Force Majeure Winery | |
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Location | Washington/Oregon, USA |
Appellation | Red Mountain AVA / Walla Walla Valley AVA |
Formerly | Grand Reve Vintners |
Other labels | Parabellum |
Founded | 2004 [1] |
First vintage | 2004 [1] |
Key people | Paul McBride, Founder & Proprietor Ryan Johnson, Co-Founder Damon Lalonde, Vineyard Manager Todd Alexander, Winemaker |
Cases/yr | < 3,000 |
Known for | Syrah, Parvata, Cabernet Sauvignon, Épinette |
Varietals | Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot , Cabernet Franc , Syrah , Grenache , Mourvèdre , Viognier , Petit Verdot , Cinsault , Counoise |
Distribution | Limited |
Tasting | Not available for tastings |
Website | www.fm-wine.com |
Force Majeure is a Washington/Oregon wine estate, specializing in Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon as well as other Bordeaux and Rhone-inspired blends. The brand was founded in 2004 (originally as "Grand Reve Vintners"), and beginning with that vintage began the "Collaboration Series" of wines made by some of Washington's top winemakers, using fruit from Red Mountain's Ciel du Cheval vineyard. Since 2014, the wines have been made by acclaimed winemaker Todd Alexander, who moved from the Napa Valley to the Pacific Northwest at that time. The brand labels also changed in 2014, to signify the winemaking change and the use of their estate vineyards for the wines, going forward. Todd Alexander continues to craft these limited production wines to this day.
Force Majeure wines have received critical acclaim from influential wine critic Robert Parker's publication The Wine Advocate .[ citation needed ] Currently, Force Majeure holds the highest score ever given to a Washington Cabernet Sauvignon by the Wine Spectator (97 points). [2]
Force Majeure purchased land for an estate vineyard within Washington's famed Red Mountain AVA, and initially developed the site in 2006–2007. In June 2014, winemaker Todd Alexander of famous Napa Valley cult winery Bryant Family Vineyard became the estate Winemaker for Force Majeure, as they discontinued the Collaboration Series to focus on the estate vineyard and winemaking. [3]
Force Majeure holds a 40-acre site in Washington state's Red Mountain AVA, about half of which is planted to vines. Development started in 2006, and is ongoing. Force Majeure's Red Mountain vineyard was the first hillside vineyard of its kind in Washington state, planted with gobelet-trained Syrah as found in the northern Rhône. The hillside is steep, and rises in elevation from 950 to 1230 feet, on a piece of land that includes 9 distinct soil types due in part to the Missoula Floods. The soils are diverse and well drained, ranging from deep Warden to very rocky Kiona soils. Calcium carbonate, a chief component of limestone, is present in much of the vineyard. Varietals grown include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Counoise and Mourvèdre. Due to the diversity of the soils in the vineyard, vine aspect, exposure and other factors, Force Majeure employs a diverse set of vine training systems, varietals and clonal selections.
In 2018, Force Majeure acquired two additional vineyards, both on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. At the same time, they also built a new winemaking facility and added a by-appointment tasting salon. The Walla Walla Valley vineyard that is adjacent to the winery was planted in the late 1990s to Syrah, Cabernet and a small parcel of Merlot. The first vintage of Cabernet from this site, the 2018 (made by Todd Alexander), received 100 points from wine writer Jeb Dunnuck | url=http://www.jebdunnuck.com and was the second 100-point wine for this winery and winemaker.
The Washington Wine Report has called Force Majeure Vineyard one of Washington's "most compelling (vineyard) sites", [4] and Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has named it as "one of the top estates in Washington." [5] Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator magazine has written that Force Majeure has "established itself in the top tier of Washington wineries." [6]
Current wines in the estate lineup include:
Parvata – a Mourvèdre-dominant Rhône varietal blend
Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet France
Grenache
Épinette – a blend of predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Franc
Viognier
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines, where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France and Spain, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, South Africa's Stellenbosch region, Australia's Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red-wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341,000 hectares (3,410 km2) under vine worldwide.
Grenache or Garnacha is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, where the grape is believed to have originated. It is also grown in the Italian island of Sardinia, the south of France, Australia, and California's Monterey AVA, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County and San Joaquin Valley.
