2021 Mark Ryan ‘Dissident’ Bordeaux Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington (750ml)
About the Icons
83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Mark Ryan started making wines in friends’ garages in 1999. Largely self-taught, he combined his own studies with advice of experienced wine producers. After 4 years of transient winemaking, he settled in Woodinville, Washington. Head winemaker Mike Macmorran made his first foray into wine while on a break from medical school. Instantly hooked, he decided to apply his deep knowledge of chemistry and biology to oenology instead. Building upon Mark’s foundation, Mike uses his skills to home in on the best barrels and yeast strains to craft their wines, while focusing on wines that reflect the characteristics of their vineyard sites.
The ‘Dissident’ is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant ‘Bordeaux blend’ with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot comprising the wine as well. The fruit is sourced from some of Washington state’s best vineyards and is made to complement Mark’s Dead Horse and Long Haul wines. The fruit was hand-harvested and fermented in open top fermenters, with the must gently punched down twice daily. The wine finished fermentation and matured in 58% new, thin-stave French oak barrels for 18 months. The thinner staves allow for greater oxygenation, helping create softer tannins in the final wine. Notes of black cherry, cassis, chocolate, and black tea on the nose and palate, with a very long finish. The ‘Dissident’ is crafted to be approachable today, but we think this wine will develop beautifully over the next decade.