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2017 Force Majeure Vineyards SJR Vineyard Syrah

Lightly depressed cork

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from winery

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

96Jeb Dunnuck

...thrilling, gorgeous Syrah...awesome notes of blackcurrants, salted meat, lavender, ground pepper, violets, and a marine-like salinity and minerality that develops with time in the glass. Deep, full-bodied, and powerful on the palate, it stays light, elegant, and weightless, with flawless balance.

94Vinous / IWC

Knockout nose combines black raspberry, black olive tapenade, licorice, brown spices and a hint of cinders... Sweet, dense and highly concentrated if still quite primary. Dark berry flavors are joined by smoked, spiced meats and black olive, which give the wine a distinctly saline quality. Thick and solid in the early going but wonderfully plush and sweet, and consistent from start to finish. Finishes primary but creamy, with ripe tannins and building, palate-staining saline length.

93-95The Wine Advocate

...expressive nose...generous and clean core of black and dark red fruit—black cherry, blackberry liqueur and black peppercorn with dusty violets. The wine is full-bodied and has deep concentration on the palate, revealing elegant oak tones that merge into soft spice notes and structured tannins. The finish is long and complex, showing a wine that is concentrated and mineral-driven...

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, Oregon, Walla Walla Valley, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater

Walla Walla Valley AVA likes to call itself the Napa Valley of Washington, and given the concentration of well-reviewed wineries in the appellation, the comparison is understandable. The Walla Walla appellation is comprised of 340,000 acres, of which 1,200 acres are vineyards. Walla Walla is located in the southeastern corner of Washington and it extends slightly into northeastern Oregon. It is named after the Walla Walla River Valley, and the city of Walla Walla is the commercial center of Washington’s wine industry. The city was founded in the 1840s by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post, but as early as the 1850s farmers were planting grapes for winemaking. Prohibition shuttered winemaking in the early 20th century, but a winemaking renaissance started in the 1970s when Leonetti Cellars, still one of the state’s most acclaimed wineries, started producing acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla’s AVA status was awarded in 1984 and today there are more than 100 wineries. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese Chardonnay and Viognier.

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.

VINTAGE

2017 Force Majeure Vineyards SJR Vineyard Syrah