2006 Soos Creek Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red, 3.0ltr

Soos Creek Wine Cellars was started in 1989 by David Larsen. Though he had a career in finance at Boeing, Larsen started making fruit wine as a hobby and when possible traveled to Napa Valley with his wife to taste wine. In 1989 he started making wine for the commercial market in his garage, naming his winery after a nearby creek. Soos Creek Wine Cellars is now located in Kent, just outside of Seattle, and Larsen sources grapes from some of Eastern Washington’s most acclaimed vineyards. The estate makes primarily Cabernet Sauvignon blends and Syrah.

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.