Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of four vineyards on Red Mountain, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags sports a ruby/plum color to go with terrific notes of red and black currants, spicy oak, dried flowers, and hints of tobacco. It has some classic Red Mountain minerality and chocolate on the palate, is medium to full-bodied, has beautiful tannins, and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Generously layered and slightly volatile at first, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Ciel blossoms in the glass with rigorous spinning, revealing its dark-fruited core with dusty essence and intoxicatingly floral array. Full-bodied, generous and powerful, the mouthfeel is lush and marked with a fine mineral tension before displaying a firm tannic edge. The wine continues to reveal layers of juiciness and spiciness before somersaulting into a blockbuster finish. I have no doubt that this wine will continue to please thirsty palates for more than two decades. Bravo! Rating:94+?
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Wine & Spirits
Sourced mostly from Grand Ciel and Upchurch, the balance from Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun, this is warm with espresso and cocoa notes. The fl avors are dark and juicy, with fl eshy tannins that express a kind of compact lushness. It should age beautifully.
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James Suckling
Blackberry, blackcurrant and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with very good depth and intensity. Firm tannins. Well structured with ripe fruit and crushed herbs coming in layers. A surprisingly fresh finish.
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Wine Spectator
Density meets detail as this red slowly reveals structured currant, black olive and stony mineral accents, which build tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2023
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.