KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"The 2018 Pirouette checks in as 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 85% new French oak. Deep purple-hued, it's a young, unevolved yet incredibly promising red with smoking good notes of ripe black and blue fruits as well as tobacco, graphite, and chocolate. Dense, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age but has the depth, balance, and class to evolve for 15-20 years or more."

- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95+ pts

"The 2018 Red Wine Pirouette blends 68% Cabernet Sauvignon with 22% Stone Tree Vineyard Merlot, and 10% Dionysus Vineyard Petit Verdot. The wine was aged 22 months in 85% new French oak prior to bottling. Aromatically beautiful, you are greeted to black rose petals and blackberry compote tones that mingle with wintergreen and chocolate covered espresso bean accents. Deep and concentrated in the mouth, with fantastic flavor density and tension, this finishes long with black fruits, loamy soils and minerals. Enjoy this texturally-beautiful Left Bank inspired Washington wine over the next twenty years to come. - Owen Bargreen"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2022), 95 pts

"The 2017 Pirouette checks in as 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 13% Malbec, and the rest Petit Verdot. Gorgeous crème de cassis, crushed flowers, white chocolate, and espresso notes all give way to a full-bodied, thrillingly textured, layered red that has terrific tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It can be drunk today but will develop additional complexity with 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades or more."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 96 pts

"Pure, dark scents of cassis, black cherry, licorice and bitter chocolate are complicated by violet and loam notes. Very suave, smooth and juicy on entry, then perfumes the mouth with red and darker berries, spices, menthol, dark chocolate and flowers. At once savory and sweet, this Bordeaux blend boasts excellent definition and lift but also attractive pliancy in the middle palate. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2020), 93 pts

"The 2016 Pirouette is made by Philippe Melka and it’s a total blockbuster based on 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the palate Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec that was fermented in barrel and aged 22 months in 75% new oak. Crème de cassis, blackberries, toasted spices, cedar, and forest floor notes all emerge from this deep, rich, opulent red that has sweet tannins, a thrilling texture, no hard edges, and a monster finish. This is another best-to-date from this estate and it’s an awesome wine."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 97 pts

"Dark red-ruby. More precise on the nose than the Pedestal Merlot, offering aromas of black cherry, menthol and bitter chocolate. Then wonderfully silky and dense in the mouth, combining superb concentration and a subtle sweetness to its flavors of black raspberry, licorice, bitter chocolate and sexy oak. Fully ripe but also nicely delineated. Finishes very long and classically dry, with serious but smooth tongue-saturating tannins and resounding fruit. Gilles Nicault told me that winemaker Philippe Melka rotates the barrels during the vinification, instead of punching down or pumping over. (15.1% alcohol; the Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain was fermented in 400-liter barrels made by Baron, 22% new; the blend was then aged in 75% new oak for 22 months; 3.85 pH) - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2019), 93 pts

"This offers a fresh array of ripe red fruit with a smooth and juicy delivery of tannin that is framed in glossy oak spice. All modern and supple here and an easygoing finish. A blend of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, 8% petit verdot, 6% cabernet franc and 2% malbec. Drink now."
- James Suckling (July 2019), 90 pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette

"Made by Philippe Melka, the 2014 Pirouette checks in as a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petit Verdot, 17% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc and a splash of Malbec. This inky colored beauty gives up tons of graphite, toasted spice, dried herbs and chocolatey dark fruit, full-bodied richness, building, ripe tannin and a great finish. It’s another killer wine from this estate, and possibly the best to date. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 94+ pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette

"Philippe Melka’s 2013 Pirouette is no slouch and offers serious amounts of ripe black cherry fruits, graphite, hints of chocolate and plenty of sweet oak in a beautifully concentrated, ripe, textured package. Made from 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc (mostly from Red Mountain) that spent 22 months in 75% new French oak, give bottle 3-5 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade or more."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 93 pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette

"Classic aromas of cassis, minerals, licorice, violet and dark chocolate, with Taransaud barrels contributing sex appeal. Plush and seamless but still youthfully unevolved, with the black raspberry and dark chocolate flavors showing lively mineral lift. Boasts excellent energy. - Stephen Tanzer."
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 93 pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette

"2012 Long Shadows 'Pirouette' is a red blend comprised of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Esteemed winemakers Agustin Huneeus and Philippe Melka have teamed up to make this stunning wine. The nose possesses striking aromas of ripe blackberry, black cherry and anise. Everything follows through to a gorgeous velvety texture with blackberry, red cherry, raspberries and dill notes. Today, this is so delicious and open, it will be hard to cellar this. (Best 2015-2022) - OB."
- International Wine Report (July 2015), 93 pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette

"Classic aromas of cassis, minerals, licorice, violet and dark chocolate, with Taransaud barrels contributing sex appeal. Plush and seamless but still youthfully unevolved, with the black raspberry and dark chocolate flavors showing lively mineral lift. Finishes tannic and very long but seriously clenched, in need of substantial cellaring. Boasts excellent energy; Nicault noted that nothing was acidified here in 2012. - Stephen Tanzer."
- Vinous (November 2015), 92+ pts

Go to Long Shadows Columbia Valley Red Pirouette