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2008 Mark Ryan Dead Horse

Proprietary Blend: 750ml

$42.99

See Ratings and Reviews
points awarded:
WA 90 WE 95 WS 93

Jim Collins, JJ Buckley, August 2011

Opaque hue going to garnet at the rim. Initial aromas of pencil lead, graphite and forest floor yield to densely packed notes of anise and camphor. The palate is highlighted by layers of dark fruit accented by hints of herbs and dark chocolate, anchored by firm tannins. A robust finish brings re-emerging tannins that push the fruit. This small-production Bordeaux-style blend, heavy on the cabernet sauvignon, from the Red Mountain appellation in Washington State, will hit its stride in 2-4 years.


90 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2011

The 2008 Dead Horse is made up of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec sourced from the Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards aged in 92% new French oak. A bit more elegant than the Long Haul and Water Witch bottlings, it delivers an inviting perfume of wood smoke, mineral, violets, spice box, and assorted black fruits. Ripe on the palate with a plush texture, good balance, and solid length, this tasty offering will deliver enjoyment from 2013 to 2023.


95 points,

Wine Enthusiast, September 2011

# 34 on Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2011; This is the first wine to be blended each year, though it is not labeled a reserve. The new vintage has amazing depth, running down through a litany of red and black fruits, into veins of earth and tannin and graphite, and finishing with densely textured barrel notes of toast, coffee and bitter chocolate. Beautifully proportioned, deep and cellar-worthy. Cellar Selection. -P.G.


93 points,

Wine Spectator, June 2011

Focused, generous and complex, not especially dense but brimming with cherry, cinnamon and coffee flavors that persist unperturbed by fine tannins as the finish keeps rolling. Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, petite Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2012 through 2020.-H.S.


Jim Collins, JJ Buckley, August 2011

Opaque hue going to garnet at the rim. Initial aromas of pencil lead, graphite and forest floor yield to densely packed notes of anise and camphor. The palate is highlighted by layers of dark fruit accented by hints of herbs and dark chocolate, anchored by firm tannins. A robust finish brings re-emerging tannins that push the fruit. This small-production Bordeaux-style blend, heavy on the cabernet sauvignon, from the Red Mountain appellation in Washington State, will hit its stride in 2-4 years.


90 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2011

The 2008 Dead Horse is made up of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Malbec sourced from the Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards aged in 92% new French oak. A bit more elegant than the Long Haul and Water Witch bottlings, it delivers an inviting perfume of wood smoke, mineral, violets, spice box, and assorted black fruits. Ripe on the palate with a plush texture, good balance, and solid length, this tasty offering will deliver enjoyment from 2013 to 2023.


95 points,

Wine Enthusiast, September 2011

# 34 on Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2011; This is the first wine to be blended each year, though it is not labeled a reserve. The new vintage has amazing depth, running down through a litany of red and black fruits, into veins of earth and tannin and graphite, and finishing with densely textured barrel notes of toast, coffee and bitter chocolate. Beautifully proportioned, deep and cellar-worthy. Cellar Selection. -P.G.


93 points,

Wine Spectator, June 2011

Focused, generous and complex, not especially dense but brimming with cherry, cinnamon and coffee flavors that persist unperturbed by fine tannins as the finish keeps rolling. Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, petite Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2012 through 2020.-H.S.


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