Red Mountain

Overview

Red Mountain is a small, warm AVA in eastern Washington's Columbia Valley. Despite its name, it is neither red nor particularly mountainous, but rather a southwest-facing anticline of the Yakima Fold Belt. It is one of Washington's warmest and driest appellations, with persistent wind, intense sunshine, and dramatic day-night temperature swings. The alkaline, calcium carbonate-rich soils stress vines and produce small berries with thick skins.

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates plantings, producing deeply colored, tannic wines with cassis, graphite, and tobacco. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Malbec, and Petit Verdot are also widely grown, often blended into powerful Bordeaux-style wines. Red Mountain has become one of Washington's most prestigious addresses for collectors.

Key Varietals

• Cabernet SauvignonThe benchmark grape, yielding powerful cassis, black cherry, and firm-tannin wines.
• MerlotA plush red adding plum, chocolate, and approachability to Red Mountain blends.
• SyrahA muscular red producing dark fruit, smoked meat, and pepper in the AVA's heat and wind.
• Cabernet FrancA perfumed red contributing red berry, herb, and structure to Bordeaux blends.