Keep up on our new releases, events, and awards
This Cabernet Sauvignon is the third wine that I have made that has earned the name Pilot Light–the driver behind why I make wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Kiona Vineyard on Red Mountain, it features tastes of rich dark plum and ripe blackberries with a soft dark chocolate and tobacco finish.
BLACK was aged for 36 months in 75% French Oak and 25% American oak barrels, both once-used.
The deep red color draws you into aromas of fresh, ripe, dark fruits. This delightful blends tastes of warm blueberries, black cherry, and dark chocolate, finishing with a hint of warm toast.
Pilot Light Malbec is the second wine that I have made that has earned the name Pilot Light – the driver behind why I make wine. 100% Malbec from Kiona Vineyard on Red Mountain, it features a dark purple color, aromas of coffee and mocha, tastes of warm summer blackberries, slight tannins and a warm fruity finish. Truly exceptional fruit from Red Mountain and our first ever Malbec.
BLACK combines multiple wines from our 2013 vintage. Through constant tasting and testing of each barrel of wine during the aging process, we select the barrels of wine that offer the best representation of each varietal in creating this savory well balanced red wine blend.
BLACK is comprised of 68% Merlot, 21% Petite Sirah, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. BLACK was aged for 36 months in 75% French Oak and 25% American oak barrels, both once-used.
The deep red color draws you into smells of fresh ripe dark fruits. Tastes of warm blueberries, black cherry finish with a hint of warm toast.
We are honored to report that our 2011 Long Road Red just picked up a "Best of the Best" award from Wine Press Northwest. (Two of our 2012 offerings, the Unforeseen and the Heart Box Red, earned Gold awards.)
That's our double platinum winner third from the left.
How the Platinum is Conducted
Wine Press Northwest created the Platinum Judging in 2000 as a way to determine some of the best wines of the Pacific Northwest.
To accomplish this, we chart more than 40 professionally judged wine competitions worldwide to track the gold medals won by fruit from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. In 2016, Northwest wineries were awarded more than 1,600 gold medals at professional judgings.
These wines are categorized and judged blind during three days by three panels of wine experts, who award wines with Double Platinum, Platinum, Double Gold and Best Buy. A wine is awarded a medal based on how a majority of the judges voted. In the case when all the judges on a panel deem the wine a Platinum, that wine is awarded a unanimous Double Platinum.
DOUBLE PLATINUM
Viscon Cellars 2011 Long Road Red Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley • $32
Ben Viscon relied on Lewis Vineyard and an 18-month barrel program to produce what’s now a subtle Cab that shows nice handling of tannins, good varietal expression and has good aging potential for handful of more years. (125 cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold).
Heart Box Red will capture your heart. We named this wine after our oldest daughter’s practice of catching and locking our kisses in her “heart box” so she could take the kisses out whenever she needed one. She designed this label when she was 3 years old, it has been an icon of this wine ever since. Like us, you will find yourself wishing for one more pour of this delightful wine.
The 2013 Heart Box Red Merlot is from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. This wine was aged for 24 months in 50% American Oak barrels and 50% French Oak barrels then blended. The deep red color glistens on your glass as you swirl, leading to smells of ripe berries and a hint of vanilla. Tastes of warm black cherries are complimented with subtle mocha flavors releasing soft tannins and finishing with a velvety light toast.
Our 2012 Heart Box Red won the Double Gold award at the 2016 Seattle Wine Awards.
Our 2013 Pilot Light Reserve Syrah and 2014 Perseverance Viognier won Silver awards.
BLACK combines multiple wines from our 2012 vintage. Through constant tasting and testing of each barrel of wine during the aging process, we select the barrels of wine that offer the best representation of each varietal to create this savory, well balanced red wine blend.
BLACK is comprised of 36% Syrah from Lewis Family Vineyard, and Alder Ridge Vineyard contributed 27% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot into this wine. BLACK was aged for 30 months in 50% French Oak and 50% American oak barrels, both once-used.
Long Road Red is the signature Cabernet Sauvignon in our line-up. The name is derived from our journey and commitment to make a wine that represents the beauty and complexity of this majestic old world grape. Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon is like no other. We are fortunate in our state to have great Cabernet grapes to choose from with diverse characteristics, highlighting areas the grapes are grown. The Long Road is well traveled.
The 2012 Long Road Red is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. This wine was aged in 25% New French oak and 75% once used French oak barrels for 30 months.
The color of this wine is reminiscent of a royal throne covered in crushed velvet. Smells of ripe black cherry and warm plums compliment tastes of freshly picked blackberries with a savory subtle vanilla finish.
Hopefully we all have our inner Pilot Light. That spark that drives us to do something different, something daring and risky that ultimately leads to something great. We will do everything we can to keep that Pilot Light burning. Once in a while we have to look to the Pilot Light when we are questioning what we are doing for reassurance and affirmation of the journey.
For me, Pilot Light is a name reserved for wines that I am especially proud of, wines that exemplify the reason I make wine and want to share with my friends and neighbors, it’s what keeps me going, doing what I am doing.
I am pleased to introduce you to the inaugural “Pilot Light” of my winemaking career. The 2013 Pilot Light is 100% Syrah from Artz Vineyard on Red Mountain.
The color of this wine is deep dark and seductive and draws you in with soft scents of black olives, cloves and sweet cassis. Tastes of sun-ripened warm blackberries, with a hint of spice are balanced with soft tannins and a smooth rich finish.
From the moment we harvested these grapes I knew we were dealing with something special. Through a textbook fermentation to 24 months of barrel aging, this wine continues to impress.
