice notes go from aroma to palate all the way through the long, long finish. The wine is deeply structured with fine tannins present everywhere you taste. The word ‘gracious’ comes to mind; the wine is open for business right now, elegant in presentation and thoroughly enjoyable. Blend: 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Ciel Du Cheval is based on 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. It comes from unquestionably one of the top vineyards on Red Mountain and spent 18 months in French oak. Lots of classic Red Mountain tannins and minerality as well as notes of cassis, currants, dried herbs, graphite, and loamy soil define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied and wonderfully balanced, with a round, expansive mouthfeel and a great finish. Well worth seeking out, it’s going to deliver the goods for a solid two decades.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine, which will be the winery's last from this vineyard as it focuses on estate wines going forward, is a true Bordeaux style blend: 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot and 12% Petit Verdot. The aromas are reserved, with notes of cherry, scorched earth and spice. Herb and cherry flavors follow. The structure this winery is known for is there in abundance. Best after 2027.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot, the 2018 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard displays a deep ruby color at its core with a dark magenta rim. Aromas of dusty black cherry skin, juicy plum and soft savory herbs sway out of the glass with a soft rustic element of worn leather and wilted lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the blend has a focused and balanced palate offering up layers of complexity and fine-grained tannins. Ending with a food-friendly finish, the blend will have no challenges lasting for a decade.
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Wine & Spirits
This blends cabernets sauvignon and franc, the rest merlot and petit verdot, mostly from vines planted in the mid-’90s. The savor in this wine hints at vine age: scents of sundried tomato, cedar and sandalwood. The flavors are all plum and blackberry, its plum-skin tannins framing a plump middle, and plenty of extract for something formidable off the grill, like ribs.
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.