Guardian Cellars Gun Metal Red 08

2008 Wine Advocate - 92 points - The 2008 Gun Metal Conner Lee Vineyard is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. Enticing scents of herbs, spices, and black fruits are followed by a rich, concentrated, impeccably balanced blend that is likely to evolve for 2-3 years. It will provide peak drinking from 2013 to 2023. - Jay Miller

Guardian Cellars Gun Metal is a huge red filled with black cherry, marionberry and plum. A hefty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this wine pairs well with food and is delicious on its own. This vintage of Gun Metal was aged 20 months in 70% new French Oak.

An Avalon Wine Club Selection - 15% off for Wine Club Members

"Our Gun Metal is simply gorgeous. Our beloved Bordeaux blend from Connor Lee Vineyard is comprised of 50% Cabernet, 33% Merlot, and 17% Cabernet Franc. It was a stellar year in the vineyards, and this vintage of Gun Metal will blow you away (you saw that one coming- come on). The wine was aged for 22 months in new French oak and spent over 14 months in bottle before release, creating a lush, rich, and balanced end result. Featured notes of blackberry and boysenberry, with hints of cocoa and violet. The tannins are silky and elegant, with brambly fruit and hints of tasty vanilla on the palate." - the winery

300 cases produced.

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

A knockout featuring notes of black cherry, raspberry and plum. We used 48% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 11% Malbec in this vintage. The slight bit of Malbec is new for the 2006 and it lends to an aroma of spice, black tea and soy sauce (strange, but true). Gun Metal is comprised entirely of fruit from Conner Lee Vineyard. The wine spent 22 months in 80% new French oak and 13 months in bottle at release. - the winery

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

Wow! An intense nose, redolent of cedar, black cherry, persimmon, and red currant introduces this big Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Flavors of black cherry and black currant mingle with a unique jammy note of marionberry and plum. Silky tannins flavored with white pepper and cedar finish the wine. Aged for 30 months in 60% new oak, the lengthy time in barrel shows in the complexity and smooth finish. 58 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot and 12 percent Cabernet Franc, all sourced from Conner Lee Vineyard.

2003 Vintage Tasting Notes

Back in stock! (1-10-06)

Opaque wine, huge bouquet of alpine strawberries (!!), toasted espresso, mocha/cocoa, cinnamon, smoke, and licorice, yet a bit more sophisticated and polished than the other red blends from this highly regarded "garagiste". Flavors are of black cherries, blackberries, black currant, coffee, licorice, and herbs. A solidly structured wine with a mouth-filling, lengthy finish. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc from Conner Lee Vineyard.

A September 2005 Avalon Wine Big Reds Club Selection, this wine was a hit with Club Members. Sold out, info here for reference only. Sorry.

Seattle Times said: "Also in his fourth vintage, winemaker Mark Ryan McNeilly has added two new red blends to his lineup. The 2003 Gun Metal Red is lush but not jammy, showing classic herbal-cabernet notes along with bacon and smoke, cedar and plum. There is also a wonderful new 2003 Bad Lands Red blended from Red Mountain syrah and petit verdot. The benchmark Long Haul and Dead Horse reds will be released later this fall. These are clearly the best wines yet from an important new winery. Beautiful packaging also." Paul Gregutt, 10-6-05