One of the outstanding talents in Washington State Wine, Todd Alexander left his position as winemaker for Bryant Family to move north and partner with Force Majeure Vineyards. It has now been five years since Todd has been at the helm for Force Majeure and his wines have already made their mark with serious critical acclaim. Trying his Force Majeure wines in January I was absolutely blown away with the consistency and the combination of mouthfeel, deep dark fruit flavors and texture that he was able to impart in his wines. The wines are rich and decadent but have lovely finesse as well. The Force Majeure Vineyard is gaining great national acclaim as it ages. This Red Mountain Vineyard has eight distinct soil types that are divided into small “micro-blocks,” as this steep vineyard ranges in elevation from 960 to 1,230 feet. The rocky upper-slope with shallow soil is well suited to Syrah and Grenache, while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils, where Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc thrive.
I recently had the chance to check out the new pre-release wines by Parabellum and they were gorgeous across the board. The 2017 Parabellum ‘Alluvio’ Red Wine (WWB, 93) shows a nice touch of St. Emillion with its lovely Cabernet Franc herbal tones, while displaying wonderful richness and viscosity. Just as good was the 2017 Parabellum ‘Coulee’ Red Wine (WWB, 93) which has great smoky tones and shows wonderful range and texture. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/wines/parabellum/ Here are the great new wines by Parabellum.
2017 Parabellum ‘Alluvio’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Alluvio’ is an alluring blend of 60% Cabernet Franc with 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remainder Petit Verdot. Toasty oak wraps around dark fruits, graphite and sagebrush tones on this expressive nose. The palate is plush, round and inviting, delivering copious dark fruit flavors that collide wit the milk chocolate, sagebrush, cherry tomato and dusty minerals. This is exceedingly good, highly viscous and gratifying wine now as the ‘Alluvio’ will provide drinking enjoyment for a decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 93
2017 Parabellum ‘Coulee’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Coulee’ Red Wine is a fantastic blend of 86% Syrah with the remainder Mourvedre that was all sourced from the esteemed Force Majeure Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. Tobacco leaf and smoky undertones collide with suggestions of green peppercorns and smoked black olives that all take shape together in the glass. The soft texture entices as the black and blue fruits mingle with minerals, black tea and chocolate covered brandy soaked kirsch flavors. This is seriously good by superstar winemaker Todd Alexander. Drink 2019-2029- 93