2010 Andrew Will Red Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
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Tasting notes
(a 52/48 blend of merlot and cabernet franc): Good bright medium red. Sexy, high-pitched aromas of red raspberry, tobacco leaf and flowers. At once dense and fresh, with a suave texture and enticing inner-mouth aromatic character to its sexy flavors of red plum, blueberry and tobacco. Finishes with smooth tannins and terrific length. With the structure and verve of the vintage, this should age beautifully.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Showing more ripeness and a kiss of sweet oak, as well as the Red Mountain tannin, the 2010 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Franc) is a purple-tinged beauty that offers up ripe red plum, black licorice, iron, dried spices and hints of leather along with a medium-bodied, sweetly fruited and chewy feel on the palate. Admirably concentrated, with good tannin, it too will benefit from short-term cellaring and have a decade of longevity. Drink 2015-2020. Made by Chris Camarda from his base on Vashon Island just west of Seattle, Andrew Will Cellars delivers classic, elegant wines that show solid typicity and age-worthy profiles. His 2010s are superb across the board and possess slightly reserved aromatics with firm, pure textures. Downright backwards, especially when compared to his 2009s, they will all benefit from short- term cellaring and, I suspect, these scores will seem a bit low once they flesh out. His 2011s had just been bottled at the time of this tasting, so I opted to review them as barrel samples and give ranges for the scores. They all showed more up-front, perfumed and supple profiles, yet I think they will close down slightly over the coming year as they settle in bottle. Chris believes his 2011s might surpass his 2010s. Tel. (206) 463-9227; www.andrewwill.com