Winemaker Notes
A brooding, plush expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Lonely Heart shows aromatics of boysenberry, sweet tobacco, and crushed rock. On the palate, flavors of Luxardo cherries and dried oregano emerge, with a lush texture and lengthy finish. This is a multi-faceted Cabernet with depth and complexity in both its aromas and flavors. Despite a rich and opulent mouthfeel, the wine maintains elegance with fresh acidity and refined tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
One sip and you, much like the fellows in Yes, will want to be the owner of a Lonely Heart. This superb 100% Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon strikes first with aromas of huckleberry pie, lilacs and bacon fat. Surprisingly brisk acidity and husky tannins showcase flavors like blackberries, rhubarb tarts and a cup of black coffee.
Cellar Selection -
Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship 2021 Lonely Heart comes from old vines and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon raised 21 months in 87% new French oak. Its saturated purple color gives way to a beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that has ample cassis and darker, almost blue fruits, some nicely integrated oak, notes of smoked tobacco and graphite, and enough tannins to warrant 4-5 years of bottle age. It's another terrific wine from this talented team.
Rating: 94+ -
James Suckling
Intensely saturated with black fruit, this layered, deep and persistent wine has all the stuffing to age well. Delicious black currants, dried blueberries, graphite and dark chocolate ride a linear texture laced with firming tannins. An exceptional wine that will be best from 2028 and well beyond.
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Wine Spectator
Boldy structured yet supple and rich, offering expressive flavors of blackberry and huckleberry laced with black olive and toasty spice tones as this finishes with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Lonely Heart was matured for 21 months in 87% new French oak. It has herbal aromas of green pepper and mint that give way to blackcurrant, aniseed and violet. The full-bodied palate pairs concentrated fruit with glossy new-oak spice. It’s structured by fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity and has a long, latent 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.
Washington produces so many exciting wines, and that definitely includes Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. With over 10,000 acres under vine, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most widely-grown varietal in the state. Terrific examples hail from sub-appellations like Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla Valley. One of the fascinations of these Columbia Valley Cabs is that they so often seem to have one foot in the New World and one in the Old. Representing the former are characteristics like the ripe, forward fruit that results from long sunny days during the growing season (up to two hours longer than in much of California). Old World similarities include an undeniable brightness from acidity, as well as notes of herbs, graphite and a dusty, sometimes gravelly minerality.
Whether you’re looking for a budget bottle for everyday enjoyment, or a stellar, world-class wine with tremendous aging potential, Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines can deliver the goods! Among the many fine options are bottles from Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle, L’ecole #41, Quilceda Creek and Leonetti.