Force Majeure Vineyards

Force Majeure Vineyards is a United States wine estate associated with the Red Mountain American Viticultural Area in Washington and the Walla Walla Valley on the Washington-Oregon border. The estate specializes in high-end Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and blends influenced by the Bordeaux and Rhône traditions. Its wines are built around site expression, low-yield vineyard farming, and the use of varied grape varieties, clones, soils, exposures, and vine-training systems. The business was established in 2004 under the original name Grand Reve Vintners. From its first vintage, it developed a Collaboration Series made by prominent Washington winemakers using fruit from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard on Red Mountain. The series gave the young producer access to respected vineyard material and winemaking talent while its own estate site was being developed. Force Majeure later discontinued the Collaboration Series in June 2014 so that it could concentrate its resources and identity on estate-grown fruit and estate winemaking. The core estate is a 40-acre property on Red Mountain, with approximately half of the land planted to vines. Vineyard development began in 2006 and continued thereafter. The property is notable for its steep hillside, rising from roughly 950 to 1,230 feet, and for its geological diversity. The site contains nine recognized soil types, including deep Warden soils and rocky Kiona soils associated with the region's geological history and the Missoula Floods. Calcium carbonate is present in substantial portions of the vineyard, contributing to the site's distinctive growing conditions. Force Majeure's Red Mountain planting was described as Washington's first hillside vineyard of its kind and includes gobelet-trained Syrah, a form of training associated with northern Rhône viticulture. The estate also grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Cinsault, Counoise, and Mourvèdre. Rather than applying one uniform vineyard system, the estate uses different training methods and clonal selections to respond to changes in slope, aspect, exposure, soil, and elevation. In 2018, Force Majeure expanded beyond its original Red Mountain property by acquiring two additional vineyards on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. It also constructed a new winemaking facility and added an appointment-based tasting salon. The nearby Walla Walla Valley vineyard had been planted in the late 1990s with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a smaller Merlot parcel. Its first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage made by Todd Alexander, the 2018 vintage, received a 100-point rating from wine writer Jeb Dunnuck and was identified as the winery's second wine to receive that score. The estate's reputation has been shaped by strong critical reviews from publications and writers including The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, and Jeb Dunnuck. Wine Spectator has awarded a Force Majeure Cabernet Sauvignon 97 points, described in the reference material as the publication's highest score for a Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. Regional and national wine commentators have consequently positioned the estate among Washington's leading vineyard-driven producers. Its current range includes estate Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône varieties and blends, Bordeaux-oriented bottlings, and wines such as Parvata, Épinette, and Viognier.

Force Majeure Vineyards began in 2004, originally operating as Grand Reve Vintners. Its early identity was linked to the Collaboration Series, a group of wines made with leading Washington winemakers from fruit sourced at Ciel du Cheval vineyard on Red Mountain. The series allowed the nascent estate to establish a profile while developing its own vineyard holdings and winemaking infrastructure. The producer acquired a 40-acre property in Washington's Red Mountain AVA and began developing it in 2006. Approximately half of the site was eventually planted. The vineyard occupies a steep hillside ranging from about 950 to 1,230 feet and contains a notably varied set of soils, including Warden and Kiona formations. The diversity is partly connected to the geological effects of the Missoula Floods. Limestone-related calcium carbonate is also present across much of the property. The Red Mountain estate was planted with a broad range of varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Counoise, and Mourvèdre. Its Syrah includes gobelet-trained vines modeled on northern Rhône practice. Different vine-training systems, clones, and plantings are used to account for the site's variations in slope, exposure, aspect, elevation, and soil. This approach made the vineyard central to the brand's premium positioning. In June 2014, Force Majeure discontinued the Collaboration Series. The decision represented a shift from collaborative, externally sourced production toward a more concentrated estate model based on the Red Mountain vineyard. The estate's wines subsequently continued to focus on Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and blends drawing from Rhône and Bordeaux traditions. The company expanded in 2018 by acquiring two vineyards on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. One of these sites, adjacent to the new winery, had been planted in the late 1990s with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a smaller area of Merlot. Alongside the vineyard acquisitions, Force Majeure completed a new winemaking facility and established a tasting salon operated by appointment. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Walla Walla Valley site, made by Todd Alexander, received a 100-point rating from Jeb Dunnuck. The reference material identifies this as the winery's second wine to receive that score. Force Majeure has also received high marks from The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator; Wine Spectator awarded one of its Cabernet Sauvignons 97 points, characterized as the highest score the publication had given to a Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. Commentators have described the estate as one of Washington's leading vineyard sites and wineries. Its portfolio includes estate Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, a Mourvèdre-dominant Rhône blend called Parvata, the Merlot- and Cabernet Franc-led Épinette blend, Grenache, and Viognier. The brand's development has therefore followed a clear trajectory: from collaborative Washington projects to an estate-centered producer spanning important vineyard areas in Washington and Oregon.

