A few weeks back I had the opportunity to visit Mark Ryan in Woodinville. The winery was founded in 1999 so they are one of the older players in Woodinville. Mark is a self-taught winemaker, which is remarkable considering how prestigious their Long Haul and Dead Horse wine have grown to become. In fact the 2010 version of the Dead Horse Cabernet received 94 points from Robert Parker.
The winery tasting room is unpretentious and modern. While they weren’t pouring all of their most famous wines, I was able to sample some really great Reds and a surprisingly good Viognier. Look for these wines either online or at high end Northwest wine shops. I have also seen their wines occasionally at Costco. Here are some of the great wines that I sampled at Mark Ryan Winery. #markryanwinery
2013 Mark Ryan Viognier- Honeysuckle and pear with light spice on the nose. Palate is lithe and has pear, red delicious and cantaloupe. Fantastic expression of the varietal. -91
2012 Mark Ryan ‘Numbskull’ GSM Blend- This wine is 58% Syrah, 26% Grenache and 16% Mouvedre. Oak and cherry on the forward nose. Palate is lush and open. Red cherry, raspberry, and blueberry flavors with coffee grounds. Really polished. -91
2012 Mark Ryan ‘The Dissident’ Bordeaux Blend- This wine has red bell pepper and blackberry on the nose with oak. Palate has blackberry, anise and mocha. Needs 1-2 years of cellaring. -91
2012 Mark Ryan ‘Wild Eyed’ Syrah- Red Mountain fruit with smoky oak and blackberry on the nose. Palate has blackberry, black cherry and black olive. Thins thing is a long ager. I’d cellar for 2-3 years. -92
2012 Mark Ryan ‘Numbskull’ BDX- This is 69% Merlot with the rest 28% Cabernet and 3% Petite Verdot. Herbaceous nose with raspberry and oak. Palate has a strong acid backbone but is a bit shut down right now. Red cherry and blackberry in there. Cellar for 1-2 years. -90