Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Corliss exercises the discipline to make the highest quality decisions at each stage of winemaking, from vine to bottle. From sustainable, meticulous viticulture in their Estate Vineyards, to individual berry sorting at harvest, to slow native yeast fermentation in micro-scale custom oak and concrete fermenters. Corliss follows this with extended elevage in barrel, rigorous selection of the best lots for blending, and over two years of additional aging in bottle before the wines are finally labeled and available for your enjoyment.
Our winemaking is the result of teamwork and patience. Michael and Lauri Corliss have, from the beginning, been at the center. They are engrossed in every detail and have guided Corliss' winemaking philosophy. They are the barometer of consistency for developing the Corliss style. Surrounding Michael and Lauri is a talented staff of winemaking professionals who collectively work together to create the consistently beautiful vintages of Corliss. Their team is joined by Atelier Melka, which is one of the world’s most highly regarded winemaking consultant teams. Working together, Corliss dedicates their best efforts with every vine, every grape and every bottle.
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Appellation | Red Mountain AVA |
| Alcohol | 14.90% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Country of Origin | UNITED STATES |
| State of Origin | Washington |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) sports a vibrant purple color to go with a rich, full-bodied, powerful, and well-oaked Cabernet that has beautiful cassis and darker currant fruit, notes of tobacco, espresso, graphite, and crushed stone, beautiful overall balance, building tannins, and a great finish. The purity here is stunning, it has impeccable balance, and it’s just a brilliant Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that will keep for 25+ years. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck, 97 pts
The nose displays vibrant and velvety dark berry tones with the smell of freshly minted dollar bills from the 70% new French oak. Full-bodied and generously weighted, the palate unravels to display incredible complexity that seems to go on for days, offering tight tannins at its current state—which should be expected—before layers peel away to expose dark red and black fruit tones of crème de cassis, redcurrant and fresh violets...cruise on with an impressive elongated finish. - Wine Advocate, 96 pts
Corliss farms their estate vineyards to exacting standards, practicing sustainable viticulture methods exclusively, in order to produce site-specific wines. The fruit is hand-picked and hand-sorted in the vineyards. A small portion of the best grapes are set aside to make Corliss wines. The remaining fruit is sold to a select group of award-winning Washington wineries.
Their first Red Mountain vineyard, purchased in 2007, was 33 acres originally planted in 1989 to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It is located on Sunset Road – a Red Mountain sweet spot that they refer to as ‘the tenderloin’. The fruit from this site has historically produced some of the finest wines from Washington State.
In 2009, Corliss acquired another 139 acres across from the original site. They spent more than a year planning and laying out the vineyard, doing soil mapping (the site is laden with basalt and alluvium deposits which warm the roots), and getting ready to plant. The first vines went in on southwest slopes, with rows oriented to shade the fruit from too much sun, at elevations climbing to 1,500 feet.
The rows were angled to allow proper airflow, preventing cold air from pooling (a frost hazard) when the temperature drops. Corliss planted 56 acres, predominately to Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot), with smaller amounts of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Because of the rather steep topography, they nicknamed it ‘The Canyons’.
Their third vineyard parcel, acquired in 2012, is 174 acres adjacent to The Canyons. It is one of the founding vineyards on Red Mountain, with plantings of rarely-seen Nebbiolo, as well as 30-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon. Numerous other red and white varieties are also in the ground, and being evaluated for quality and health.
