Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain is a luxurious wine that captivates with an aromatic bouquet of plum, boysenberry, cigar box, and cedar. On the palate, it unfolds with vibrant flavors of currant, sweet dark fruits, olive, and clove exemplifying the power and finesse of Red Mountain terroir. A complex texture and richness imparted by new French oak lead to a remarkable long finish, leaving a lasting impression of depth and quality.
Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Broad of shoulder and deeply structured yet retains a sense of sleek style, with expressive flavors of cherry, red currant, green tea and savory spices that finish with big but ripe tannins. Drink now through 2034. 2,057 cases made.
-
Vinous
The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Horse is dusty and floral with a dark array of savory herbs, cedar shavings and dried black cherries. This is a round and juicy effort balanced by a wave of tart red berry fruits, as sweet spices and lavender notes swirl throughout. The 2022 tapers off only gently tannic with medium length, leaving hints of blackberry to fade slowly.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Dead Horse is a big, meaty red that blends 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot and is richly layered and dense in blackberry and dark chocolate. The tannins and oak are integrated within the full-bodied, jammy body, leading to a plush, refined finish.
Over a decade later, Mark Ryan Winery has grown in size, earned acclaim from wine-lovers and critics alike, and garnered respect from the state's elite producers. The goal, however, remains the same. Make delicious wines that represent the vineyard from which they come, making every vintage better than the last.
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.