Winemaker Notes
An undeniable heavy-hitter, the Curiositas announces its presence as soon as the cork is popped, with heady aromas of super-ripe black cherry, damson plum, cocoa powder, black tea and toasted hazelnuts exploding out of the glass. The texture is rich, round, opulent and ubermouth-coating, with a twist: its intense tannins and powerful, minutes-long finish.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the Heart of the Hill and Quintessence vineyards, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Curiositas is all Cabernet Sauvignon that was destemmed and will spend 22 months in 60% new oak. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, concentrated Red Mountain Cabernet offering pure currant and cassis fruits, some obvious minerality, and an almost gunpowder-like character that emerges with air. There are just 500 cases produced, and it’s going to warrant 4-5 years of bottle age.
Range: 94-96+ -
Vinous
Darkly alluring, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Curiositas smolders up with a mineral-inflected bouquet of crushed rocks, currant and dark chocolate. This is soft and round, with supple red fruits guided by brisk acidity. Slow-mounting tannins amass toward the close, finishing grippy and long, with a black tea resonance and hints of licorice that slowly fade.
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James Suckling
This is a full-bodied, tasty red with fragrant notes of violets, chocolate, cherries and ripe mulberries. Firm and well-framed on the palate with excellent freshness. Fruit-focused. 95% cabernet sauvignon, 5% petit verdot.
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.