Force Majeure (Grand Reve), Ciel Cheval Collaboration Series II, Red Mountain
Force Majeure (Grand Reve) · Washington › Red Mountain › United States of America
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
92
/100
Reviews
27
professional
Vintages
No vintages
NV
Community Reviews
3030
Reviews
92.0
Avg Score
95
Highest
Taster #0950
· Nov 1, 2025
Purple-black in the glass. Shows blackberry, black cherry, earth and pencil shavings, oodles of depth and structure. A gem for the vintage.
2012 vintage
Taster #8653
· Jul 24, 2024
94/100
Blackberry, plum, red and black cherry, smoke, earth, leafy herbs, a little graphite, and some aged characteristics on the nose. Tart cherry, red cherry, plum, blackberry, earth, herbs, and wood on the palate. Abundant mouthwatering acidity, lightly grippy tannins, med-long finish. Wow, this was delicious. There's lots of stuffing, but the acidity keeps it lively. I'm surprised this is still showing so much oak. Whatever.
2012 vintage
Taster #0950
· Dec 17, 2023
Blackberry, black cherry and mushrooms. Integrated, balanced, and holding up well. Some secondary nuances peaking around the corner; it's aging well and should continue to do so for the next five years.
2012 vintage
Taster #5626
· Nov 30, 2023
I bought this at auction and I wonder if it got cooked a little bit. It was just a bit too far past its prime to be enjoyable. Some dried fruits, really, no structure to talk of or mid pallet. Very short finish. Tough to judge because I’ve had other force mature that have been fantastic.
2012 vintage
Taster #1624
· Nov 4, 2023
93/100
Dark and chewy. Some earth and mushroom give way to currants, cherries and raspberries. Rally nice wine.
2012 vintage
Taster #3440
· Apr 19, 2023
95/100
spectacular new world syrah. tons of black cherry and peppery notes. smooth tannin and long finish. Pnp. no need to wait
2012 vintage
Taster #5630
· Dec 27, 2022
92/100
Well aged. Rich well integrated blackberry and black cherry fruit with earthy flavors, excellent structure, slightly tannic, ample finish
2012 vintage
Taster #4632
· Dec 22, 2022
93/100
Time has done this bottle well. Fruit forward wrapped around nice sweet tannins. All elements are melded together and this is drinking superbly.
2012 vintage
Taster #9851
· Sep 3, 2022
92/100
Consistent with earlier tasting notes for this label. Drank BYOB at Fried Green Tomatoes Restaurant in historic Galena, IL. Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, firmly structured but nicely balanced and approachable full black raspberry and black berry fruits are accented by notes of cola, coffee, spices with lead pencil graphite and floral turning to fine grained tannins on the long lingering finish. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2022/08/force-majeure-red-wine-byob-fried-green.html
2012 vintage
Taster #1624
· Apr 23, 2022
89/100
Bit tight with herbal notes. Some plums and currants underneath.
2012 vintage
Taster #9986
· Mar 5, 2022
90/100
Nice Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend - showing the blackberry and grilled meat typical of syrah with more firm tannins and underlying grip I assume comes from the Cabernet
2012 vintage
Taster #9994
· Feb 3, 2022
91/100
A ruby-purple-opaque colour anticipates intense layers of black fruit of great purity enhanced with liquorice, cola, tar and dark chocolate. On the palate the wine bursts concentration and purity of fruit backed up by polished tannins complementing the wine's dark character.
2012 vintage
Taster #4632
· Aug 2, 2021
91/100
its a good wine but really just a middle of the road, a crowded space and nothing to make it stand out. I gave it a 91 because i still believe this could get better with a more time, I didn't feel that this was mature or old so there could be some nice upside.
2012 vintage
Taster #9851
· Mar 24, 2021
92/100
Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, firmly structured but nicely balanced and approachable full black raspberry and black berry fruits are accented by notes of cola, coffee, spices with lead pencil graphite and floral turning to fine grained tannins on the long lingering finish. https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/force-majeure-collaboration-series.html
2012 vintage
Taster #6667
· Feb 22, 2021
90/100
For 8+ years old, this wine is big, bold, and rich. Still dark with no bricking, it's got wonderful black fruit on the palate, with a long finish that still has powerful fruit tannins. Very good.
