Mark Ryan Winery

 

Mark McNeilly - tiny amounts of wine with complexity and depth, and funny names. Tobacco, mineral, mocha flavors, all made in a garage in Bellevue, Washington. Long Haul is a red blend named for the long drive across the Snoqualmie Pass in a rickety Ford truck full of grapes; Dead Horse is another red blend, made entirely from grapes from Ciel du Cheval (Horse heaven) Vineyard.

McNeilly’s goal is to fashion flavorful, even-handed wines expressive of the region where the grapes originate. Classics Dead Horse and Long Haul are almost universally described as variations of “big” and “ripe,” labels which he agrees with wholeheartedly.

“I definitely make my wine in a riper style; I keep the fruit on a little bit longer. But even though they may be big and ripe, they’re not out of balance.”

McNeilly began producing white wines in 2005. “White wine is fun,” he laughs. “I know people are kind of surprised at the whites.”

Surprised indeed – by their nuanced subtlety. He’s currently marketing both a Viognier and a Chardonnay. He traces his interest in developing Chardonnay in particular back – once again – to the Burgundy region of France.

“Burgundy is the most special place in the world. I tried to model my Chardonnay after some of those wines.” The Viognier, currently made with grapes from Ciel du Cheval vineyard was developed in 2006 in two styles, one fermented entirely in steel and the other in oak.

Mark Ryan New Releases Fall 2007


Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red

Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 05
$45.00/$40.50

Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit from Red Mountain. a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot.

Nose of toasted sweet black cherry, bing cherry, buttery coffee bean, tar, adn black plum. Flavors are giant, balancing big, fine grained tannins that blow off quickly to show black cherry, plum, sweet fruit, toasted espresso bean, and licorice. Tannins are quite youthful, balanced by a lively acidity and big fruit. the wine will definitely cellar well, is quite youthfulo at release.

Tasted before release, this youthful wine shows tremendous promise. Five days after opening, the wine softened into a magnificent Bordeaux style red that lasts almost as long in memory as the finish does in the mouth.

Mark Ryan Long Haul Red

Mark Ryan Long Haul Red 05
$45.00/$40.50

A dark monster of a wine- closed, massive, monumental. Nose has toasted espresso bean, sweet spice, black currant, black plum, black cherry liqueur. Flavors are of black cherry, plum, black currant, with dense notes of licorice, slate, pencil lead, and smoke. Tannins are a tad intense and youthful but smooth and balanced by the huge, huge fruit.

Overall, very young with intense tannins offset by succulent black plum, cassis, back cherry, pepper, licorice, and tar. Balanced acidity leavens the huge fruit, imparting a refreshing element to the finish.

Mark Ryan Water Witch Red

Mark Ryan Water Witch Red Klipsun Vineyard Red Mountain 05
$45.00/$40.50

Klipun Vineyard Merlot blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nose- bittersweet chocolate and black cherry with a subtle undercurrent of white flowers.

Flavors- Rich, lush black cherry candy flavors - bing cherry, hints of raspberry, sweet fruit, toasted bittersweet cocoa beans. Finish is long, long, long with more sweet cherry, sweet raspberry, and chocolate. Silky, well integrated tannins and a balanced acidity add a refreshing lift to a massive, lucculent, over-the-top velvety red.

 

 

Mark McNeely, Mark Ryan owner and winemaker
Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery

The winemaker is remarkably modest about his winemaking, and seems oblivious to the "buzz" about his wines.

Mark says: "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!"

Kudos

Seattle Times said: "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

Mark Ryan dead horse wine


Black Love Pinot noir

Like others before him, McNeilly has been unable to resist the siren call of the Pinot grape.

“I’ve always known I wanted to make Pinot Noir,” he says. He traces this predilection to an early fondness for wines from the Burgundy region of France. “I love Burgundy and I buy quite a lot of it, but you just never know what you’re going to get.”

His longtime interest in both the region and its signature grape finally translated into the purchase of two tons of Pinot grapes from Oregon’s Lachini Vineyards in 2006; look for the wine to be released in 2008.

Since 2006 is believed by many to be the vintage of the decade in Oregon, this debut promises to be worth waiting for.

Lachini Vineyard


Lachini Vineyard, from which Mark sourced the grapes for his Black Love Pinot noir

Followers of McNeilly’s creative naming strategies should know that the new Pinot Noir will be called Black Love.

“Because what is a ‘black love’ but a forbidden love?” he says. “It’s a Pinot Noir that a Washington Cab producer makes – but that’s what I love.”

The name is also a tribute to, in McNeilly’s estimation, one of the greatest albums of all time, the Afghan Whigs’ Black Love. Fittingly, the album’s theme of a tortured love affair mimics McNeilly’s professed (and only a little embellished) longings for the Pinot grape.


Price: $411.40

Qty.

4 - Wild Eyed Syrah 06 $45.95
1 - Crazy Mary Mourvedre 06 $45.95
2- Black Love Pinot noir 06 $45.95
4 -The Dissi
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$41.36 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $45.95

Qty.

Highly recommended by Avalon! Beaming, burly black plum and black berry fruit picks up leather, anise, bacon, cocoa, and black pepper moving toward the finish. Concentrated and structured, this i
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Mark Ryan Crazy Mary Mourvedre 06

$41.36 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $45.95

Mark's newest brainchild is a dark and brooding 100% Mourvedre. Showing very tight upon opening, significant air time reveals ripe black berries and black raspberries, black pepper, orange peel,
...read more >>


 


$41.36 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $45.95

Qty.

Did we say Mark Ryan and Willamette Valley? Indeed. Mark loves Pinot noir, and decided to source grapes from Lachini Vineyard to produce four barrels of 2006 Pinot noir, named Black Love after th
...read more



$26.05 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $28.95

Qty.

Huge, toasty aromas of black fruit guide you in to a lush attack of black currant, black cherry, and sweet cedar. The finish has the right amount of grip, balancing the softness on the front end o
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$26.05 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $28.95

Qty.

An outstanding example of Viognier. White peach, apricot, orange blossoms and ruby grapefruit provide a lushness that's balanced by rocking acidity. We couldn't help imagining how great seared
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Giant Wine Company Ghost of 413 Red 06

$14.35 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $15.95

On its inaugural release this wine hits the mark. The Ghost of 413 Red is dark, generous and spicy. this Columbia Valley Red is delicious, loaded with dense black cherry, warm spices and mineral
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Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 05

$44.05 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $48.95

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
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Mark Ryan Water Witch Klipsun Vyd Red Mountain 05

$44.05 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $48.95

The most open and plush of Mark's new releases begins with scents of bittersweet chocolate and black cherry with a subtle undercurrent of white flowers. Rich, lush black cherry candy flavors, black r
...read more >>

 


$33.29 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $36.99

Qty.

Mark Ryan offshoot Guardian Cellars was formed by Jerry Riener and Mark McNeilly, who work together at Mark Ryan Winery.

Avalon tasting notes: Wow! An intense nose, redolent of cedar, black
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Giant Wine Company Ghost of 413 White 06

$11.65 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $12.95

Wickedly aromatic and perfumed. The Ghost white is vibrant and layered with a zesty nose of grapefruit and orange peel. Plenty of bright lemon/lime citrus.

100% Stainless Steel Fermented
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Mark Ryan Long Haul Red 05

$44.05 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $48.95

A rock opera of a wine-massive and monumental. The nose has mocha and sweet allspice, black currant, black plum, and black cherry liqueur. Plums, black currants, and hints of mixed berries and sweet
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