SHOP / 2019 Chaleur Estate Red Blend
Varietal
64% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Merlot
10% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
Appellation
Red Mountain AVA
Aging
Drink Now or Age 5 to 20 Years
Vineyard
Ciel du Cheval
Klipsun
2019 Chaleur Estate Red Blend
Red Mountain AVA
Our 2019 Chaleur Estate may be the most powerful and concentrated wine of the vintage for DeLille. The foundation of old vine Cabernet Sauvignon (64%) from Ciel du Cheval provides an intense, deep richness. Creme de cassis, marionberry, leather and clove meld to create the initial perfume. The Merlot (24%) from Klipsun Vineyard brings even more opulence and roundness to the blend, while adding notes of lingonberry, bay leaf and mocha. Cabernet Franc (10%) adds spice and freshness, while the Petit Verdot (2%) offers an ambrosial lift. Decant and enjoy over several hours. If cellaring, this gem has the bones to go the distance.
#48 on Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 Wines of 2022
95 Points
— Jeb Dunnuck
95 Points
The 2019 Chaleur Estate is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend that includes 24% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Where the Harrison Hill always reminds me of a great Margaux, this is more St. Julien or Pauillac in style with its darker currants, crushed stone, spicy oak, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, wonderfully balanced, elegant, and seamless, it has enough background oak to warrant 2-4 years of bottle age (it’s far from unapproachable, though) and will have 20-25 years of overall longevity. It’s another gorgeous wine from this estate.
July 2022
Additional Scores:
94+
Robert Parker
94+
Vinous
93
Wine Spectator
Behind the Wine
2019 Chaleur Estate Red Blend
DeLille Cellars’ inaugural wine, Chaleur Estate marks the foundation on which the winery has built its craft of blending Washington State fruit in the traditional style. This wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend of Bordeaux varietals, with a focus on Red Mountain vineyards. The result is a wine of depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.
Vineyards
Ciel du Cheval is one of Washington’s most prestigious vineyards. The 1982 planting of Cabernet Sauvignon at this famed Red Mountain site is the backbone of Chaleur Estate.
Winemaking
Cold soaked 24-36 hours, fermented 14-16 days on skin, aged 20 months in 100% French oak (100% new) and aged in bottle 8 months prior to release.