Force Majeure is an ultra-premium winery located in the Walla Walla Valley, specializing in estate-grown, single-vineyard Bordeaux and Rhône-varietal wines. Our wines are meticulously crafted by former Bryant Family Vineyard Winemaker Todd Alexander. From its inception, Force Majeure has been defined by unwavering commitment to outstanding viticulture and exemplary winemaking. Our original estate vineyard is located in the famous Red Mountain AVA and we have added two new vineyard sites over the past couple of years in the Walla Walla Valley. Our estate vineyards are painstakingly farmed by a stellar team.
“Force Majeure” describes the relentless, powerful elements of Nature that form the terroir of our vineyard. It also identifies the “unstoppable force” initiated when the highest level of viticulture is combined with incredible winemaking talent.
Our wines are produced in small quantities and are available via mailing list, as well as through a few select retailers and finer restaurants. We invite you to add your name to our mailing list to receive upcoming wine allocation offers. Wines are typically released two to three times per year.
We proudly continue the tradition and pursuit of producing top-quality, hand-crafted wines that are true and ultimate expressions of their terroir
“One of the top estates in Washington.” – Jeb Dunnuck
We will be tasting the following lineup:
2022 Holocene Memorialis Oregon Pinot Noir
Yamhill-Carlton AVA | 260 cases produced | 100% Pinot Noir | 100% whole cluster | 777, Pommard and 115 Clones | LIVE certified, Sustainably Farmed |From a west-facing hillside, this wine is a blend of 777, Like the SIDEREAL, it was vinified with 100% whole clusters after being hand-sorted, saw a native yeast fermentation and no fining or filtration. Pure, deep and floral, luxurious texture and length. There is a reason this is one of the highly-touted wines out of the Willamette Valley year after year, with increasing recognition.
Parvata means “mountain” in sanskrit, and is the name for our southern Rhône-inspired blend, grown mostly in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of our Red Mountain vineyard, which bring to the wine a good degree of finesse and high-toned aromatic notes, white pepper, dried herbs and grapefruit peel. Fermented after cold soak in concrete vats, it receives a gentle extraction before being barreled down to spend approximately 18 months in a small percentage of new French oak, utilizing both large format puncheons and barrels. The blend will change each year and will eventually be driven by Grenache as more of our plantings come into production. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The Force Majeure estate Syrah is cultivated in a combination of the 8 soil types that exist in our vineyard, with most of it being planted in very steep, very rocky locations, but some also planted in deeper, loamier soils. Fermentation takes place after cold soak in a combination of concrete and stainless steel vats, with some lots in the final blend seeing extended maceration and co-fermentation with Viognier also grown on our site. Élevage is carried out in a combination of new and used French oak barrels and puncheons for +/- 18 months, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The estate Syrah typically exhibits a broad spectrum of black, blue and red fruits, dried herbs and jasmine, fennel, smoked meats and crushed rock along with very fine tannins, great length, balance and complexity.
2021 Estate Cab Franc
“All varietal from a single block in the estate vineyard and resting in 65% new French oak, the tiny production 2021 Cabernet Franc Red Mountain Estate reveals a vivid purple hue as well as vibrant aromatics of cassis and currant fruits, some savory, herb, lead pencil, and floral nuances, medium to full body, and fine tannins. It’s beautifully done and clearly a brilliant wine, but unfortunately, there are a scant 75 cases, so good luck finding any.”
2021 Estate Cab Sauvignon
Our estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a powerful but elegant, full-bodied wine that is grown primarily along the southwest ridge of our vineyard, in soils that are deep and loamy but contain many small rocks of fractured basalt, concreted ash and even some granite from Missoula flood erratics. The vines produce small berries with bountiful flavor, concentration and intensity, but also a good degree of finesse, excellent structure and layers of complexity that will continue to develop during extended bottle aging for those who want to cellar and age their wines. This wine spends approximately 22 months in 95% new French oak after a long, warm fermentation and extended skin contact on certain lots. We are expanding our Cabernet Sauvignon plantings to add new dimensions to this already gorgeous and serious wine. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
