Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 09
Mark Ryan's Dead Horse has intense aromas of blackberry, violet, and raspberry combine with layers of tealeaf, tobacco, bramble, mint, cracked black pepper and clove. The palate is rich and supple with elements of cocoa and vanilla bean. The texture is refined with elegant tannins. - the winery
2008 Vintage Tasting Notes
Wine Spectator 93 points
Smoking! The unanimous winner of the new 08's, the Dead Horse kicks it with alluring, creamy, vanilla-mocha shaded black fruit. 62% Cab, 15% Cab Franc, 12% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. You could decant this and down a bottle, but it'll be better after another 2+ years. - Avalon
An Avalon Wine Club Selection - 15% off for Wine Club Members
The 2008 Dead Horse is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot & 2% Malbec.
Wine Spectator - "Focused, generous and complex, not especially dense but brimming with cherry, cinnamon, clove and coffee flavors that persist unperturbed by fine tannins as the finish keeps rolling. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2012 through 2020." - H.S.
2007 Vintage Tasting Notes
Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 07 - Massive wine with loads of personality - licorice, sweet oak, cassis, and milk chocolate with crystalized ginger. The palate largely follows the nose, has loads of freshness and structured tannins, with black fruit, cedar and tobacco carrying the finish. Yummy now, but certainly ageable. - Adrienne
Made from 100% Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit. Massive. Black fruit, bittersweet chocolate, saddle leather, cassis, plum, cigar smoke, pain grille. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot.
A complex, fragrant nose with rosehips, abundant dried flowers, and a light herbal element. Tighter than a drum on a taste packed with tannins and intensity. A big, dry, powerful wine with lots of fruit that persists through a long finish. The alcohol gets in the way a bit at times but overall this wine delivers. Give 2 years or decant extensively. 67% Cabernet; 13% Merlot; 13% Cab Franc; 7% Petit Verdot. 100% New French Oak (Saury, Sylvan, Taransaud, Quintessence). 14.7% alcohol. 651 cases produced. - WA Wine Report
2006 tasting notes
Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 06 - The nose erupts with sweet blackberries cherries, followed by nuances of baking spice. The supple but powerful entry bursts with huge blackberry, cassis, and cherry fruit, showing exceptional purity. Notes of leather, dark flowers, and pepper appear on the finish along with persistent sweet black fruit. There's an elegance rarely found in such a big wine; the oak is perfectly integrated. We all like bold wines now and then, so decant and drink your first bottle now and stash the rest away for the next decade.
The Dead Horse is our favorite Mark Ryan wine several years running. Wine critics seem to agree, and with a Wine Spectator score of 90 points for the 2005, we're sure the 2006 Dead Horse won't be galloping for long!
From the Winery:
Our most beloved and critically acclaimed wine is back for it's seventh vintage! We work tediously every year to make sure that the refinement, polish and quality of our wines only gets better and better. We think you long time lovers of Dead Horse will find this to be very evident in our newest release! Our Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend is a rich and full powerhouse, yet still manages to convey a nuance and elegance rare in a wine of this magnitude. The Red Mountain terrior absolutely shines through the layers of deep blackberry and cherry fruit, and as the wine unfolds, so does the beautiful undercurrent of graphite, leather and spice. This is a wine that will surely reward those patient enough to cellar, and delicious now to enjoy decanted,
52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot & 7% Petit Verdot
85% New French Oak – 15% once used French Oak
Cooperage: Saury, Sylvan, Taransaud & Quintessence
2005 tasting notes
Whoa Nelly! The biggest of Mark's 2005 wines opens slowly to aromas toasty sweet black and Bing cherries, buttery coffee bean, baking spices, cassis, tar, cocoa powder, and black plum. The flavors are giant, with ripe black cherry, plum, and black currant, toasted espresso bean, and licorice. In time, the fine grained Red Mountain tannins soften to reveal and powerful yet supple Washington blockbuster. Balanced by a lively acidity and big fruit, 2005 Dead Horse will definitely cellar well for years to come--four days after opening, the wine evolved into a lush, magnificent Bordeaux style red that lasts almost as long in memory as the finish does in your mouth.
Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit from Red Mountain: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot.
2004 Vintage tasting Notes
Black cherry, licorice, smoke in expressive Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Cabernet dominant red blend. Order now, ships in late October/early November.
Seattle Times, Sept 12, 2006: "This wine somewhat inverts the Long Haul, with cabernet dominant rather than merlot. It is the most compact, vertical and indecipherable of the Mark Ryan wines, and the most potentially expressive of the magnificent Ciel du Cheval fruit. Black cherry, licorice, smoke and graphite add layers of darkness - a veritable Joseph Conrad wine - and it will require more age to reveal all of its secrets. Also slated for November release."
From the Seattle Times, 10/19/05: Matt had this to say: "I'm dropping anchor on Red Mountain," he explains. "I'm a structure guy - tannin and acid. I want to make sure everyone knows that Red Mountain is the C?te R?tie of Washington." -from an article by Paul Gregutt
From the winery: "Dead Horse is Left Bank Bordeaux in style and is made entirely from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard grapes . This wine is called Dead Horse because the vineyard name loosely translated in french is Horse Heaven. I believe Ciel du Cheval to be one of best vineyard sites in Washington. Consistently, Ciel du Cheval is one of the warmest vineyards in the state and this allows for big, ripe, elgant wines with great structure, balance and complexity. NO HORSES WERE HURT DURING THE PRODUCTION OF THIS WINE AND IT WAS TESTED ON HUMANS!
