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2016 Force Majeure Vineyards Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

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Latest Sale Price

September 7, 2025 - $67

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RATINGS

99Jeb Dunnuck

...rich, primordial bouquet of crème de cassis, espresso roast, crushed rock, and graphite...a full-bodied, powerful wine that has subtle oak, plenty of sweet tannins, and a huge, layered finish that won't quit. It's the tannin management that's truly spectacular.

93+ The Wine Advocate

Opening with a fresh core of black fruit and minerality on the nose...wafts with blackberry, crème de cassis and dusty purple flowers. Full-bodied in the mouth, the wine is strict and rigid, with a lingering spice through the mid-palate. It continues to show a mineral tension with dusty black fruit, spiced plum and nuanced oak flavors on the long, thoughtful finish.

93Wine Spectator

Powerfully structured, yet refined and rich, offering expressive blackberry, stony mineral and white pepper flavors that build richness toward big but polished tannins.

93Vinous / IWC

...aromas of cassis, black cherry, graphite, licorice pastille, tobacco leaf, mint and herbs, lifted by a violet topnote. Wonderful dense, thick, saline and sweet, showing a very ripe, chewy, slightly chocolatey character...wonderfully savory wine... Finishes very long, with huge, thick, totally ripe, palate-saturating tannins but no hard edges. Shows an almost caramelly Pomerol-like creaminess in the mouth, with its green qualities receding into the background.

92James Suckling

A bold cab with plenty of weight and body. The nose is all about ripe cassis and mulberries with sweetly spiced perfume and the palate has a sweepingly fleshy build in the middle with easygoing, supple tannins to close.

PRODUCER

Force Majeure Vineyards

Force Majeure Vineyards was originally called Grand Reve. It was founded in Woodinville, near Seattle, in 2004. It was a collaboration between businessman Paul McBride and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson. Johnson had spent a decade managing vineyards in Eastern Washington’s prestigious Red Mountain AVA and he and McBride wanted to focus on Rhone-style varietals. Grand Reve, which means “great dream” in French, was soon winning raves and ratings in the mid-90s from Wine Advocate and other reviews. McBride and his wife Susan then changed the winery name to Force Majeure, and they’ve hired winemaker Todd Alexander to oversee winemaking. Alexander was previously winemaker at Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa Valley. More recently McBride and Johnson have also started a project they call the “collaboration” series in which guest winemakers make wines from Red Mountain grapes. Jeb Dunnick of Wine Advocate has called Force Majeure “One of my favorite estates in Washington… The focus here is always Red Mountain fruit, with grapes pulled mostly from the crème de la crème Ciel du Cheval vineyard, and increasingly from their estate Force Majeure Vineyard as more and more plots come online.”

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.

TYPE

Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.

VINTAGE

2016 Force Majeure Vineyards Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Force Majeure Vineyard