Force Majeure (Grand Reve), Ciel Cheval Collaboration Series III, Red Mountain

Well liked by all of us at Ascend. Bday dinner. Last glass was the best as it opened up more!

2010 vintage

Blockbuster wine. Big and monolithical, very balanced and somehow tertiary, I missed a bit the aromatic complexity but actually it was a treat to drink. No further potential in my eyes.

2013 vintage

Nice rich dark notes. Still alive for sure.

2013 vintage

No notes taken. I liked the earthy, olive, pine tree notes a lot and they well complemented the sweet fruit core. But this showed a lot of heat on the nose and palate which is a turn off.

2010 vintage

11 years on, Delicious!

2013 vintage

Drank over 2 hours, wow! Smooth, yet bold. Drink by 2025.

2010 vintage

In a really nice place right, drinking well with a minimal decant. Dark berry, mocha, black currant and smoke flavors are very well integrated. Drink now.

2010 vintage

Drank 2023 on birthday

2010 vintage

Still drinking well but starting to lose its vibrancy. Black fruits plus some blueberry, smoked meat, pepper and hint of Walla Walla funk. Smooth dusty tannins and a nice long finish. While still good, it gives the impression that it is starting to decline. The tannins are beginning to overpower the fruit, as dusty as the tannins are. Will test another bottle soon to see if this is just an outlier or if these starting to decline in general.

2010 vintage

A fine but not especially inspiring Syrah. Not as refined as I expected and the tannins were quite prevalent. Good blackberry/blueberry fruit with some smokiness and tar. A slight whiff of violets on the nose. The acidity was racy and it paired well with a beef stroganoff dish. More balanced after a 2 hour decant. Maybe I was just surprised that it hadn't mellowed in 13 years.

2010 vintage

Decanted for sediment. Dark garnet color. Nose of blackberry, a bit of coffee, mocha, violet. Similar flavors on the palate with a nice mix of ripe, dark black and blue fruit with some really nice oak treatment and just a touch of meaty bacon on the back end. Medium acid and tannin. Smooth mouthfeel and long finish. This wine is in a very nice spot right now.

2010 vintage

Delicious for all who tasted at Xmas neighborhood party

2013 vintage

Beautiful tasting , easy smooth

2013 vintage

Smooth & ready. Drink now-2024.

2010 vintage

Rhone on the nose but a little muted on the palate at first. Opened along side the 16 Julian Fayard Sleeping Lady as this bottle came to life! What a difference side by side made. Having some newer fruit on the palate to brought out the notes of the Syrah. Lots of coffee notes which was a contrast from first pour.

2010 vintage

Good wine. Well constructed. Could use some more pizazz to be honest.

2010 vintage

Very slight earthiness, demi glace, dark cherry, tobacco on the nose. Not as strong as I would like. Very nice smokiness and pepper on the palate. Very smooth, well balanced acidity. EDIT: After 2 hours the nose changed to a strong scent of BBQ'd pulled pork. Very nice!

2010 vintage

Decanted for three hours. Big, bold fruit and lots of tannins on the long finish. Wonderful steak wine.

2010 vintage

Beautiful wine. Deep, rich and a bit of spice. Thoroughly enjoyed with my double thick bone-in pork chop. In a good zone. Appropriately named also as I gaze at the nearby CA fires.

2010 vintage

new world syrah, but oh so delicious

2010 vintage

Modest nose. Beautiful fruit and tannins. Well balanced. Seems much younger than its age.

2013 vintage

Nice round dark fruit with mild tannins. A bit short on structure. Nonetheless, too bad it’s our last bottle.

2010 vintage

Fruity but hot nose. Nice earthy overtones but aging quickly over an hour and becoming too acidic. Drink soon. Next day update- I don’t know how but we had a little leftover and instead of being more acid it is more full and well balanced and less acid- I would rate it low 90s now.

2013 vintage

After two hour decant. Nose reminds me of walking into a spice/tea shop. A dusty mix of dried spices and cedar. Palate starts with blackberry and spice with fresh acid. Tannins are soft and add body and structure. A long lingering spicy finish with just a hint bitterness to add dimension. Drink now

2010 vintage

Same notes as last time on first few glasses. Left in the cellar for 5/6 days and still was a quality wine.

2010 vintage

Drinking well now. Bramble, spice, leather, dark red fruit, meat. Moderate finish. Me - 91, Wife - 92

2010 vintage

This red mountain syrah is in a great spot to drink. One tick higher than a year ago. Beautifully done and happy with this cellar release purchase.

2010 vintage

super fruity and, to me, elegantly sweet. surprising.

2010 vintage

Huh, dichte Farbe. In der Nase wider Erwarten sehr frisch. Johannisbeere, Lakritz. Am Gaumen frische Säure, gepaart mit dichter Frucht (wieder Johannisbeere, etwas Brombeere). Toller, frische Eindruck, ein grossartiger und für mich überraschender Amerikaner!

