Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain 2019 (1.5L)

 

Rated 95 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

Blended with 7% Merlot and 7% Syrah, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain starts with a bold, generous and dark-fruited nose with a rich and robust expression that boasts a seductive oaky essence.  Full-bodied, the palate is still tight and will benefit from additional aging in bottle, yet I can see it has good bones now that will allow it to age gracefully for about two decades.  Gobs of dark red and black fruits sway with a delightful mineral tension before concluding with a long, winding and spicy finish.  The wine rested for 20 months in all new French oak before being bottled and left to rest for more than a year prior to release.

 

Rated 94 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Finesse meets structure in this version, with dynamic blackberry, espresso and tobacco flavors that build tension and polish toward fine-grained tannins.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  Drink now through 2032.

 

Rated 92 Points & Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast

 

This full-throttled Cabernet Sauvignon (with 7% portions of Merlot and Syrah) saw 20 months in 100% new French oak, followed by 14 months in bottle.  It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of blackberries, black cherries, coconut, cigar box and thyme.  Silky tannins with a rich mouthfeel.  Enjoy from 2023–2033.  Cellar Selection

 

Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Red Mountain 2019

 

In the spring of 2017, the Terlato family purchased the renowned Klipsun Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington State.  Two years later, after significant investments in the property, they presented the inaugural vintage of Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet, under the newly created Klipsun brand.  Planted in 1984, Klipsun Vineyards is known for its powerful and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  The Cabernet Sauvignon is very complex, with rich overtones of dark berry fruit and attractive mulberry and olallieberry aromas.  The Merlot shows its characteristic bright fruit with a lovely, mouth filling mid-palate richness.  We chose to blend in 7% Merlot this year, to balance the brightness of the Merlot with the berry fruit aromas of the Cabernet.  We traditionally add some of Klipsun’s amazing Syrah to add spice and earthiness.  The 7% Syrah adds just the right amount of complexity and doesn’t get in the way of the beautiful Cabernet.

 

Winemaker:  Doug Fletcher

 

Tasting Notes

 

Style:  Complex, Elegant, Rich, Smooth, Structured

 

Flavor:  Berry, Blackberry, Blend-Spices

 

Aroma:  Fruit aroma of blackberry, mulberry and boysenberry, interlaced with a spicy oak note.  As the wine ages in the bottle the oak & fruit aromas will meld into a complex medley of cedar and cigar box.

 

Taste:  Rich blackberry and a hint of wild sage normally found.  Pleasant acidity and a rich, balanced mouthfeel followed by a well-developed mid palate.  The result is a tannin structure that is evident but seamless.  The finish is smooth and lingering.

 

Aging:  20 Months in 100% new French oak, 14 Months in bottle.

 

Fermentation

 

Small stainless steel tanks.  Some with open tops to allow for punching down and others with a closed top that were pumped over.

 

 

Klipsun Vineyard

 

Benton City, Washington State

 

                 Key Points

 

• One of the first vineyards planted in Red Mountain AVA
• 100% Estate Grown in this Distinct Region - Once named as one of the “25 Great Vineyards of the World” by Wine & Spirits Magazine, Klipsun was one of the first vineyards planted in the Red Mountain AVA, the most densely planted and most sought after AVA in Washington
• Small Lots - Artisanal & handcrafted approach from vine to bottle, with individually numbered bottles. Small batch handling ensures optimal quality control and fruit expression.
• Uncompromising Standards - Meticulously cared for vineyard, superior fruit quality & exceptional winemaking regimen.

 

Klipsun has earned a reputation as one of Washington’s “First Growth” vineyards.  We are driven to craft benchmark wines that express the nuance of our terroir at both its most raw and most refined.  Small lots.  Uncompromising standards.  Sourced exclusively from our Red Mountain property.  Each vintage is a testament to the land, the seasons and the meticulous craft that produced it.

 

Since 1984, we have partnered with Washington’s premier winemakers and provided fruit for some of the most acclaimed wines to come out of our state.  What makes Klipsun unique as a vineyard is not one single aspect of geography or geology - it’s everything.  Location and elevation.  Soil and water.  Vision and action.  All held in tension and in balance to provide our viticulturists with the perfect canvas upon which to master their craft.  Decades of careful cultivation and stewardship enable us to produce grapes that realize the fullest potential of this land and demonstrate why Klipsun on Red Mountain is one of the most intriguing and distinctive places in the world to grow grapes.

Beginning in 2016, we set out to produce the truest expression of this place.  A single vineyard wine that showcases exactly what makes the fruit grown here exceptional.  Each vintage thereafter is a testament to Washington’s most celebrated vineyard and our passion to craft the most distinct, thrill-seeking, elegant, and finessed Red Mountain expression imaginable.

 

 

Rated 94 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Finesse meets structure in this version, with dynamic blackberry, espresso and tobacco flavors that build tension and polish toward fine-grained tannins.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  Drink now through 2032.

 

 

 

Rated 92 Points & Cellar Selection by Wine Enthusiast

 

This full-throttled Cabernet Sauvignon (with 7% portions of Merlot and Syrah) saw 20 months in 100% new French oak, followed by 14 months in bottle.  It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of blackberries, black cherries, coconut, cigar box and thyme.  Silky tannins with a rich mouthfeel.  Enjoy from 2023–2033.  Cellar Selection