Over the last 25 years, we have occasionally created a wine in the cellar with unique and exceptional attributes, where quantity is so limited there isn’t enough to offer to all of our customers. Klipsun Cabernet Sauvignon (formerly known as Lot 3), is one of those wines. With powerful notes of roasted earth and wild herbs, Klipsun beautifully showcases the exceptional terroir of Washington State’s Red Mountain AVA.
Named as a Top 25 Vineyard of the World by Wine & Spirits magazine, Klipsun Vineyard produces some of Washington State’s highest-quality wine grapes and is especially known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. The 120-acre vineyard was established in 1982 by Patricia and David Gelles and is located on the southwest slope of Red Mountain.
Vineyard Specs:
Source: Wine Yakima Valley
Located in the southwest slope of Red Mountain, view all 120 acres of Klipsun Vineyard. Plantings include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Nebbiolo, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
SInce 1992, DeLille Cellars has been devoted to the excellence and distinct character of the Red Mountain AVA. On these venerable slopes, Cabernet Sauvignon is nurtured beneath the warmth of the Eastern Washington sun and produces wine of striking depth and remarkable structure. Barrels were carefully selected to showcase the exceptional power and ripeness of Cabernet Sauvignon from Klipsun, a vineyard that consistently cultivates formidable wines with uniquely compelling depth of fruit.
Carefully barrel selected from our block of old vine Cabernet Sauvignon from the Klipsun vineyard, this cuvee’s deep, brooding and musky aroma of blackberry and mocha is balanced by a lovely cassis note. Massively structured throughout, this wine offers considerable reward for patience and should cellar nicely for a decade or more. With time and air, classic notes of Red Mountain emerge, with sagebrush and lavender intermingling with dried fruit, black licorice, and a spicy clove hint from French oak cooperage.
One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from our long-standing block at Klipsun Vineyard, 2017 Lot 3 presents a nose filled with gravel and crushed rocks to complement red and blue fruit aromas of pomegranate, currants and fresh plums. Juicy and bold on the palate, this concentrated and expressive wine delivers classic Red Mountain Herbes de Provence balanced by restrained black cherry and baking spice flavors. Absolutely colossal in both fruit and tannin, this beauty builds relentlessly on the palate. Barrel selected and extremely limited in production, this gem will reward patience in the cellar.
Initial aromas of blueberries, currant and macerated wild blackberries intermingle with barrel aromas of wood smoke, vanilla and roasted coffee, courtesy of this cuvee’s completely new French oak elevage. Typical Red Mountain characters of roasted earth and wild herbs (thyme, lavender, dried rosemary) offer wonderful balance to the depth and extraction of this wine. Despite the wine’s massive, bullish, concentrated quality, there remains a bright, fresh fruit quality and agility that keeps the wine lively. Decadent wood is just starting to integrate on the lengthy finish, with age-worthy tannin all promising wonderful aging potential of 10 – 15 years, potentially more.
