Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Klipsun has earned a reputation as one of Washington’s "First Growth" vineyards. They are driven to craft benchmark wines that express the nuance of the terroir at both its most raw and most refined. Small lots. Uncompromising standards. Sourced exclusively from their Red Mountain property. Each vintage is a testament to the land, the seasons and the meticulous craft that produced it.
Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Syrah
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon comes all from the Klipsun Vineyard on Red Mountain and is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, and 4% Syrah that spent 20 months in new French oak. There are a little over 2,000 cases produced, and it sports a healthy purple/ruby hue to go with a killer bouquet of pure crème de cassis, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and hints of iron. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has great tannins, impeccable balance, and a great finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years and will cruise for two decades after that from cold cellars. Best After 2024
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Instantly impressive in the glass, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 4% Syrah and first shows off its oak structure from 100% new French oak with brown baking spices that overflow from the glass. Fresh, dark, juicy berry notions waft with a firm, generous nature with soft elements of black peppercorn and roasted plums. Full-bodied and with a complex, generous structure, the palette displays impeccable flavors of spiced plum compote, black cherry skin, blackberry jus and elements of crème de cassis and dried violets. The mid-palate gives way to a firm tannic structure that will need additional time in the bottle to settle but already shows great aging potential. Concluding with a long, lingering and evolving finish, persistent flavors of fresh, ripe blackberries remain on the palate with flavors of oak and maple with a subtle element of dried sage. Give it one more year after it's released before opening, and decant at least 30 minutes before enjoying. The wine rested for 20 months in all-new French oak before being bottled and was left to rest for an additional 14 months in bottle prior to release. Just under 7,000 bottles were filled. You'll want to add this to your shopping list when it's released later this fall. Bravo!
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Wine Spectator
Brooding and deeply structured, with broad blackberry, espresso and dusty herb flavors that gather tension toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2023.
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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.