2014 Seven Hills Winery Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Vintage Red Wine Red Mountain 750 ml

A Washington State Vineyard to Remember

If there’s one vineyard to know from Washington State, it’s the Red Mountain AVA’s Ciel du Cheval. In fact, the Red Mountain AVA would not exist without the Ciel du Cheval vineyard. In 1975, it became the first site planted in this area, and the owners were responsible for getting this special land to be recognized with its own AVA in 2001. 

With pedigree, power, and complexity that will continue to unfold over time, the 2014 Seven Hills Winery Ciel du Cheval is the kind of cellar-worthy red that would easily sell for triple digits in a region like Napa or Bordeaux. But you can buy this Washington State showstopper for under $60 per bottle.

The vines in the 102-acre Ciel du Cheval vineyard average, 30 years old, and are a priceless resource for concentrated fruit in a state where nearly half of all vineyards were planted in the last decade. And when those grapes are in the hands of experts, like the fourth-generation farmers at Seven Hills Winery, they create something magical: the 2014 Seven Hills Winery Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain, a Bordeaux blend that is one of the New World’s best.

Calling Ciel du Cheval “one of the state’s most esteemed vineyards,” Wine Enthusiast dubbed the 2014 Seven Hills Ciel du Cheval as a Cellar Selection, praising the wine’s balance of bright acidity and grippy tannins, and supple aromas of “baking spice, savory herb, and cherry.” 

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot aged in barrel for 18 months, this Seven Hills red melds intense, dark fruit with intriguing accents of sandalwood and leather. A long finish lingers, and though the Seven Hills Ciel du Cheval already has lovely complexity from its five years of age, it is built to last.

Of all of the AVAs in Eastern Washington, where rain is scarce and sunshine is plentiful, Red Mountain is both the smallest and hottest. Located along a southwest-facing slope, this winemaking sweet spot is packed with vines that yield some of the state’s most robust, characterful grapes. 

The soils, loam on deep gravel beds, are high in calcium carbonate, which moderates vine vigor to create small berries packed with intense character and dense but elegant tannins. The Bordeaux varieties planted here are sold to the state’s top wineries, and it is because of the exceptional quality of these grapes that Washington State has become known as a top producer of varietal and blended Bordeaux wines.