Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 05: 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.
Not currently available to order.
May be out of stock or sold out. Inquire at 541-752-7418 or store@avalonwine.com
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
2004 Vintage tasting NotesBlack 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!
