Mark Ryan Winery The Dissident 2016

Winemaking Notes
Some of Washington State’s finest vineyards have provided fruit for the 2016 The Dissident. The Dissident is a wine that we create to complement the Dead Horse and Long Haul. People sometimes think The Dissident is made up of wines that don’t make the cut in the final blends of the Dead Horse and Long Haul, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

The same vineyards, barrels and attention to detail go into crafting The Dissident as go into every wine in the Mark Ryan program. While the Dead Horse and Long Haul are crafted to be supremely ageable, The Dissident is built to offer a more approachable wine younger in its development. The fruit was hand harvested between September 8th and October 11th 2016. The wine is aged for 18 months in 58% new French oak and was racked three times and gently fined prior to bottling.

The 2016 The Dissident checks in as 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot. It sees just over 50% new French oak and is made in reasonable quantities, so readers looking to give this estate a try should grab onto a few bottles. It offers a broad, expansive, mouth-filling style that I love as well as classic cassis, Asian spice, toasted bread and graphite aromas and flavors. It's a terrific entry-level cuvee that over-delivers at the price.

This wine is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.... the aromas are exuberant, with notes of blackberry, bittersweet chocolate and toast along with dried herb and luxurious barrel accents.