Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cab 03
Mark Ryan Dead Horse 04 and Long Haul 04
Ciel du Cheval and Champoux Vineyards Case Pack at Special Savings

Woodward Canyon
Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 03
$62.95/$70
Parker's Wine Advocate 91 Points

The more I talk to customers about the best Washington Cabs, the more I learn about the esteem the Old Vine Cabs from Woodward Canyon engender. 

The interesting thing is that the wine tends to be an afterthought, like “My favorites are this, that, and the other wine and, well, of course the Woodward Old Vine”.  Of course indeed!

When poured recently, the ’03 OV Cab did what a true blockbuster movie does at the Oscars—it cleaned house.

  I have loved previous vintages but it has taken days of aeration to get a peek at the complex flavors and aromas.  With the warm 2003 vintage, the OV Cab retains its complexity, balance and structure, but gains an open-knit exuberance that wows tasters right from the bottle.  The Woodward Canyon Old Vine was without question the best received wine of the tastingsof top Washington reds we held last month. 

A sweet black cherry and super dark red cherry core (thanks Champoux Vineyard) mixes with concentrated cassis and blackberry, harmonized with nicely integrated toasty oak and ripe tannins.  Given 24 hours of air, sage notes appear and the oak is seamless, while the bass note of concentrated black fruits is even more profound.  I need to make up a new word for how long a finish can linger…

The ’03 Old Vine is a powerful Cab that belongs next to your Andrew Will, Fidelitas, Sineann, and other Champoux Vineyard bottlings. Sure it’s young, but if you order enough bottles you may want to accidentally leave one on the counter before filling up your cellar.

I can’t wait to revisit the ’03 Old Vine Cab over the next few years.  As many of our customers agree, Woodward Canyon’s Old Vine Cab is world-class. -Marcus

For a different take on this vintage of Woodward's Old Vine Cab,
read Jean's post on the Avalon Wine Blog.

Woodward was named one of the Artisan Wines of the Year by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

THE REVIEWS
Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 03

Wine Advocate 91 points: "Produced from vines planted in 1972, 1979, and 1981 in the world-class Champoux vineyard, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines explodes from the glass with scents of spiced black fruits. Concentrated, powerful, and medium to full-bodied, it displays outstanding depth in its blackberry, cassis liqueur, black currant, and menthol flavors. Projected maturity: 2007-2017."

"Unlike recent vintages of Woodward Canyon's reds, neither this top-notch effort nor any of the other wines I tasted during my visit exhibited any hard edges. It seems this old winery (by Washington standards) is reclaiming its rightful place among the state's top producers."

Wine Enthusiast 93 points: "This wine is immediately fascinating. A rich mix of fruits, ripened to compote intensity, offers both power and detail. Subtle streaks of herb, leaf and wet hay suggest old-vine complexity, and the acids are naturally firm and supportive. Everything is nicely knit together, full-bodied and deep." - Paul Gregutt

Tastings, March 2006 rating 94 points: "Brilliant ruby red-violet hue. Black currant, black cherry, leather and carnation aromas. Medium-full with excellent concentration, this offers layers of flavor with delicious varietal fruit and a lengthy, beautifully structured finish offering great persistence of fruit, youthful tannins, nicely integrated oak and a lively streak of acidity. Classy!"

The Winery Says:

"This 2003 'Old Vines' Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich and powerful red wine. It expresses the purity of fully mature Washington cabernet sauvignon from a warm vintage incredibly well. Flavors of dried black cherry and cassis marry with spicy new oak and vanilla toast coats the mouth. The texture is soft and silky yet there are firm mature tannins in the finish. The color is dark reddish purple; the complex aromas leap from the glass. This red wine will benefit greatly from additional cellaring and, with proper storage, should last for twelve years or more."

This 2003 Columbia Valley 'Old Vines' Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from grapes that were planted in the very early 1970's. The grapes were harvested by hand from Champoux Vineyard (98%) and Sagemoor Vineyard (2%), both on benches overlooking the Columbia River in southeastern Washington. The 2003 vintage was the warmest on record for Washington State.

The wine was pumped over and punched down two to three times per day in small stainless steel tanks. Average fermentation was between seven and twelve days with one or two tanks given extended maceration time. After pressing and racking, the various lots were moved to new French chateau barrels for aging and maturation. Later in August of 2005 this wine was racked from barrel, assembled and bottled just before harvest started in early September 2005.

