Our 11th Year !

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WA 91 (12/2012): Bitter-edged black currant and seedy blackberry invigoratingly if granularly inform the Mark Ryan 2007 Dead Horse, with accents of smoky black tea, crushed stone, and pencil lead adding intrigue to an admirably gripping finish. What would significantly benefit this palpably dense Cabernet are primary juiciness, brightness, and dynamic interplay such as were achieved in its 2009 counterpart. I would recommend planning on enjoying it over the next 6-8 years. Given the generally high quality of vintage 2007, it’s tempting – and, I suspect, fair – to see the strength of the 2009 Dead Horse when compared with this recent predecessor as proof of a new quality standard being set at Mark Ryan since the arrival of Mike MacMorran.

2008

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2010

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WA 94 (6/2013): More refined and elegant, with classic Cabernet Sauvignon on the nose and palate, the 2010 Dead Horse is made from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and the balance Malbec and Petit Verdot. Seeing 21 months in 78% new French oak, it has integrated its oak elevage brilliantly and delivers black currant, tobacco, pencil shavings, violet and wild herb qualities that flow to a full-bodied, concentrated and seamlessly textured 2010 that has juicy acidity, excellent mid-palate concentration and masses of finely polished tannin on the finish. Give it 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+ years or more. Drink 2016-2030.

2011

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WA 93 (6/2014): Made from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard offers beautiful purity and freshness to go with classic aromas of blackberry, blueberry, charcoal, crushed rock and burnt toast. Full-bodied, fleshy, balanced, with ample tannin, it-s a serious Bordeaux blend that will have upwards of two decades of longevity.

2012

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WA 93+ (6/2015): A step up over the Long Haul, the 2012 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a rocking blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged 21 months in once used barrels, it’s a full-bodied, concentrated, thrillingly pure Cabernet Sauvignon that has classic black fruits, smoke tobacco and crushed rock aromatics. Big, structured, and tannic, with nicely integrated acidity, it’s another red that will benefit from 4-5 years in the cellar. It will have over two decades of longevity.

2013

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WA 94 (6/2016): Made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2013 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard comes all from Red Mountain and spent 21 months in 72% new French oak. It’s a quintessential Red Mountain Cabernet with its crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rock-like minerality and spring flower-driven profile. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with incredibly polished tannin, it shows the prettier side to the region, will benefit from short-term cellaring, and have two decades of overall longevity.

2014

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VM 91+ (10/2017): Deep medium ruby. Musky black fruits, minerals, cocoa powder and cardamom on the nose. Juicy and stylish if a bit youthfully brooding following the Dissident blend, conveying clear minerality to its black fruit flavors. Quite dry but this blend displays a higher-pH mouth feel (actually 3.84) than the Dissident. Finishes with broad, dusty tannins, a restrained sweetness and a lingering savory quality. The Mark Ryan wines have really moved up in class in recent years. (Drink between 2019-2025). Steven Tanzer.

2008

Dead Horse Red Wine

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VM 92+ (12/2011): (a five-variety Bordeaux blend based on 62% cabernet sauvignon): Good deep red. Aromas of dark cherry, blueberry, minerals and pepper lifted by violet. Pliant, concentrated and sweet; lush and tactile but at the same time firmly built. Finishes with strong but integrated tannins and a serious structural underpinning. Very impressive. Stephen Tanzer.

2009

Dead Horse Red Wine

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WA 93 (12/2012): The Mark Ryan 2009 Dead Horse blends with its Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 8% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, enlisting four-year-old vines in as yet little-known but superbly-situated Obelisco Vineyard to supplement fruit from its tongue-in-cheek namesake (Ciel du Cheval) and Klipsun. Cassis, cedar, and dark tobacco inform the nose as well as a palpably dense, subtly chewy and vivaciously juicy palate. A briny, mineral and at the same time sweetly savory suggestion of anchovy paste adds irresistibly saliva-inducing savor to the long finish of this impeccably balanced bottling that ought to be worth following for at least ten or a dozen years.

