×

Force Majeure Red Blend Epinette 2017 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
appellation
Yakima Valley
subappellation
Red Mountain
WA
94
VM
93
WS
92
Additional vintages
2017 2015 2014
WA
94
Rated 94 by Wine Advocate
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Épinette opens with a clean and expressive core of black raspberry and dusty plum skin with subtle dried herbs lurking on the nose. The wine is medium to full-bodied and mineral-driven on the palate, with dusty and ripe blackberry and touches of fern and sage. The wine ends with a focused and long-lasting finish with delightful Kirsh flavors and subtle hints of oak. With only 390 cases made, this will make a lovely addition to any cellar. ... More details
Image of bottle
Sample image only. Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description

Force Majeure Red Blend Epinette 2017 750ml

SKU 898336
Qualifies for 12 Ship Free
Choose 12 bottles, get free shipping
$88.95
/750ml bottle
Quantity
* This item is available for online ordering only. It can be picked up or shipped from our location within 4-6 business days. ?
Professional Ratings
WA
94
VM
93
WS
92
WA
94
Rated 94 by Wine Advocate
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Épinette opens with a clean and expressive core of black raspberry and dusty plum skin with subtle dried herbs lurking on the nose. The wine is medium to full-bodied and mineral-driven on the palate, with dusty and ripe blackberry and touches of fern and sage. The wine ends with a focused and long-lasting finish with delightful Kirsh flavors and subtle hints of oak. With only 390 cases made, this will make a lovely addition to any cellar.
VM
93
Rated 93 by Vinous Media
Saturated bright medium ruby. Pungent scents of blackberry, cassis, licorice, minerals, graphite and bitter chocolate, with a hint of violet lift. Then plush, savory and deep in the mouth, with the Merlot creaminess to the fore. Very broad, concentrated flavors of dark berries and graphite minerality saturate the palate and blow past the wine's substantial, dusty but fine-grained tannins on the long back end. This big boy maintains its shape, no doubt partly due to the firming influence of its Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot components. This highly successful Right Bank blend shows more of a Pomerol than a Saint-Emilion plushness of texture, supported by solid tannic structure.
WS
92
Rated 92 by Wine Spectator
A brooding core of tannins is wrapped in refined and tightly focused currant, crushed stone and bay leaf accents that build tension on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2030. 390 cases made.
Winery
Épinette is our Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Épinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to our home in Washington state. The wine itself is a blend of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, proportions of which change depending on the vintage. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in lower areas of our vineyard with deep, well-drained soils, much less rocky than the soils of our Rhone varietals. Before bottling, this wine evolves for approximately 22 months in mostly new French oak, after a long maceration and fermentation in concrete and stainless steel vats. This wine, along with our Cabernet Sauvignon, should age exceptionally well.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
United States
appellation
Yakima Valley
subappellation
Red Mountain
Additional vintages
2017 2015 2014
Overview
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Épinette opens with a clean and expressive core of black raspberry and dusty plum skin with subtle dried herbs lurking on the nose. The wine is medium to full-bodied and mineral-driven on the palate, with dusty and ripe blackberry and touches of fern and sage. The wine ends with a focused and long-lasting finish with delightful Kirsh flavors and subtle hints of oak. With only 390 cases made, this will make a lovely addition to any cellar.
barrel

Region: Washington State

Washington state is a fascinating region when it comes to American wine production, with the majority of their produce coming out of the desert-like eastern half of the state. This expansive region has a unique climate produced by the rain shadow of the Cascade mountain range, and here we find over ninety-nine percent of the state's vineyards which hold a wide range of classic grape varietals including Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and others. Today, there are over forty thousand acres in Washington under vine, and the industry of the state is going from strength to strength due to the increasing popularity of the wines which are produced here. Over six hundred wineries in the state take advantage of the well irrigated vineyards which flourish there, and these numbers are expected to grow quickly over the next decade.
fields

Country: United States

Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews

There have been no reviews for this product.

More wines available from Force Majeure
Sale
750ml
Bottle: $134.94 $138.00
One of the wines of the vintage. Comprised of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with small parts Merlot and Petit Verdot, this...
DC
99
JD
98
750ml
Bottle: $46.94
What can be thought of as the entry level Rhône blend from this estate, the 2019 Parabellum Coulee is based on 76%...
WE
94
JD
94
More Details
Winery Force Majeure
barrel

Region: Washington State

Washington state is a fascinating region when it comes to American wine production, with the majority of their produce coming out of the desert-like eastern half of the state. This expansive region has a unique climate produced by the rain shadow of the Cascade mountain range, and here we find over ninety-nine percent of the state's vineyards which hold a wide range of classic grape varietals including Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and others. Today, there are over forty thousand acres in Washington under vine, and the industry of the state is going from strength to strength due to the increasing popularity of the wines which are produced here. Over six hundred wineries in the state take advantage of the well irrigated vineyards which flourish there, and these numbers are expected to grow quickly over the next decade.
fields

Country: United States

Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.