ORDER ONLINE

Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 03 $62.95/$69.95

Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 03 MAGNUM $160

ORDER BY PHONE
541-752-7418

Mark Ryan Long Haul and Dead Horse Reds
Made with Ciel du Cheval fruit

We expect these wines to sell out quickly so we're offering them a bit early.

Mark Ryan Long Haul Red 04 $36.86/40.95
Hedonistic Pomerol style Ciel du Cheval red
Shipping mid-November 2006
At first glance, you can’t take your eyes off the beautiful purple colored Long Haul.  Tasted on separate occasions, the nose is a tad restrained but features sweet black raspberry, allspice, nutmeg, and other baking spices.  Between the nose and the first mouthful…WAM!  Impressive dense and intense flavors of black cherry and black raspberry predominate, with a silk ribbon of dark red cherry running through the flavors.  The slightly dusty tannins are wrapped around lush black cherry fruit that lingers with the tiniest black currant note and loads of melting mocha.  Sophisticated and deftly balanced, the ’04 Long Haul is built for aging. - Marcus

Seattle Times says "...from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, this Pomerol-styled red was tasted a few weeks ahead of its planned November release. The black cherry fruit, with a dark mineral and graphite undercurrent, rides on a river of acid into the silky finish of coffee and buttery chocolate. Beautifully structured and — there's no better word for it — hedonistic."

Mark Ryan Dead Horse Red 04 $39.15/$43.50
Shipping mid-November 2006
I poured the Dead Horse at recent tastings and can report back that this was a rock star wine.  Many tasters had heard of Mark’s wines and had even tasted several of them, but the ’04 Dead Horse was universally impressive.  Out of a suite of more than a dozen Northwest reds, it was the second most-requested wine (see the write up on the 2003 Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cab).

Here’s why--the wine has deep, dark, powerful aromas of black fruit and cassis, mingling sublimely with toasty vanilla (Mark says it is Madagascar vanilla) and hints of graphite.  There is a structured center of black cherry, blackberry and black raspberry that expands deliciously on the palate.  The flavors persist and are met by a dark chocolate embrace and two things happen: one, the finish begins its minutes-long march and two, you’re in wine Nirvana. 

Although it can (obviously) be enjoyed while young, the structure of the Dead Horse will reward anyone who is patient enough to not drink the whole case in a couple weeks after the first taste. - Marcus

Seattle Times, Sept 12, 2006: "This wine somewhat inverts the Long Haul, with Cabernet dominant rather than merlot. It is the most compact, vertical and indecipherable of the Mark Ryan wines, and the most potentially expressive of the magnificent Ciel du Cheval fruit. Black cherry, licorice, smoke and graphite add layers of darkness — a veritable Joseph Conrad wine — and it will require more age to reveal all of its secrets. Also slated for November release."

Washington's Premier Vineyards
Ciel du Cheval and Champoux Vineyards
CASE OFFER

Three each of the four wines in this email

From the Champoux Vineyard:
3 - Woodward Canyon Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 03 $210 retail
3- Andrew Will Champoux 04 $180

From the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard:
3 - Mark Ryan Dead Horse 04 $131 retail
3 - Mark Ryan Long Haul 04 $123 retail

$574 the case Save $70 from retail

More For Champoux Vineyard Fans:

The Andrew Will Champoux Red 04 is also available in Magnums!

Andrew Will Champoux Red 04 MAGNUM $140
Read more

If we may help with an order, please let us know.
We're available by phone at 541-752-7418 from
8 AM Pacific time until 6PM Pacific time,
Monday through Saturday,
and we answer email on Sundays.

Thanks for your support -
we appreciate your orders
and your suggestions.

Our customers always give us our best ideas!

Marcus, Chris, Kevin, and Wendy, and Jean
541-752-7418

Avalon Wine
201 SW 2nd Street
Corvallis OR 97333
541-752-7418
www.avalonwine.com
store@avalonwine.com

Marcus Looze
Manager
marcus@avalonwine.com
541-752-7418

Chris Haggerty
Customer Service
store@avalonwine.com
541-752-7418

Jean Yates
Owner
jean@avalonwine.com
541-424-8004 (direct line)

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