Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Cabernet Sauvignon from four sites (the Grand Ciel, Klipsun, Ciel du Cheval, and Upchurch vineyards), the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags reveals a deeper plum hue to go with a blacker fruited, concentrated, powerful Cabernet offering full-bodied richness, plenty of chocolaty oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's another seriously good wine from this estate. Rating: 95+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from four vineyards—Upchurch, Grand Ciel, Klipsun and Ciel du Cheval—the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags begins with an oaky nose that is precise, focused and fresh. Aromas of black and dark red fruit tones sway with a delightfully dusty mineral essence and soft red florals. Full-bodied, fresh, firm and juicy, the palate offers a fine mineral tension and succulent acidity, while a polished frame of fruit cascades across the mid-palate before ending with a succulent, food-friendly finish and lingering tannic edge. Just under 19,000 bottles were produced after the wine aged for 20 months in all French oak, 82% first fill. Bravo!
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James Suckling
Ripe dark-fruited character here, with sweet licorice, vanilla, cedar and wet stones. Refined and silky on the palate, with a seamless texture and fine-grained tannins. Mellow and creamy in the middle with rich dark-berry character. Lingering finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Straightforward and sturdy, with deep blackberry, mineral and savory herb flavors that gather tension and power toward broad-shouldered tannins. Drink now through 2029. 1,600 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Blackberry and marzipan aromas fail to prepare you for the tannic beast lurking behind the door. Despite a nice bit of acidity, a chewy mouthfeel makes you earn this wine’s blueberry, red apple, vanilla, wood spice and espresso flavors. This wine may just outlive Bitcoin.
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.