Andrew Will, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Columbia Valley

Still a lot of life.

2007 vintage

Quick 20 minutes splash decant. Dark ruby in the glass with no signs of age, Med + nose still surprisingly primary but some earthy, herbal tertiary notes showing through. Med acidity and med tannins. At 17 years I was expecting this wine to be showing more signs of tailing off but it exhibited beautiful fruit and structure that lead me to believe this wine still has a number of good years ahead. Fortunately still have two bottles to check in …

2008 vintage

Lovely, perfectly aged, drinking at its peak for me. Cork crumbled when trying to extract it. Had to strain out the remnants. Wished I had brought my Durant. Decanted through a strainer and it was fine. Ready to drink on the pop and pour. Color was still strong and dark. Nose was lovely. Palate showed lovely integration of fruit and secondary flavors. Would buy again.

2007 vintage

I recently found two bottles of this in my cellar and had no idea I had them, which was a wonderful surprise. I was concerned they were over the hill, but oh no, this was perfectly in the zone! The cork was in great shape and pulled as if it were new. C: As dark as the day it was bottled. N: A ton of gorgeous fruit, floral elements, cedar and some earthy tertiary notes. P: Beautiful juicy red fruit, …

2009 vintage

Same tasting note for me today as my previous note in 2022, cork, mint, everything the same. Finish is on the shorter side, but otherwise elegant and aromatic.

2007 vintage

Still hitting on all cylinders. I think it is just past its peak, but still delicious. Could go well for at least a year or two.

2007 vintage

Lithe and supple, no sharp edges. Fruit and wood, a touch of vanilla. Excellent food wine at this stage.

2009 vintage

Amazing with life to go

2007 vintage

Red blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot. Mellowed, smooth, easy to drink. Bordeaux-like. Still contains big, bold, jammy juice.

2007 vintage

Still drinking quite well. HOWEVER, this and several bottles from this vintage have really problematic corks that adhere tightly to the neck of the bottle. Very frustrating.

2007 vintage

I think I held on to this a couple years too long. Yes, it still drinkable but not as good as to other bottles I drank over the last 6 years, and despite a 60+-minute decant it was surprisingly pretty closed and the tannins after 15 years were still quite substantial. The 2009 Bordeaux blend from the highly acclaimed Ciel du Cheval vineyard in Red Mountain AVA (which has provided grapes for Quilceda Creek, Delille and Cadence among others) is …

2009 vintage

14.5% abv. 32%CS/32%CF/36%M. Dark crimson color, almost impenetrable, through to rim. Viscous light red tears. Earthy bramble, forest, followed by sage and eucalyptus. Red fruit is definitely there but it’s initially overshadowed by (pleasant) herbaceous notes. After 2min in glass starts to show plums and cherry compote. Soft in mouth, med plus weight, decent level of acidity, tannins are mouth coating and fuzzy. All red and black fruit, and spice, on the palate. Alcohol is more evident than I would …

2008 vintage

第一次还不错，比较rich，有点age的酒，后几次酒精太突出，降温都不行

2009 vintage

Surprisingly nice and smooth.

2007 vintage

Pop and pour. Final.btl. Lovely nose with soft cedar, loads of black and blueberry, and some cassis...soft secondary notes. On the palate: solid acidity, shows some heat and a touch soupier and undelineated than I remember. Good density, and still real tannin on the finish. In a very good place, but seems to be coming unglued a bit. Wish I had another bottle to try again in a few more years.

2009 vintage

PnP, consumed over two nights. This bottle still had a fair bit of tannic grip on opening, which was a bit of a surprise. Integrated well over the two nights. Fruit receding and taking on more mature notes. Nice roundness from the Merlot, but felt like the Cab Sauv is dominating the palate. No rush on these.

