Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Parabellum Coulee is a Syrah-heavy blend that includes 14% Mourvèdre. It has a beautiful bouquet of ripe black cherry and blackberry fruits interwoven with notes of lavender, herbes de Provence, and peppery herbs. With medium to full body, a rounded, sumptuous texture, and an overall upfront, soft, already delicious style, it’s ideal for drinking while you give some of the other cuvées here time in the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Syrah and Mourvèdre blend, the 2017 Parabellum Coulée was not yet released when I sampled it as an unfinished wine. The wine is approachable now and has a good focus on blackberry, dark plum and red peppercorn, with expressive purple flowers and bitter dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a purity and focus that you rarely find at this price. It ends with notes of smoked carpaccio and fruit compote. Range: 89-91
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.