SHOP / 2022 Chaleur Estate Red Blend
Varietal
65% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Merlot
9% Cabernet Franc
2% Petit Verdot
Appellation
Red Mountain AVA
Aging
Drink Now or Age 20+ Years
Vineyard
Ciel du Cheval
Klipsun
DuBrul
2022 Chaleur Estate Red Blend
Red Mountain AVA
The 2022 Chaleur Estate is brimming with seductive dark fruits, enhanced by a savory undertone that showcases the power and complexity of fruit from Red Mountain Vineyards. With each sip, marionberry, black cherry, and espresso bean aromas waft from the glass. On the palate, barrel-induced notes of vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and clove complement flavors of dark fruit, sandalwood, crème de cassis, hoisin, and green peppercorn. The wine is full-bodied and rich, completed by well-integrated, velvet-like tannins. The lingering finish encourages another taste to discover new layers that emerge with time in the glass. Enjoy on release with a patient decant or cellar 20+ years.98 Points
— International Wine Report
98 Points
The 2022 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is built around 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. The fruit is largely drawn from the revered Red Mountain vineyards of Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun, with a small portion sourced from Dubrul Vineyard in Yakima Valley. Aged for 20 months in nearly all new French oak, the wine immediately opens with scents of marionberry, dried violets, crushed Red Mountain sagebrush, dried cedary herbs, and graphite that wrap around a core of dark cherry and black plum. On the palate, concentrated flavors of blackberry, cassis, and boysenberry intertwine with savory tones of olive tapenade and tobacco leaf. The tannins are fine-grained and tightly knit, giving structure and depth without heaviness. A glimmer of red currant surfaces on the extended finish, adding brightness to the powerful frame. This is an immaculate and beautifully sculpted Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon blend that carries a lengthy, perfectly balanced finish. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.
August 2025
Additional Scores:
97
Decanter
95
Jeb Dunnuck
94
Wine Spectator
Behind the Wine
2022 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 has been divided into thirty-six separate blocks, and each block is custom farmed to achieve the best results possible. Ciel has a reputation for growing red wine grapes that have intense character and dense but supple tannins.
Winemaking
Stainless steel fermented, 14-16 days on skins. Barrel aged 20 months in French oak (93% new). Bottle aged 10 months prior to release.