Andrew Will Winery Ciel du Cheval 2014
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This red blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc once again revisits the idea of creating a wine from Ciel du Cheval that doesn’t use Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine shows off an intriguing combination of red berries, plums, espresso, and river rocks on the nose.
Blend: 61% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a rare blend for this estate that doesn't include Cabernet Sauvignon and is 61% Merlot and 39% Cabernet Franc. Offering lots of graphite, black cherries, roasted herbs and chocolate, this beauty is full-bodied, deep and rich on the palate, with beautiful concentration, ripe tannin and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Subtly lifted mulberry and violet aromas with a wet-stone, mineral edge. On the palate, this has a generous yet elegant fleshy layer of plums and dark cherries, wrapped around smoothly approachable tannins. Deeply flavorsome, generous but bright. This is great drinking. 61% Merlot and 39% Cabernet Franc.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2014 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a rare blend for this estate, only Merlot (61%) and Cabernet Franc (39%). Offering lots of graphite, black cherries, roasted herbs and chocolate, this beauty is full-bodied, textured, and rich on the palate, with beautiful concentration, ripe tannin, and a great finish. It can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine & Spirits
Like Will’s wine from Champoux (also recommended here), this 2014 feels tawny and reserved. A blend of merlot and cabernet franc, it’s a big, powerful red, with savory scents of creosote, tobacco and amaro, formidable tannins and mouthwatering acidity. Decant and pour with an Asian-style braised pork shoulder.
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Andrew Will Winery was started in 1989 and is owned by Chris Camarda. The winery was named for nephew Andrew and son Will. Andrew Will was launched out of a love for wine that Chris developed while working in the restaurant trade for almost 20 years. Named after his son Will and nephew Andrew, Andrew Will has been a major contributor in putting Washington State on the map as a world-class wine-producing region.
Andrew Will wines are labeled by vineyard with each wine a different makeup of the Bordeaux varietals. These vineyards, all in the Columbia Valley, include Camarda's own estate Two Blondes. He is part owner of the Champoux Vineyard and sources from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. They make about 4500 cases of wine. In addition to the blends, Andrew Will makes from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese from fruit grown at Ciel du Cheval.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.