2007 vintage

Ordered at Manoir Hovey. This was a surprise. Still going strong, opened nicely with nice lift on the palate but not flabby. Much better than expexted

2007 vintage

Second of two, and happily, largely reiterate my 9/22 note. Still benefiting from air but just over an hour of it then holding well over 3 nights, this elegant, perfectly balanced wine continues well in its drinking window, closer to the end than beginning, I suspect, but for a 16 year old CF-dominant blend, that’s still pretty awesome. Equally great on its own and with burritos one night, crab m&c another. I’ve only had a few bottles from this producer, …

2007 vintage

Exceptional. Let this stand for a day or so before uncorking and decant. There is a fair amount of sediment. But lots of life left in this wine — a blend of almost equal parts Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

2008 vintage

Opened 4 hours ahead (saved a crumbly cork with my Durand). Dark, dusty fruits, licorice, green pepper and herbs on the nose. Medium bodied with cool black fruits, earth, herbs and spice on the palate. Nice structure medium bodied wine with a nice finish. Fully mature and ready to drink. 91 points

2007 vintage

First of 2 ($50@) from a recent auction purchase. On the nose and palate, medium potent notes of plums, cherries, mixed dark berries, mixed herbs, green pepper, earthy minerality, and after some time, dark florals. Medium dark purple, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Moderate tannins turning wonderfully silky on night 2, moderate- acidity, no heat. VG+ complexity and persistence, VG intensity. My second iteration of this cuvée, but unlike the first, a plurality merlot bottling, this is a strong …

2007 vintage

Excellent tonight with Beef stew Great nose. Good body. Nice finish. Better with the food that helped with tannins. Went well with chocolate torte and raspberries

2009 vintage

Found this old bird in my cellar. Still going… mature plum, chocolate, baking spice.

2007 vintage

Still going strong.

2008 vintage

Served with prime NY Steaks. Pairing was very good. Nose: Dark fruit, floral, touch of green pepper, showing secondary notes of leather and Christmas spice. Palate: silky smooth, dense, dark, very long, notes of leather and spice, some earthy notes, reminds me of a ripe Bordeaux vintage wine, Very well integrated and really pressing all the right buttons tonight. Well made and nicely aged. Would buy again.

2007 vintage

Cork fell apart upon opening. Tannins seems ready to drink, very focused and minty with more Cabernet Sauvignon character than Cabernet Franc. Probably best suited with a nice grass fed steak or grilled lamb. Plenty of life in this.

2007 vintage

Still drinking beautifully. Wish I had many more bottles.

2008 vintage

Initial impression was that there was still quite a bit of tannin on this 14 year old wine but with enough residual fruit to still be quite tasty. After being open for about an hour the tannins mellowed and the wine show good intensity and mouth feel with a nice long finish. All-in-all a very nice wine

2007 vintage

Drinking much younger than the 14 year old wine that I expected. It was dark to the rim with no bricking. I popped the cork and let the bottle set for about an hour. It took a couple hours to open up in the glass. Nose shows nice Cab Franc notes of bell pepper and cassis fruit. Palate is complex, spicy, and smooth with decent length. Nicely paired with prime NY Steaks. Would buy again.

2007 vintage

Bad cork, again—actually, the worst cork I've ever encountered; it crumbled int a granola-like mess—but the wine was delicious, and way ready. Very Right Bank in character but New World in style. Nothing stands out in memory, other than its general excellence. My second of two bottles.

2007 vintage

Divine, silky smooth blend of 45% cab franc, 40% merlot and 15% cab suave...but most interesting, the cork completely crumbled on me (very frustratingly so I might add). So I went on CT to check other notes...read a lot of comments that the cork had completely crumbled. Andrew Will makes an awesome wine, but needs to invest in better corks!

2007 vintage

Top-notch Merlot-based blend with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. Full bodied, with gobs of plush red and black plum, ripe raspberry, and vanilla bean with hints of raspberry, hibiscus, cigar box, cinnamon, and fine leather. M(+) velvety tannins and M(+) acidity support the intense, complex flavors throughout. The long finish is festooned with bursts of bitter dark chocolate. Flavors of button mushroom and dried strawberry are subtle and just beginning to develop, indicating, along with the intensity of …

2009 vintage

Pop and pour, but air only helped. On the nose: blackberry, tar, plum, smoke, cool herbal notes as well, but some vanilla and cinnamon rounding things out. On the palate: very good acidity, very dense black fruit, tar, charcoal, and excellent density, transitioning into a wall of tannin. After 12 years, this seems structured to age for a very long time. Nevertheless, fantastic right now.

