Force Majeure estate spotlight
Todd Alexander is on camera with Wine Exchange discussing Force Majeure, the Red Mountain estate and the winemaker of this 2019 Cabernet.
2019 Force Majeure Vineyards Red Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Washington, USA
Todd Alexander's Red Mountain estate Cabernet, Jeb Dunnuck 98-plus with a liqueur of rocks, a 2019 you can cellar at one hundred fifty dollars.
The 2019 is 96 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with 3 percent Merlot and 1 percent Petit Verdot: cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and damp earth after 75 percent new French oak, now $150.
A 650-case Red Mountain Cabernet with Bryant-trained hands
The estate Cabernet is grown primarily along the southwest ridge of Force Majeure, 960 to 1,230 feet, on fractured basalt, ash, and granite. Todd Alexander, formerly of Bryant Family, fermented it in concrete and stainless, 100 percent free run, then 75 percent new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. Six hundred fifty cases. Jeb Dunnuck 98+. Vinous 97. Wine Enthusiast 95, Editors' Choice. Wine Spectator 94. This is the bottle that puts Red Mountain Cabernet on a serious table.
The house
Paul and Susan McBride planted Force Majeure on Red Mountain. Todd Alexander arrived from Bryant Family in 2014.
The wine
96% Cabernet, 3% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. Concrete and stainless. 75% new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. 14.9% ABV.
The scores
Jeb Dunnuck 98+. Vinous 97. Wine Enthusiast 95 Editors' Choice. Wine Spectator 94.
The drinker
Decant 90 minutes. Serve 60 to 62 F. Beef Wellington or a slow ribeye.
Cassis and graphite, then a liqueur of rocks
Jeb Dunnuck found cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and damp earth, full-bodied, flawless balance, building yet polished tannins, a great finish. Vinous opened on crushed plums, sweet lavender, and blood orange, then velvety opulence with brisk acids and salty mineral. Wine Enthusiast: blackberry, crushed rock, black cherry, spice, a firm grip, an extended finish.
A cooler vintage that still packed density. Vinous called out flavor density and tension. Dunnuck wants 4 to 5 years of hiding, then 25 to 30 years if stored well.
Cassis, crushed plum, blackberry, black cherry, lavender, lead pencil, damp earth.
Full, 14.9% ABV, 75% new French oak, polished but building tannin, rocky minerality.
Graphite, crushed rock, a long close. Decant 90 minutes. Serve 60 to 62 F.
Concrete and steel, then 75 percent new French oak
On the Force Majeure brief, the 2019 estate Cabernet is 96 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 percent Merlot, and 1 percent Petit Verdot from 11-year-old vines on the southwest ridge. Fermented in concrete and stainless closed-top tanks. One hundred percent free run. Aged in 75 percent new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. Six hundred fifty nine-liter cases. Small berries from fractured basalt, concreted ash, and granite erratics.
Alexander wants Red Mountain minerality in the glass, not a Napa impression. The 2019 is powerful and still has a liqueur of rocks.
Give it 90 minutes of air. Dunnuck's window starts after a few more years. The fruit is already there.
A great dream, then a mountain estate
Force Majeure began as Grand Reve, Paul McBride and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson's Red Mountain wager, then took the current name as the estate vines came online.
McBride and Johnson placed Bordeaux and Rhone varieties by soil and exposure on a steep Red Mountain slope. The estate Cabernet lives on the southwest ridge.
Todd Alexander arrived from Bryant Family in 2014 and turned the site into a precise, small-lot house. Jeb Dunnuck calls it one of Washington's top estates.
The 2019 Cabernet is that decade in a bottle: 650 cases, 98-plus points, a mountain red meant for a cellar and a serious roast.
Wellington on the board, then a ribeye
Red Mountain Cabernet wants pastry, mushroom, and char. Beef Wellington and a hard-seared ribeye are the plates.
Two plates. One Beef Wellington. One pan-seared ribeye. Both can take cassis, graphite, and rocky tannin.
Serve 60 to 62 F. Decant 90 minutes while the Wellington or steak rests.
Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington
Beef fillet, mushroom duxelles, pastry, and red wine sauce meet Red Mountain at its darkest.
Why it works: Beef and pastry soften the firm structure. Mushrooms pull graphite, earth, and espresso-like depth forward.
View Recipe for Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington (opens in a new tab)
Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks
A hard crust for a 98-plus Cabernet that still has tannin to spare.
Why it works: Char pulls cassis and lead pencil. Fat meets polished, building tannin.
View Recipe for Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks (opens in a new tab)Put this Red Mountain Cabernet in the cart
Jeb Dunnuck 98+. 650 cases. One hundred fifty dollars against a $225 typical retail.
Put six in the cart. This is the Force Majeure bottle for a cellar that wants estate Cabernet, not a second wine.
