KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"Sleek and lilting, with elegantly complex red currant, dusky spice and tobacco flavors that build structure and polish toward refined tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2031. —Tim FISH."
- Wine Spectator (Insider January 4th 2023), 94 pts

"Possessing even more Merlot than the 2014, the 2015 Clos de Betz is 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot brought up in a mix of barrels. Its chocolatey plum, tobacco leaf, licorice and damp earth aromatics give way to a medium to full-bodied, polished, pretty style on the palate that shines for its elegance and freshness. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 92-94 pts

"(the pH here is a bit higher than usual at 3.85): Bright, dark red. Musky red berries, leather, mocha and spices on the rather wild nose. Rich, spicy and quite dry on the palate; a bit clenched and unforthcoming in the early going, showing little easy sweetness but finishing with a rather suave tannic spine. There's nothing tough or tart about the back end of this wine, which hints at spices and black olive. Needs time to blossom in the bottle. The Ciel du Cheval Merlot for this wine was harvested on August 26 in 2015. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2017), 91 pts

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"Possessing the highest percentage of Merlot ever for the cuvee (at least until the 2015), the 2014 Clos de Betz is 71% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot that’s just under half from Red Mountain fruit and the rest from Columbia Valley sites. Notes of cassis, licorice, damp herbs, chocolate and earth all flow to a medium to full-bodied, supple, elegant and incredibly polished 2014 that needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will keep for 10-15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 95 pts

"Bright, dark red-ruby. Alluring floral lift to the aromas of blackberry, cassis, Bing cherry, sweet spices and anise. Sweet, plush wine with great sex appeal to its intense, pliant flavors of amarena cherry, flint and spicy oak. Really remarkable--and not at all stewed--for Merlot from a hot year; Betz noted that he picked these vines early, "with tension and vitality." Finishes very long and smooth, with suave, perfectly supported tannins dusting the front teeth. A great, velvety Merlot-based wine from Washington. Betz adds some Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot to wine "to provide more structure, nuance and color.. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 94 pts

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"The inky colored 2014 Clos de Betz is certainly one of the top Merlot dominated wines in Washington state. Giving up lots of blackberry, plum, bouquet garni and licorice, it’s full-bodied and layered on the palate, with a sexy, hedonistic vibe that’s common in this big, rich vintage. It has good density through the middle and will keep nicely, but it should also put a smile on your face early in its life as well. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 92-94 pts

"The only other 2013 reviewed on this go around (most were reviewed last year), the 2013 Clos de Betz checks in as a blend of 63% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Petit Verdot, mostly from Red Mountain and Yakima Valley, that spent 19 months in French oak. Sexy, supple, perfumed and beautifully complex, with notes of currants, dried flowers and an almost garrigue like perfume, this full-bodied beauty is already impossible to resist, yet will absolutely cruise for another 10-15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 94 pts

"Bottled at end of June after spending 19 months n 70% new oak. Bright medium ruby. Aromas and flavors of kirsch, black raspberry and molten dark chocolate. Plush, round and voluptuous without communicating any undue weight. Comes across as a bit less concentrated than the three 2013 Syrah bottlings--and lower in dry extract than the 2012 Clos de Betz--but boasts lovely energy and finesse. Best today on the subtle, rising finish. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (November 2015), 93 pts

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"This wine is a blend of Merlot (63%), a whopping 22% Petit Verdot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of smoke, cedar, dried herbs, licorice, pencil lead, crushed flowers and red and black berries are followed by soft, plump fruit flavors. It brings an undeniable warm vintage appeal but with a compelling sense of elegance and balance."
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2016), 91 pts

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"Just over two-thirds Merlot with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and a pinch of Petit Verdot, this thoroughly delicious wine opens with a complex assortment of aromas, including incense, toast, crushed flowers, spice, bay leaf, licorice and red and black fruit. The palate is deft but brings waves of layered fruit flavors that show great density and richness. It’s hedonistic but doesn’t sacrifice one iota of balance. It drinks best at 62 degrees."
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2015), 94 pts - Editor's Choice