2009 vintage

At peak right now but should hold for a few more years. The nose of this was fantastic. Good mouthfeel and depth on the palate. This is why I like to cellar wines. Perfectly aged and held its own next a 2004 Leoville Barton.

2008 vintage

I’ve had a problem with the 2007 Andrew Will corks falling apart. The wine was stored properly and on its side, but the corks are dry and fall apart. The wine inside was delicious. Tannins are well developed. Dark purple. Cherries and blueberries with a little cigar box. Very pleasant. Except for the little pieces of cork floating in the glass.

2007 vintage

From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, this blend of 40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc appears to be maturing at a glacial pace. It remains a youthful opaque crimson in color and likewise remains packed with tarry black cherry fruit that is accented with bittersweet chocolate, licorice, graphite and dry earth. Full-bodied, vibrantly acidic and seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%), it wraps its flavors with spicy oak and plentiful fine-grained tannins. Dense on the …

2009 vintage

Very tannic on opening. As it opened over an hour the wonderful fruit became evident. Very enjoyable with food.

2008 vintage

Dark colour showing very little maturity. The flavour is very rich with excellent length and balance, showing cassis and black fruits. Delicious now and may even be better in a couple of years. We very much enjoyed this wine.

2007 vintage

Another no decant episode. The wine was great; rich, balanced and structure Right Bank. it was better on Day 2. It's got life left but is very nice now.

2009 vintage

Really fantastic. The cab franc imo helps offset oaking and make this really really enjoyable at this stage

2007 vintage

Drank from Bin North 12 with Mike, Wally and Aline. 32% CS, 32% cab franc, 36% merlot. Vanilla floral nose. Dark purple. Bitter presentation chalk finish with no fruit. 1/10.

2008 vintage

FRW, good Washington flavour but at £48 plus tax it is expensive for what you get.

2007 vintage

The wine is fine, but I cannot understand cab franc. I enjoy cab sauv so for me this wine is kind of nerdy. It is ok, but far from my style

2007 vintage

Meaty, dark fruit, bright red fruit. tobacco, slate, well balanced. Nice wine. Agree with recent notes. This is in a good spot for food or without.

2008 vintage

This bottle was the last of my holdings from this vintage. The cork was sound and the wine smelled and tasted fine immediately upon opening. The bottle was double decanted and began opening up immediately. There was a fair amount of fine sediment. The wine was a mature Bordeaux style with good structure and not too fruity. Overall it was very enjoyable. This vintage is ready for consumption and be sure to decant.

2008 vintage

Captivating.

2009 vintage

I often struggle with the wines from Washington State. Too often, I find them to come across as big, over the top fruit bombs with many unsuitable for long-term aging. However, there are some exceptions and the wines of Andrew Will are one of those exceptions. This Ciel du Cheval bottling has been cellared away since release and happens to be the last in an original purchase of 6. Ciel du Cheval was originally planted in 1975 and now comprises …

2008 vintage

Very good, all soft and integrated now. in a nice drinking window, likely at peak or just past. Cherries, slight liquorice notes on the palate, some cedar and herbal notes in secondary layers, quite silky and very smooth. Medium finish, really like it.

2007 vintage

(Mostly) Washington State Wine Night : Part of a Washington State red wine night. Still concentrated, with a nice acidity. Not as heavy as the other Champoux wines we had alongside it, as this had more Cab Fran and less Cab Sauvignon than the other wines. Really enjoyable. More than 4 1/2 years since I first tried this vintage, its still going strong.

2007 vintage

For my taste, this wasn't as good as it was when I enjoyed it in December 2013. Maybe personal taste, or maybe bottle variation. (What did not differ was the dried out cork that I and many have found consistent in this bottling across a wide range of bottles.) All well-integrated now, but not as exciting. I'll probably drink my next bottle within 1-2 years to check in on it again.

2007 vintage

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Andrew Will, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, Columbia Valley

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