Mourvèdre is a red wine grape variety grown in many regions around the world including the Rhône and Provence regions of France, the Valencia and Jumilla, Bullas and Yecla denominaciones de origen (DOs) of Spain, as well as the Balearic Islands, California and Washington and the Australian regions of South Australia and New South Wales, plus South Africa. In addition to making red varietal wines, Mourvèdre is a prominent component in "GSM" blends. The variety is also used to make rosé and port-style fortified wines.
DeLille Cellars is a winery in Woodinville, Washington, USA. Located in the Hollywood District of Woodinville at the former Redhook Brewery, DeLille's hospitality venues include The Tasting Room and The Restaurant at DeLille Cellars. DeLille Cellars specializes in wines using the Bordeaux grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. In 2000, DeLille won The New York TimesWine Today.com "Winery of the Year" award. It is one of Washington state's premier cult wines.
Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres (220 km2) of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons (208,000 t) of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
Walla Walla Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located within Washington state and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. In addition to grapes, the area produces sweet onions, wheat and strawberries After the Yakima Valley AVA, the Walla Walla AVA has the second highest concentration of vineyards and wineries in Washington State. Walla Walla hosts about 140 wineries. The area was recognized on March 7, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Richard L Small, President of the Walla Walla Valley Winegrowers Association, for the establishment of a viticultural area in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, east of Lake Wallula, to be known as "Walls Walls Valley." At the time, Walla Walla Valley viticultural area was approximately 178,560 acres (279 sq mi) with two bonded wineries and about 60 acres (24 ha) from several vineyards.
Columbia Winery is a Washington state winery located in Woodinville, Washington. The winery is currently owned by E & J Gallo Winery. The winery was founded in 1962 as Associated Vinters by several former professors at the University of Washington. In 1979, the winery hired David Lake as head winemaker and under his stewardship, Columbia Winery was the first winery in the state of the Washington to produce varietal wines of Cabernet Franc, Pinot gris and Syrah. In 1983, the winery released wines under its current name. In 1988, the winery moved to its current location in Woodinville wine country. Due to failing health, David Lake retired from Columbia in 2006. In 2006, Kerry Norton (formerly of Covey Run Winery was hired as Director of Winemaking. In June 2008, Columbia Winery were sold by Constellation Brands to newly formed Ascentia Wine Estates, which in turn sold Columbia to Gallo in 2012.
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines is a winemaking company headquartered in San Jose, California, with over 4,000 acres of estate vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA in San Luis Obispo County, Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands AVAs in Monterey County, and the St. Helena AVA in Napa Valley, California. The family-owned and operated company was founded by Jerry Lohr in 1974. The company operates wineries in San Jose, Paso Robles, and Greenfield, California. In 2013, Steve Lohr was appointed CEO of the company. J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines’ product portfolio includes eight tiers of wine: J. Lohr Signature, J. Lohr Cuvée Series, J. Lohr Vineyard Series, J. Lohr Gesture, J. Lohr Pure Paso Proprietary Red Wine, J. Lohr Monterey Roots, J. Lohr Estates and ARIEL Vineyards. The portfolio also includes specialty brands Cypress Vineyards and Painter Bridge. J. Lohr ranks among the top 25 wine producers in the United States, with annual US sales exceeding 1.8 million cases.
Provence (Provençal) wine comes from the French wine-producing region of Provence in southeast France. The Romans called the area provincia nostra, giving the region its name. Just south of the Alps, it was the first Roman province outside Italy.
Clarendon Hills is an Australian winery founded in 1990 by Roman Bratasiuk.
David Lake was a Washington winemaker and Master of Wine. Born in England to Canadian parents, Lake started in the wine industry working for a British wholesaler. In 1975 he earned his Master of Wine certification before traveling to the United States to enroll into the enology program of University of California-Davis. In 1978 he accepted a position of enologist with the Washington winery Associated Vintners where he soon rose to the position of chief winemaker. Among Lake's accomplishments was releasing Washington's first single vineyard designated wines and making the states first Cabernet franc, Syrah and Pinot gris wines. He was the first US winemaker to hold a Master of Wine accreditation.
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