Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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Jeb
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Wine
Spectator -
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Winemaker Notes
Dark garnet verging on purple. Mouth coating intensity, ripe blackberry flavors with a hint of herbs that is the hallmark of wines from Red Mountain. While the wine is big & rich its pleasant mouthfeel is a result of carefully managed tannins which are evident, but seamless. If you prefer wine with lots of fruit, it could be consumed in the near term, or if you like more cedar and cigar box aromas it should be aged for 10 to 15 years.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant stuff and comes from the Klipsun Vineyard on Red Mountain. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Syrah, aged 20 months in new oak, its deep purple color is followed by powerful notes of currants, graphite, toasted spices, and scorched earth. These give way to a full-bodied, concentrated, yet beautifully balanced Cabernet that has fine tannins, terrific purity of fruit, and a great finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age but is a 20+ year wine. Rating: 96+
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Wine Spectator
Refined and impressively structured, with handsome currant, black olive and stony mineral notes that build richness and polish on a lingering finish. Drink now through 2029.
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Wine & Spirits
A packed Red Mountain wine, this is the first release from the Terlato wine group since it purchased Klipsun Vineyard from David and Patricia Gelles in 2017. This debut leads with rich and tarry oak scents, along with notes of pencil lead, tobacco leaf and purple berries. The flavors are powerful and silky at once, filling out after days open, the tannic grip growing more refined and elegant with air. It has the stuffing to age, or pour with a black and blue steak.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
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Enthusiast
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
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Spectator
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
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.