Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
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 | 2013 |
| 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 |
96+ Points, Vinous Media: "(aged in 70% new oak for 28 months; this bottling will be labeled Red Mountain beginning with the 2014 vintage): Bright red-ruby. Extremely primary, pure aromas and flavors of inky cassis, blueberry, licorice and minerals. Tight and high-pitched in the mouth, displaying outstanding depth, energy and minerality but extremely closed in the early going. This huge wine finishes with chewy, late-arriving, toothdusting tannins that will require cellaring, even after the wine is released in the fall of 2018. Corliss has increased its use of tight-grained Saint-Martin barrels in this wine, and it will need a while to absorb the oak. Distinctly cool, even a bit medicinal, for the 2013 vintage, this is likely to be very long-lived. Winemaker Andre Trio told me he added a bit of Petit Verdot "for back-palate texture and finer-grained tannins."
96 Jeb Dunnuck: "Another incredible effort, the 2013 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has a touch more freshness, as well as complexity, over the straight Colombia Valley blend. Black currants, graphite, leafy herbs and underbrush all flow to a full-bodied, ripe, beautifully textured, balanced red that has notable freshness and a great finish
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.