1. 2018Walla Walla Valley expansion

   The company acquired two vineyards on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley and added a new winery and appointment-based tasting salon.

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2. 2018Walla Walla Cabernet receives a 100-point rating

   The first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage from the Walla Walla Valley site made by Todd Alexander received a 100-point rating from Jeb Dunnuck.

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3. 2014Collaboration Series discontinued

   The estate ended the Collaboration Series to focus on fruit from its own Red Mountain vineyard and its estate-centered identity.

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4. 2006Red Mountain estate vineyard development begins

   Force Majeure began developing its 40-acre Red Mountain property, a steep and geologically diverse site that would become the foundation of the estate portfolio.

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5. 2004Brand founded as Grand Reve Vintners

   The business was established under the original name Grand Reve Vintners and began producing its first vintage, including wines in the Collaboration Series.

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A premium, estate-focused Pacific Northwest wine producer emphasizing distinctive vineyard sites, Rhône and Bordeaux varieties, hillside viticulture, and critically acclaimed limited-production wines.

• ParvataRhône-style red blend

  Parvata is a Rhône-inspired red blend led by Mourvèdre. It reflects Force Majeure's emphasis on Mediterranean varieties and structured, site-driven red wines from its Pacific Northwest vineyards.

• SyrahRed wine

  Syrah is one of Force Majeure's defining varieties. The Red Mountain estate includes gobelet-trained Syrah planted in a style associated with the northern Rhône, while the broader vineyard program uses different exposures, soils, clones, and training systems to express the site.

• Cabernet SauvignonRed wine

  Cabernet Sauvignon is a central estate offering grown in both the Red Mountain and Walla Walla Valley areas. The wine has been a major source of the brand's critical recognition, including a 97-point Wine Spectator score and a 100-point rating for the 2018 Walla Walla Valley vintage from Jeb Dunnuck.

• ÉpinetteBordeaux-style red blend

  Épinette is a Bordeaux-oriented blend composed predominantly of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It complements the estate's varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône-focused wines with a softer, blend-based expression of its vineyard fruit.

• GrenacheRed wine

  Grenache is among the Rhône varieties cultivated in the Force Majeure vineyard program. It contributes to the estate's range of Mediterranean-inspired wines and may also support blended bottlings.

• ViognierWhite wine

  Viognier represents the estate's white-wine offering within a portfolio otherwise centered on red Bordeaux and Rhône varieties. It extends the brand's use of Rhône grapes beyond its Syrah- and Mourvèdre-led reds.

• 2018Acquisition of two Walla Walla Valley vineyardsM&A

  The estate sought to broaden its vineyard base while remaining focused on premium Washington and Oregon wine regions.

  What changed. Force Majeure acquired two vineyards on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley and built a nearby winemaking facility and appointment-based tasting salon.

  Aftermath. The expansion added established Walla Walla Valley plantings, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, to the company's estate resources.

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• 2014Shift from collaboration wines to estate productionStrategy

  Force Majeure had established its early reputation through the Collaboration Series, which used Red Mountain fruit and involved prominent Washington winemakers. As its own vineyard developed, the estate chose to concentrate on estate-grown fruit and a more unified identity.

  What changed. The company discontinued the Collaboration Series in June 2014 and focused on wines from its Red Mountain estate vineyard.

  Aftermath. The decision reinforced Force Majeure's positioning as an estate-focused producer rather than primarily a collaborative label.

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• 2018Force Majeure expands into the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley

  The company acquired two additional vineyards, built a winemaking facility, and added an appointment-based tasting salon.

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• 20182018 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon receives a 100-point rating

  The first Cabernet Sauvignon vintage from the newly associated Walla Walla Valley site, made by Todd Alexander, received a 100-point rating from Jeb Dunnuck.

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• 2014Force Majeure discontinues the Collaboration Series

  The estate ended its Collaboration Series and redirected its attention toward wines made from its own Red Mountain estate vineyard.

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1. Force Majeure Vineyards
2. Jeb Dunnuck
3. Force Majeure Vineyards official website