2014 Chaleur Estate 6.0L

RED MOUNTAIN AVA

Chaleur Estate is DeLille Cellars’ proudest effort, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and Petite Verdot (2%) from the most respected vineyards in Washington State. Vineyard lots are kept separate and aged in multiple types of new French oak, providing us the blending options to handcraft Chaleur Estate. The result is a wine of depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.

To preserve the distinctive quality of Chaleur Estate, we handpick all our grapes and sort by hand during crushing, selecting only the very best berry clusters. The wine is barrel-aged for 20 months. Five months before bottling, Chaleur Estate is blended and the flavors are allowed to integrate in the barrel. Lastly, a minimum of nine months of bottle aging puts the final touch on this artisanal wine.

"Tasting like a top-flight Bordeaux with its cassis, lead pencil, crushed rock and black currant aromas and flavors, it has striking purity, integrated acidity and perfect match of elegance and richness. It’s one serious barrel sample that should drink reasonably well in its youth, yet also age for two decades."

Jeb Dunnuck, eRobertParker.com #225, June 2016