Force Majeure was founded in 2004 by Paul McBride and made its name pairing some of Washington’s highly acclaimed winemakers with fruit from one of Washington’s highly acclaimed vineyards, Ciel du Cheval. The winemakers contributing to the “Collaboration Series” is a Who’s Who of Washington winemakers including Ben Smith, Carolyn Lakewold, Chris Gorman, James Mantone, Mark McNeilly and Mike McMorran. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family Vineyards, is the winemaker for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
The CS II is a blend of 98% Syrah, 1% Viognier and 1% Roussanne made by Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew Winery.
Purple in color. 14.2% ABV. Gorgeous nose of roses, iron, minerals and black fruits. Roses does not quite do it justice. Think a bouquet of a dozen freshly cut roses and you are on the right track. Rich and full bodied with healthy acidity. Flavors of crushed blackberries, bacon fat and coffee. The finish is exceptional. Drink over the next 3-5 years.
My rating: 93 points.
The winery is in the process of transitioning from Collaboration wines to Estate Wines. The 2013 vintage will mark the end of the current lineup of Collaboration Series wines. Going forward there will be one off Collaboration wines.
Force Majeure is one of the most exciting wineries in the state of Washington. The winery is still accepting names for their mailing list.
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