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Red

2013 Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI Ciel du Cheval Vineyard

Red Rhone Blend

  • USA
  • Washington
  • Columbia Valley
  • Red Mountain
CT90.8 33 reviews
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Community Tasting Notes 20

  • OaktownRush Likes this wine:

    May 17, 2024 - I think this was better the last time I had it three years ago, so that’s probably an indication that it’s peak has passed. It doesn’t taste tired in any way, but feels a little less distinct. Dark fruit, some smokiness, dark chocolate.

  • SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 points

    May 5, 2024 - Part of a Force Majeure Night with my wine group. We had in order, the 2021 Viognier Force Majeure Vineyard, 2013 Collaboration Series VI Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, 2018 Parabellum Alluvio Bordeaux Blend, 2018 Parabellum Coulée Rhone Blend, and the 2016 Epinette. All the wines were opened, but not decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. My final bottle from all the Collaboration series wines I purchased from FM. While still very good, I do think it has past it's best years. It was a big hit with my wine group.

  • SMHalps Likes this wine: 94 points

    October 26, 2022 - Part of a FM wine night at a Turkish restaurant. This was the final wine of the night and my favorite.

    1 person found this helpful Comment
  • wmccone54 wrote: 91 points

    September 30, 2021 - Freshly and intensely aromatic leading with sweet spices and savory herbs, followed by ripe blueberries, crushed black cherries, juicy plums, sweet dark chocolate and moist black soil. Similar flavors follow through on a full, rich and meaty palate. Nicely balanced with acids lurking, and tannins showing on the long satisfying finish. Seems to be in a very good place. Enjoyed with grilled sausages, mixed peppers and onions, and potato salad. There seems to be enough fruit and structure to support cellaring for another 5+ years.

  • OaktownRush Likes this wine: 90 points

    September 26, 2021 - Dark fruit, dark chocolate, coffee, an intense almost pepper jelly quality. The palate is smooth and rich with dark berries, baking spice, espresso, cocoa powder, fig balsamic — sort of like lower acid balsamic. Full bodied, medium(-) acid. It will definitely make many happy, but I was hoping this would have a little more going on.

1 - 5 of 20 More notes

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JebDunnuck.com

  • By Jeb Dunnuck
    Latest Releases from Washington State, 4/5/2018 (link)

    (Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI) Subscribe to see review text.

Full Pull

  • By Paul Zitarelli
    Full Pull Old and New, 3/11/2018

    (Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI) Warehouse Sale REMINDER: Reminder that Warehouse Bin-Ends Sale III is taking place on Thursday March 15. We’ll have out and available for sale any bottles where our excess is in the 1-3 bottle range, along with a handful of cherries and cult wines (I’m particularly excited about one Northern Rhone unicorn). And we’ll be pouring a different lineup than usual, too, again drawn from wines where we have an excess stash. If the timing works out right (fingers crossed), we will also debut the new (disgorged-last-week, to be offered in April) Full Pull & Friends Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature, a perennial list favorite. It should be a busy scene, so if you intend to pick up your wines that day, please do make a pickup appointment. If you just want to come in and browse, no appointment is necessary. ---- Hello friends. Back when Force Majeure launched (actually, the winery was called Grand Reve back then, pre-trademark lawsuit), the idea was to produce the Collaboration Series of wines while waiting for the estate vineyard (planted crazily high and crazily steep towards the top of Red Mountain) to come online. The Collaboration Series combined different Washington winemakers with plots of beautiful old Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit, and they quickly established a rabid following, from both consumers and critics. Well, the estate site is now fully online, and 2013 is the final vintage for the Collaboration Series. From this point forward, it’s all estate all the time. Today is a milestone for Force Majeure: the release of the final Collaboration Series wine. To celebrate, we’re offering that finale (a Rhone blend courtesy of James Mantone from Syncline), along with two new releases from the Force Majeure Estate Vineyard:Series VI is James Mantone’s Mourvedre-dominant (60%) Rhone blend, rounded out with 30% Grenache and 10% Syrah, all from Ciel du Cheval. It was fermented in concrete and then aged in large puncheons, all to keep as much fruit character as possible. Listed alc is 14.4%. It begins with a wonderfully exotic nose (thank you Mourvedre): dark spices, peppered plums, and a deeply savory note of dark demi-glace. The palate is equally characterful: intense, spicy, and openly delicious. This is one hell of a finale for one of the most exciting series of wines to ever grace Washington.

Wine Definition

  • Vintage 2013
  • Type Red
  • Producer Force Majeure
  • Varietal Red Rhone Blend
  • Designation Collaboration Series VI
  • Vineyard Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
  • Country USA
  • Region Washington
  • SubRegion Columbia Valley
  • Appellation Red Mountain

Community Holdings

  • Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
  • In Cellars 109 (33%)
  • Consumed 220 (67%)

Food Pairing

No food pairings available.

Who Likes This Wine

100% Like It  13 votes

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