long shadows chester-kidder red 2017

LONG SHADOWS CHESTER-KIDDER RED BLEND 2017

Allen Shoup named this wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' director of winemaking, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.

Winemaking: Select lots of Cabernet Sauvignon underwent 40-day extended maceration to produce intense color, flavor and firm tannins to stand up to 30 months of barrel aging in tight-grained French oak barrels (85% new). The extra time in barrels ensures the fruit is fully integrated and enhances the mid-palate with an extra layer of complexity. The result is a supple, layered wine that drinks well on release but also rewards time in the cellar.

Vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes from Candy Mountain give this wine its structure and beautifully textured mouthfeel. Stone Tree Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) adds juicy, ripe cherry flavors. Dionysus Vineyard Petit Verdot, always a standout site for this variety, is a lovely blender contributing balanced acidity and dark fruit character that lifts the finished wine.

68% Cabernet Sauvignon
26% Syrah
6% Petit Verdot

Tasting Notes: Dark in color with generous aromas of wild blackberries wrapped around a pleasantly earthy core that's accented by hints of oak spice. On the mid-palate, graphite and black licorice are complemented by a burst of vibrant fruit that lingers across a lengthy finish. A beautifully integrated wine with a broad, polished mouthfeel.

Critical Acclaim:

94+ points - Jeb Dunnuck
"The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2017 Chester-Kidder is another more closed, reserved wine that's loaded with potential. Cassis, toasted spices, violets, and leafy herb notes give way to a rich, full-bodied red that has ripe, velvety tannins, a rounded, mouth filling texture, and one heck of a great finish. Give bottles 3-5 years if you can and it should be very long lived."

92 points - Vinous
"Bright, saturated ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice, espresso and violet, plus a whiff of iodiney minerality. Dense, sweet and deep, conveying a youthful medicinal quality to its dark fruit, menthol, licorice and mineral flavors. Supple but still tightly wound and in need of time to unspool. This seriously mouthfilling wine shows very good mineral energy and finishes with substantial tongue-coating tannins. Today it's dominated by its medicinal Cabernet Sauvignon component and yet it strikes me as plusher than the 2016 bottling. Rating: 92+"

750ml bottle