Made from declassified lots from his upper end Bordeaux blends, Mark’s 2010 The Dissident is comprised of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 22% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. This kitchen sink styled blend spent 20 months in close to half new French oak. Perfumed, complex and a joy to drink, it offers up layers of black and blue fruits, while herbs, cedar and edgy minerality to go with a full-bodied, fleshy and textured palate. Outstanding juice all around, it is ready to go now, yet has the depth (and tannin!) to evolve for 5-7 years. It’s a solid value. Drink now-2020.
An estate that’s getting up into the creme de la creme of Washington State producers, Mark Ryan Winery was founded by Mark Ryan McNeilly in 1999. Mark now gets assistance in the winemaking from the talented Mike MacMorran (of Manu Propria and Force Majeure), and the wines have overall classical profiles, with bright acidity and tannin, that never lack for fruit or depth. If you haven’t tried these wines, now is great time to check them out.
www.markryanwinery.com