Winemaker Notes
Blend: 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Syrah, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Touriga Nacional, 1% Tinta Cao, and 1% Souzao.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Estate offers more spice and incense, with loads of plum, blackberry and currant fruits front and center. Made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the rest Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Souzao, this medium to full-bodied effort has an old-school, rustic style, yet loads of character as well as good purity of fruit, ripe tannin, and a clean finish. I suspect it will keep for 8-10 years, probably longer.
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Wine & Spirits
A cabernet sauvignon–dominant blend, this smells as if the glass is laced with tobacco. The wine is tight and focused, with an energy in the tannins that suggests it will age well in the cellar.
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.