The 2018 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon was made with 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot and marked the 20th vintage for the winery. Dusty black and dark red fruit aromas spill out of a glass with lavender and rose petal elements, hints of baking spices and notions of graphite, pencil shaving, and cinnamon. Full-bodied, the Dead Horse is complex, tightly wound and ready to go. It possesses juicy acidity with fine-grained tannins, which lift the expression across the mid-palate. A mix of flavors sways in and out of focus, with black plum, dried herbs and five-spice over the long, lingering and ever-evolving finish. Just over 26,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 21 months in French oak. Bravo!

Blended with 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon displays a robust dark ruby colored core and emanates with aromas of black cherry skin, blackberry jus, dusty plum, red flowers and soft baking spices. Full-bodied, the wine is generous on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and lifting acidity, delivering flavors of mocha, cherry skin and a soft smoky essence. The wine continues to unpack and unfold across the mid-palate and ends with a long, lingering and dusty finish that continues with persistence. This was made with grapes from the Quintessence, Ciel du Cheval, Red Willow and Klipsun vineyards. Nicely done. Just over 22,000 bottles were produced.