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2018 Force Majeure Vineyards Epinette

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

April 28, 2024 - $61

Estimate

RATINGS

97Jeb Dunnuck

Lots of smoky black cherry and darker currant fruits as well as notes of chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality...full-bodied beauty is beautifully textured, with a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a blockbuster finish.

94The Wine Advocate

...aromas of plums, chocolate-covered cherries and black raspberry before offering complex layers of minerality, purple flowers and elegant baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is deliciously balanced and displays fruit captured at optimum ripeness levels, offering energetic acidity and lifting tannins across the mid-palate...concludes with a long, silky finish that emphatically shows Washington Merlot can be a powerhouse... Bravo!

93Stephen Tanzer

Brooding, almost inky scents of blackberry, boysenberry, licorice, tree bark, black pepper and graphite. Suave, fine-grained and remarkably intense on entry, conveying a sexy savory quality and a dark chocolatey sweetness to its surprisingly supple dark berry, licorice and spice cake flavors. This dense, harmonious blend is at once serious and suave, finishing with well-integrated tannins and terrific rising flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and minerals.

REGION

United States, Washington, Yakima Valley, Red Mountain

Yakima Valley AVA was the first AVA created in Washington State. The valley, a 600,000-acre area in south central Washington, was granted AVA status in 1983. In 1984 Columbia Valley was given AVA status, and Yakima Valley was enclosed within the Columbia Valley AVA. Nevertheless, Yakima Valley remains home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state. There are more than 60 wineries and some 16,000 vineyard acres, and nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes. The most frequently planted grape is Chardonnay, followed by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaking here dates to 1869, when a winemaker from Alsace planted grape vines. Vineyard planting and wine production plodded along slowly until the early 1980s when numerous modern pioneers started making well-reviewed Yakima Valley wines. Some of the state’s newest, most closely watched appellations, including Red Mountain AVA and Horse Heaven Hills AVA, are contained within Yakima Valley.