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. In recent years the winery 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 has a new winery in Milton Freewater, Oregon.
Epinette is Force Majeure’s Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne (France) that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion.
Purple in color. 14.9% ABV. 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet France, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Heady nose of red and blue fruits, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Big and rich. Full bodied and perfectly balanced. Raspberry, blueberry liqueur, tobacco and chocolate truffles on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish with prominent, silky tannins. Gorgeous red blend and for me the Cabernet Franc is the hero. Best over the next 4-6 years.
My rating: 95 points.
Force Majeure is one of the most exciting wineries in Washington. The winery is still accepting names for the mailing list. If the Cayuse Release Party goes down in April of this year, I do hope to visit the new winery in person.