2012 vintage
Taster #9625
· Jan 10, 2021
94/100
Glad I followed my own advice for once. Incredibly perfumed with purple flowers and creamy berries. Time has done great things to this wine.
2012 vintage
Taster #3440
· Jan 10, 2021
93/100
Smokey nose. Beautiful red and blue fruit
2012 vintage
Taster #8439
· Oct 10, 2020
93/100
Deep purplish ruby red. Layered nose with gravel, anise, cinnamon, black plums and a bit of spiciness. Medium plus tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Great acidity with black cherries, graphite, purple flowers and a little bit of plums. Long finish. Drink till 2030.
2012 vintage
Taster #8108
· Apr 12, 2020
92/100
Wrong on the note from last year. Well integrated at this point. 4/4/2019 note: Good combo of grapes, if a bit rough; wouldn’t expect that 5 yrs after release. Might improve, but not putting money on it. 90 pts.
2012 vintage
Taster #6405
· Mar 30, 2020
92/100
Earthy and with aroma of anise, opened up to reveal fresh red fruit, cassis and a tinge of oak. Tannic backbone with just a touch of alcohol on the back end
2012 vintage
Taster #6405
· Jan 27, 2019
89/100
Petroleum and eucalyptus on the nose. Soft tannins, not a lot of depth or complexity, more plum than cherry. Good with braised ribs but not their best effort.
2012 vintage
Taster #1791
· Dec 30, 2018
92/100
Pretty rustic and dark. Really nice layers of earthy tar tea. Still some tannin on the back end of this wine but I liked it.
2012 vintage
Taster #8018
· Dec 14, 2018
93/100
POP. Cab and Syrah went well together...but not epic.
2012 vintage
Taster #5089
· Sep 12, 2018
91/100
I had this with smoked ribs on 9/12/18. It had a rich, powerful bouquet of blackberry, plum, black currant. wood smoke, mocha, cocoa, graphite and mineral aromas. The palate was rich and dense with flavors of burnt toast, mocha, cocoa, blackberry, plum, black currant, graphite and minerals.
2012 vintage
Taster #5630
· Jan 13, 2017
91/100
Blend seems disjointed and not well integrated. After a day on the Coravin wine got better. More integrated. Richer, more accessible fruit. Evenly balanced blackberry and black cherry flavors.
2012 vintage
Taster #4172
· Dec 13, 2016
93/100
Served with friends. Very enjoyable.
2012 vintage
Taster #9625
· Dec 5, 2015
94/100
Inky purple to black in color. Nose of cigar box, tobacco, sweet picked berries, and fresh leather. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical after the nose was dominated by the cab and I was hoping for a bit more balance. However it really works well although I would have to say that if there was one varietal more dominant it would be the cab. Plenty tannic and this was decanted for 4 + hours. On the palate, …
2012 vintage
Taster #2829
· Nov 11, 2015
93/100
This is a really fine wine. Both the Syrah and Cabernet maintain their separate identities while complementing each other.
2012 vintage
Taster #9032
· Nov 3, 2015
90/100
A dense wine that is equal parts Syrah and Cabernet - a combination that seems disjointed, at least at the moment. Ruby red in color; full in body; fragrant nose of game and pencil. Tastes of blackcurrant, meat, leather, and tar, with mouth-coating (and somewhat overwhelming) tannins. 14.7% alcohol. Give it time.
2012 vintage
Taster #4184
· Oct 26, 2015
92/100
Florals, spice, peppers, peppercorn, dark berries, high quality oak, and Red Mountain terroir. Fresh and piercing, quality mouthfeel, medium plus acid and dusty to grainy tannins. Stalwart finish. Interesting blend. It should improve with age. 92-93.
2012 vintage