D2 2004
Tasting Notes:
D2 ’04 is focused and has bright black cherry and berry aromas with cigar
box oak. It has nuances that wrap nicely around the silky Merlot texture.
The flavors show lush cherries and blackberries with black pepper spices.
This vintage is already showing a lengthy finish.
Varietal Blend:
41% Merlot
45% Cabernet Sauvignon
12% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
Vineyard Breakdown:
Stillwater Creek Merlot 19%
Ciel du Cheval Merlot 10% *
Klipsun Merlot 8% *
Harrison Hill Merlot 4%
Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Sauvignon 16% *
Harrison Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 9%
Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon 8% *
Stillwater Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 6%
Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon 6% *
Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Franc 10%
Harrison Hill Cabernet Franc 2%
Ciel du Cheval Petit Verdot 2% *
60% Red Mountain AVA *
Awards & Acclaim:
93 Pts. Lisa Minucci’s Spring 2007 Vintrust SOMMselection (2004 Vintage)
A Right Bank-styled blend that delivers rich ripe fruits and great structure. In relation to the composition of fruit and acid, this wine is finely balanced.
92 Pts. Harvey Steinman, Wine Spectator (2004 Vintage)
Ripe, firm and beautifully focused, a complex mouthful of currant, plum, cedar and autumn leaf flavors that glow enticingly through the long, long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2012. -H.S. May 2007
91 Pts. Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast (2004 Vintage) Editor’s Choice
An extraordinary, effusive nose, smooth and voluptuous, with spectacular focus and concentration, opens this wine. There is an herbal underpinning, and just a bit of tannic roughness, but it's nothing that won't soften up with time. This, along with Quilceda's
second tier red, is the best red wine value in the state. Still showing youthful tart, tight acid; it's chewy but focused. Good flavors of very tart cherry, plum and even red apple, leading into hints of menthol, cigar box, pepper and slate.
