2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Ciel du Cheval, Red Mountain

We first planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Ciel du Cheval in 1975. It was a small planting, just a half an acre. At the time it was considered a bit of an experiment. Due to Eastern Washington’s frigid winter climate, most growers felt we were likely to succeed with traditional with Northern European white grape varieties. However, a few growers had successfully cultivated Bordeaux varieties, so we decided to experiment. That experiment met with remarkable success, producing Cabernet Sauvignon of great intensity and robust tannins. Accordingly, Cabernet Sauvignon has since become the most planted variety not only in Ciel du Cheval, but the Red Mountain AVA as well.

Even in a small vineyard like Ciel, there is significant variation in the soil and topography of the vineyard; each block of land within the vineyard is different and unique. Nearly all the vineyard’s soil is a mix loamy fine sand and silt loam. The block that grew this wine tends to have a higher sand content then the rest of the vineyard. That sand was blown into the vineyard in the last 10,000 years and deposited on the surface of the soils that were created during the Missoula Floods. The depth of the sand varies from a few inches to several feet within the block, creating significant differences in the way the soil absorbs, retains, and drains water. Topographically, this block lies on the north slope of a barely perceptible rolling hill and as a result tilts just slightly to the northwest. This results in the vines receiving slightly less intense sunlight then the rest of the vineyard. I wish I could tell you exactly what characteristics (the soil, the sunlight, or the combination) make the wine from this block unique, but what I can tell you is these wines tend to have more elegance and finesse than from other locations in the vineyard.