93 points, Jeb Dunnuck
92 points, Wine Spectator

This wine is our 16th vintage from the famed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain, one of the oldest and most proven vineyards in the Northwest. Each varietal was picked and vinified separately and blended early during the winter succeeding harvest. The wine then goes back to barrel for an additional year and a half before bottling. We believe that this early assemblage allows for the wine to be less a composed wine of its varietal parts and more a singular representation of place.

The wine is a deep red color, transitioning to magenta around the edges. The nose is rich and expressive, displaying black fruits and tobacco leaf with hints of dust and desert herb. The palate is full and opulent, with substantial firm, ripe tannins well integrated and sufficiently balanced with rich flavors of blackberry, licorice, forest floor and creamy oak. It is delicious now and will improve substantially in the first few years of cellaring; it will age gracefully for at least ten years.