2017 IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
The 2017 in Order to form a more perfect Union is a beautifully complexed, dense, impeccably balanced wine. It is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Petit Verdot. The wine is vibrant, deeply colored, full-bodied with complex notes of cassis, red fruits, blueberry, pencil lead, gravel, smoldering incense, eucalyptus, cedar, tobacco, and dried sage.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration average of 175 hours and a post-fermentation maceration average of 274 hours. 100% Native fermentation. The wine was punched down by hand 2 times each day during macerations and fermentation. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions, were kept separate until final blending. The oak profile is 70% new French oak puncheons (predominantly from Troncais and Alliers) and 30% neutral French oak. No fining agents were employed. The wine was very lightly filtered to capture any remaining lees. The alcohol is 14.140%, pH is 3.74, and the titratable acidity is 6.1g/L. Harvest dates: Various.
CASES PRODUCED 126
VARIETALS 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot
APPELLATION Columbia Valley
REVIEWS
96 POINTS | JEREMY YOUNG, INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORT
“The More Perfect Union Red Wine from winemaker Billo Naravane, who also happens to be a Master of Wine, is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, with the rest being Petit Verdot. A more red-fruited effort with notes of macerated wild strawberries, spiced red plum, sweet exotic spices, and black tea on the nose, while flavors of dried eucalyptus, boysenberry preserves, and earth tones hit the palate. It’s still a baby with grippy tannins, but the perfect levels of acidity balance everything out. Highly recommended.”
95 POINTS | OWEN BARGREEN
“The captivating 2017 Rasa Vineyards ‘In Order To Form A Perfect Union’ Red Wine is a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot with smaller parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Asian spices combine with coffee grounds, ripe red currants and menthol accents on the nose. The palate is plush and inviting, showing serious range from red florals to tobacco leaf, mocha and anise with dark chocolate shavings. Showing bright underlying acidity and great flavor density, this red blend is absolutely delicious wine to consume now and over the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2022-2039.”
LABEL STORY
In 2009, we made our first in Order to form a more perfect Union. It was the third wine in three years that received a perfect rating from Rand Sealey (Review of Washington Wines). The wine is always a blend of 3-4 different varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot) and multiple vineyards (such as Dionysus, Bacchus, Weinbau, XL, Kiona, DuBrul, Wallula Gap, and Firethorn). Consistently, it ranks among our best wines.
Our father came to the United States in 1969. Our mother came in 1972. We followed in 1974 (ages 7 and 5). They made sacrifices in order to establish a life here. Our family story of sacrifice and hard work is special because it is uniquely ours. What makes it extraordinary is that our story is merely commonplace in the short history of the United States.
The wine, in Order to form a more perfect Union, honors our parents and the sacrifices they made and it honors the promise that is the United States.