2007

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2008

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VM 93 (12/2011): (an 83/17 blend of cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot; a selection of six barrels): Good deep ruby-red. Crushed blackberry, licorice and violet on the explosive nose, plus a strong element of minerality. Sweet, lush and concentrated, but with excellent energy and lift to the fine-grained flavors of dark berries, roast coffee, violet and minerals. This really saturates the mouth with flavor. Finishes with broad, dusty tannins, outstanding intensity and impressive length. Great fruit here. Stephen Tanzer.

2009

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VM 92+ (12/2012): (with 13% petit verdot): Good bright ruby. Cassis, black raspberry, menthol and licorice on the nose. Dense, sweet and lightly saline, with sexy oak tones adding interest to the ripe, cabernet-accurate flavors of sweet currant, dark chocolate and violet. This very long, suave wine shows excellent balance from the start but it's already very nicely balanced. From a selection of "our favorite barrels," noted Mark McNeilly, who told me that any acidification in 2009 took place prior to fermentation. Stephen Tanzer.

2010

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WA 93 (6/2013): A bigger, more structured and slightly more rustic wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Lonely Heart (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) offers up decadently styled notions of black currants, spice box, graphite, coffee grinds and dusty minerality on the nose. This flows to a full-bodied, chewy, tannic and mouth-filling Cabernet that needs 3-4 years of bottle age and will have 15 years or more of longevity. While I like the texture and overall elegance of the Dead Horse more, there’s no denying the overall quality here and it will dish out loads of pleasure once the tannins integrate. Drink 2016-2028.

2011

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WA 93 (6/2014): The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Lonely Heart is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 21 months in 74% new French oak. Possessing rock star concentration and depth (which is not common in the vintage), with aromas and flavors of black currants, licorice, crushed rock and charcoal, this full-bodied effort has fantastic polish to its tannin, perfect balance and overall classic, age-worthy feel. It too will have two decades or more of longevity.

2012

Long Haul Ciel du Cheval Byd. Red Wine

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WA 95 (6/2015): Possessing the most length, depth and texture, the 2012 Lonely Heart Cabernet Sauvignon (which incorporates 10% Merlot) is a brilliant wine that comes from three vineyards on Red Mountain; Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval and Force Majeure. Aged 21 months in 68% new French oak, it possesses loads of black raspberry and cassis fruit intermixed with graphite, crushed river rocks, chocolate and spice-box. As with all of Mike’s wine, this has incredibly purity and balance, and I suspect will have 20-25 years of longevity.

2008

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2011

Long Haul Merlot

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WA 92 (6/2014): Another outstanding effort from this estate, the Merlot-dominated 2011 Long Haul incorporates 13% Cabernet Franc 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot, all of which were aged 21 months in 73% new French oak. It gives up ripe black fruits, currants, licorice, singed herbs and chocolate to go with a full-bodied, rounded and voluptuous style the palate. Nicely focused, with excellent purity of fruit, it-s already approachable and should be consumed over the coming decade.

2009

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WA 93 (12/2012): Mark Ryan’s 2009 Long Haul – sourced from Klipsun and Ciel du Cheval with some Stillwater Creek in a supporting role – blends 27% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, and a jot of Petit Verdot with its Merlot. Profuse bittersweet floral perfume and black fruits make for an alluring aromatic display and are beautifully-integrated with mint, black tea, and bitter-edged resinous herbs on an expansive and polished palate, leading to the long, subtle interplay of a memorably complex finish. This ought to be worth following for at least a decade.

2010

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WA 92 (6/2013): The 2010 Long Haul is a blend of 61% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot that comes from the top notch vineyard sources of Klipsun, Ciel du Cheval, Red Willow and Force Majeure. Aged in 73% new French oak, it possesses a big, voluptuous bouquet of plum sauce, spice box, violets, wild herbs and chocolate to go with a full-bodied, supple and downright delicious profile on the palate. Already delicious and hard to resist, it should nevertheless have 7-8 years of longevity. Drink now-2018.

2012

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WA 92 (6/2015): The 2012 Long Haul Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is another terrific Bordeaux blend from this team. Made from 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it was vinified in stainless steel and aged in once used French oak barrels. It exhibits subtle hints of coffee bean in its red and black fruits, roasted meats, spice and licorice-styled bouquet, and picks up more and more floral nuances with time. Full-bodied, tight, focused and a little backward, it opens up nicely in the glass, has integrated acidity and a clean finish. Give it 2-4 years and drink it through 2032.

2013