Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. The winery recently transitioned from Collaboration wines to Estate wines. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family Vineyards, is the winemaker for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tempranillo. Force Majeure recently opened a new winery in Milton Freewater, Oregon.
Crimson in color. 13.8% ABV. Predominantly Merlot and made by Carolyn Lakewold of Donedei Winery. Soaring nose of red and blue fruits, violets, scorched earth and chocolate. Concentrated and powerful with layers upon layers of plush fruit. Raspberry liqueur, blueberries, cassis and currants on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish with ever present silky tannins. Fantastic wine from what proved to be a challenging vintage. Always my favorite wine from the Collaboration Series lineup. Best over the next several years.
My rating: 92 points.
Force Majeure is one of the most exciting wineries in the state. The winery is still accepting names for the mailing list.
I blogged about Force Majeure recently in A Vertical Tasting of Force Majeure CS IV.