"Dark red-ruby. Aromas of blackcurrant, cocoa powder, bitter chocolate, licorice and burnished oak, lifted by a violet topnote. Densely packed but light on its feet, with perfectly integrated acidity energizing the fine-grained flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, cocoa powder and violet. Boasts a rare combination of bullet-proof, youthfully impenetrable tight grain and outstanding floral, white-peppery lift. Superb noble tannins dust the front teeth on the very young, long, juicy finish. An outstanding 2012 blend built for a long and graceful evolution in bottle. This is the first vintage of this wine to include Merlot from DuBrul Vineyard; incidentally, Betz noted that Merlot on Red Mountain was extremely successful in 2012. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (December 2014), 93+ pts

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"Tasted as a barrel sample and Betz’s take on a right bank Bordeaux, the 2012 Clos de Betz is 67% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot. Inky-purple in color (has anyone seen a Betz wine not inky purple?), if offers impressive cassis, plum liqueur, spring flowers and underbrush-style aromas and flavors to go with a mouth-filling, layered and voluptuous style on the palate. I love the mid-palate here, and the tannin builds through the finish, so, while it should have plenty of up-front appeal, it should also evolve for 15+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Wine Advocate (Issue #213, June 2014), 93-95 pts

"Coffee, sassafras and tobacco notes add depth to the soft-textured cherry and licorice flavors in this supple, expressive style. Finishes with gentle intensity. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2020."
- Wine Spectator (July 31st, 2015), 92 pts

Wine Enthusiast (July 2014), 93 pts + Cellar Selection

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"Good bright, deep red. Redcurrant, cocoa powder and musky tobacco on the nose. Gentle and creamy in the mouth for 2011, with harmonious ripe acidity framing the sweet red berry, cherry and cocoa powder flavors. This floral merlot-based wine is supported by firm acids and tannins but comes across as quite feminine in style. Betz notes that 2011 was a very good year for merlot. -ST"

Steven Tanzer

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"This right bank style blend is comprised of 67% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot. This wine begins with aromas anise red cherry smoke and pencil shavings. There is a nice vegetal character at play, typical of the vintage. Flavors of red cherry red currant spicebox and anise persist. This is a delicious and lithe effort in this cold vintage. This is a long-ager. (Best 2016-2030) - OB"

- International Wine Report (February 2016), 92 pts

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"Looking at the Bordeaux-styled releases from barrel, the 2011 Clos de Betz is the estate's take on a right bank Bordeaux and will be a blend of roughly 63% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Lacking the weight of the 2010, it is a softly textured, elegant effort that has notions of flowers, black fruit, pepper and incense to go with a medium to full-bodied, balanced mouthfeel. Already reasonably approachable, it will be interesting to see how this shows from bottle; if it puts on weight, the score and drink window will be conservative. - JD"

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #207, June 2013), 90-92 pts

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"The leaner lines of Betz's Merlot-dominant (58 percent) 2010 Clos are truly appealing, with a bit of warm new oak to underscore the savory side of that grape and of Cabernet: dried juniper, chicory and birch bark, all balanced by a distinct juiciness to the berry and blackcurrant fruit. There's a vivacity that's reminiscent of some Betz vintages from nearly a decade ago."

San Fransisco Chronicle (Top 100 Wine of 2013)

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"Fresh and vibrant, focusing the juicy currant and plum flavors into a bright beam that propels the lingering finish. Shades of crème fraîche and white pepper add interest. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2020.—H.S"

Wine Spectator's Insider (May 22nd 2013), 93 pts

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"Diversely-sourced – its Merlot blended with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon– the Betz 2010 Clos de Betz emphasizes black pepper, pungently resinous herbs, and arbor vitae, characteristics I imagine are in part a reflection of its 7% of Petit Verdot, that grape being demonstrably (I’m tempted to say notoriously ) efficacious. Cassis, huckleberry, and walnut offer bitter-edged but sappy fruit satisfaction; a crushed stone undertone adds a sense of intrigue; and mineral salts savory saliva-inducement in a gripping, palate-staining finish. This ought to be worth following for at least the better part of a decade."

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate (Issue #205), 93 pts

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