2010 vintage

Similar showing to the last bottles, but slightly more open. Beautiful balance of spices, earthy notes and also freshness and structure. Really like this.

2010 vintage

Friends opened this when my wife and I stopped by on 5/17/19. It had a deep, rich, elegant nose with blackberry, plum, toast, licorice and spice aromas. The palate was rich, layered and dry with flavors of blackberry, plum, mocha, cocoa, toast, licorice and spice.

2013 vintage

Needs at least a 2 hour decant in my opinion. Pretty tight on Pnp and the palate did not really open until about 2 hours. Very dark, tar and earthy. Still lots of grip on the end of this wine. Will go for a long time.

2010 vintage

Decanted and consumed over several hours. Elegant and full bodied with great gripping tannins. Perfection!

2010 vintage

I opened this for my 10/26/18 Series III vertical tasting. It had a rich, deep, elegant and fragrant nose of smoked meat, blackberry, raspberry, plum, burnt toast, char, mocha, cocoa, pepper and spice aromas. The palate was rich, dry, elegant and layered with flavors of mocha, cocoa, blackberry, raspberry, plum, pepper, spice and minerals.

2010 vintage

Rich, dark red fruits and coffee. A little too warm and fruit for me (moving away from Red Mountain), but well made and much better on Day 2. Not sure on the QPR here anymore.

2013 vintage

Very enjoyable!

2010 vintage

Violet in color. 14.7% ABV. Savory nose blue and black fruits, iron and flowers. Full bodied with tremendous acidity. Blueberries, blackberries, peppered beef and blood on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with supple tannins. Exquisite Syrah that is aging gracefully. Drink over the next 3-5 years.

2010 vintage

Rich, delicious, blackberry fruit with black olive and slight chocolate flavors, excellent structure, smooth, thick viscosity, long finish

2013 vintage

Something about this tastes too much like grape concord jam for me to truly enjoy. Probably well made, but just too grape flavored for my liking.

2010 vintage

Not that great especially for the price point. Just seemed off all night like this had never come together even after 6 years in the bottle. Not memorable in the least. Glad I only purchased one. Disappointing bottle of wine from Red Mountain fruit.

2010 vintage

Powerful wine that tasted very much like "the Albatross" another standout wine made by Chris Gorman using Red Mountain fruit. Loads of currant, plum. Oak was perfect. Finish that lasted forever. A much better wine that what WS scored it. Perhaps it has come together in the bottle with time. In the sweet spot right now.

2010 vintage

Decanted and returned to the bottle for the day then decanted two hours prior to consumption. A masculine wine which presents itself at this point as the strong, silent type. Kind of brooding and unyielding with an iron-rich core it shares with dark berries. It has a muted sense on the palate but very balanced and consistent throughout. Not a flashy effort, but a sturdy one which shows promise.

2013 vintage

Simliar to last bottle, beef, blood, some background pepper, dirty, great mouthfeel and balance. Drinking well now with some air, but it will get better with a few years. Nice wine.

2013 vintage

It's only my 2nd or 3rd time tasting Force Majeure wines and I find them fascinating, even if they are not exactly what I usually drink. Very dark opaque purple color that has some ruby towards the rim. Very high viscosity. First slightly muted, but opens up nicely in the glass with some air. Pretty explosive nose of blackberries, black cherries, but also some sour red berries, some sweet spices, dark chocolate, a touch of smoke, bacon, iron and also …

2010 vintage

Drinking very well young, but no need to be in a hurry. Dark red fruits, beef blood, rhubarb, some earthy components and a very good length. Alcohol is kept in check and the texture is velvety galore! Very good again from this producer.

2013 vintage

2010 Two Hands Garden Series plus a lot more (Colonial Beverage, Chesterland Ohio) : Hard to really rate this. Right off the truck, Charlie said it had just arrived this week. Even so, this was drinking very well. It has a seamless quality to it that wines either have or don't but rarely develop. The nose has black raspberries, some vanilla and anise with a bit of black pepper. On the palate, deep but not showing complexity yet. Yet the …

2013 vintage

California cult nose- sumptuous vanilla and cassis. Very dark in color. Palate of tart blue berry, cocoa and leather notes. Outstanding and likely eveb better in 5-10 years with more softening.

2010 vintage

Decanted then returned to the bottle for 10 hours prior to tasting. Much more restrained than I generally favor, this bottle found a way to seduce me. Maybe it was the soft as cotton tannin or its slinky walk across the palate. Certainly more of a sunken cheeked runway model than a Rubenesque dream, I really enjoyed it over two nights.

2010 vintage

Previous score was exaggerated. Tasting notes still apply.

2010 vintage

Really nice flavors of blackberry, olive and licorice. Finishes with a nice saline quality that lingers.

2010 vintage

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Force Majeure (Grand Reve), Ciel Cheval Collaboration Series III, Red Mountain

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