Columbia Valley Red Wine 2016 – Kobrand Wine & Spirits

Overview / 2016 / 2015 / 2014

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America / Washington

Mullan Road Cellars was founded in 2012 by Dennis Cakebread of the renowned Cakebread Cellars winery in Napa Valley. A 40-year veteran of the wine trade, Dennis embarked on a mission to make a world-class Washington State wine embodying the rich history and terroir of the Northwest. Mullan Road Cellars is named for Lieutenant John Mullan, a 19th-century pioneer who built the first wagon road into eastern Washington. Its winemaker is Aryn Morrell, a Washington native who spent years making wine in Napa Valley with prestigious wineries such as Silver Oak Cellars, Joseph Phelps, Quintessa and Chappellet before returning to Washington in 2007. The grapes for Mullan Road Cellars Red Blend come from several outstanding, low-yielding vineyards in the Columbia Valley, including the famed Seven Hills Vineyard, as well as Stillwater Creek Vineyard and the Corfu Crossing Vineyard outside Royal City, an area soon to be designated the Royal Slope appellation.

90 Points

Ken's Wine Guide.com

2016 vintage

90 Points

Wine Advocate

2016 vintage

View all press reviews

Harvest Note

The 2016 growing season began quite warm in Washington, with unusual heat spikes for the region as early as April. This warm weather continued throughout the spring with additional episodes of high heat throughout the summer months, leading to ideal veraison in August. The fall was mild and then quite cool in October, which led to gorgeous deep color and ideal tannic structure in the wines.

Tasting Note

Perfumed aromas of currants, plum skin, dried herbs and spice make way for more intense notes of smoked raspberry, dried strawberry and vanilla bean. The flavors are layered and concentrated, providing a seamless palate filled with deep cherry, black fruits, sage and baking spices. Delicious, sultry and complex, this wine’s wonderful texture and silky tannins carry through to a long and lifted finish fitting for an age-worthy release.

Technical Data

GRAPES: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc

APPELLATION: Columbia Valley, Washington

PH: 3.70

ACIDITY: 5.90 g/l

ABV: 14.1%

AGING: 18 months French and American oak barrels, 34% new

Unique Selling Points

An elegant and age worthy blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc
Sourced from Seven Hills, Stillwater Creek and Corfu Crossing Vineyards
Winemaker Aryn Morell is a WA native with extensive experience in the Columbia Valley as well as with high-profile Napa wineries

Mullan Road Cellars celebrates the pioneering spirit of those who made the original journey into the Northwest Territory.

Aryn Morell, Winemaker

About the Grape

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc usually shows tart red cherry and wild currant aromas and flavors with an herbal, spicy character. In the Loire, esp. Chinon and Saumur-Champigny, this grape shows firm minerality.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is adaptable to various growing conditions, and is known for its low yield and late ripeness. It generally produces full-bodied wines with substantial acidity and tannins.

Merlot

Merlot makes plump, succulent wines to drink young or opulently massive wines for aging. Has silky, blackberry and currant fruit, with spice, earth, tobacco and chocolate notes, and soft tannins.

Malbec

Well-made Malbec is a dark, perfumed wine with rich, blackberry and damson plum fruit, aromas of violets and tobacco, and ripe, juicy tannins. In France, may be mineral, structured and austere.