The 2016 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It jumps from the glass with classic Cabernet aromas of blackberry, crème de cassis and soft savory spices with a beautiful dusty essence of crushed rock. With a clear focus on quality and balance, the complexity lingers with depth on the full-bodied palate, showing a structured wine. Ending with a long, dusty finish, the minerality and freshness of fruit combine with oak tones so the drinker may experience the power and elegance of this wine. Count me as a fan. 2,500 cases produced.

Promising aromas of rich cassis, juniper-like spice and toasty new oak announce the 2015 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, but on the palate, this medium to full-bodied wine falls somewhat short, with a rather dilute palate structured around chewy tannins. This blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot is rather pedestrian for the price.

The saturated ruby/purple colored 2014 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot) gives up terrific Cabernet notes of black currants, cassis, lead pencil shavings, graphite and crushed rocks. Full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with notable freshness and purity, drink it over the coming decade or more.

Made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2013 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard comes all from Red Mountain and spent 21 months in 72% new French oak. It’s a quintessential Red Mountain Cabernet with its crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rock-like minerality and spring flower-driven profile. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and seamless, with incredibly polished tannin, it shows the prettier side to the region, will benefit from short-term cellaring, and have two decades of overall longevity.

A step up over the Long Haul, the 2012 Dead Horse Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a rocking blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged 21 months in once used barrels, it’s a full-bodied, concentrated, thrillingly pure Cabernet Sauvignon that has classic black fruits, smoke tobacco and crushed rock aromatics. Big, structured, and tannic, with nicely integrated acidity, it’s another red that will benefit from 4-5 years in the cellar. It will have over two decades of longevity.