KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"The 2019 Pedestal Merlot was made with 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. The nose opens with a firm backbone of fresh and ripe black plums and dark cherries before delightful oaky essences sway from the glass with notions of baked earth. Full-bodied, the palate offers a firm mouthfeel that lifts with time to reveal a succulent tannic edge and juicy flavors of spiced plums and blackberry skin with brown baking spices, vanilla and nutmeg that resonate with vibrancy and power. The wine continues to evolve and reveal elegant complexities before ending with a long spicy finish with delightful oak tones. Just under 32,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 22 months in all French oak, 86% new barrels. - Anthony MUELLER"

- Wine Advocate (May 11th 2023), 94 pts

"Gutsy yet refined, this red balances a broad-shouldered structure with rich, multilayered flavors of blackberry and currant. Offers accents of licorice and espresso while building tension toward big yet balanced tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2030. -Tim FISH."

- Wine Spectator Insider (December 6th 2023), 93 pts

"Blackberry, black cherry, charcoal and toasted herbs on the nose. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Chocolate and crushed black fruit mix on the palate. Well structured and layered. Best after 2024."

- James Suckling (April 22nd 2022), 92 pts

"Long Shadows has crafted a beautiful new Right Bank style 2018 Merlot Pedestal, which is nearly all Merlot (82%) with smaller portions of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Once on the nose this shows an intoxicating bouquet of black currant jelly, espresso bean and shades of black licorice candy. The mouthfeel captured here is exquisite as the Merlot seamlessly glides across the mid-palate delivering a decadent core of dark fruits, black licorice, black peppercorn and espresso ground tones. Finishing very long, this is already a beautifully evolved wine that will improve with an hour in the decanter. - Owen Bargreen"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2022), 96 pts

"The 2018 Merlot Pedestal checks in as 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec that was raised, I suspect, in plenty of new oak. It's another great vintage from this cuvée, which has the final blend put together by Michel Rolland. Offering a wonderfully pure, perfumed nose of black and blue fruits, chocolate, leafy herbs, and flowers, these all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied and has a seamless texture and a great finish. I’d be happy to drink a bottle any time over the coming 15 years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts

"Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, plum stone and dark chocolate. It is full-bodied with ripe, rounded tannins. Plush and creamy with a chocolatey character. Nicely structured and balanced with a flavorful finish. Drink now or hold."

- James Suckling (June 2021), 92 pts

"Beautiful cassis, chocolate, leafy herbs, and earth all emerge from the 2017 Pedestal, a ripe, sexy, opulent wine that does everything right. A blend put together by Michel Rolland and aged 22 months in 86% new French oak, it's beautiful today yet is going to cruise in cool cellars for 15 years or more."

- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 95 pts

"Musky aromas of dark raspberry, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, smoky oak and menthol are serious and brooding for Merlot. Concentrated, plush and tactile on the palate, with dark raspberry, mocha, woodsmoke, menthol and subtle herb flavors conveying serious energy. Finishes subtle, spicy and very long, with firm but suave tannins giving the wine the backbone to evolve slowly and gracefully. - Stephen Tanzer."
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2020), 92+ pts

"The 2016 Pedestal from Michel Rolland checks in as a blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 85% new French oak. It has a rocking bouquet of smoked black fruits, espresso, chocolate, and tobacco that gives way to a full-bodied, plump, incredibly sexy red that does everything right. It's one serious mouthful of Merlot and should keep for 10-12 years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 95 pts

"The 2016 Pedestal Merlot has a precise nose of dusty plum, red flowers and soft oak tones with an elegant aroma of pencil lead fluttering about. The medium to full-bodied palate is clean and correct, with plush dark red fruit, dusty tannins, purple flowers and soft oak spices of vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. The wine ends with a long, thoughtful, well-balanced finish that delivers complexity and pleasure simultaneously. Michel Rolland made this beauty of a bottle. - Anthony Mueller"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 94 pts

"This has a distinctive, violet and plum nose in classic merlot style with subtly earthy complexity, too. The palate has a juicy and supple array of plush, succulent tannins and delivers an exceptionally fresh yet deeply flavorful finish. A merlot-dominant blend with cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Try from 2022."

- James Suckling (July 2019), 94 pts

"Complex, musky scents of black raspberry, plum, woodsmoke, cocoa powder, earth and leather. Broad and full-bodied on the palate, with its black fruit, menthol and spice flavors leavened by an element of medicinal reserve. This big, bone-dry wine finishes with serious mouthdusting tannins and lingering flavors of black fruits and spicy oak. - Stephen Tanzer."
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2019), 91+ pts

"The 2015 Pedestal Merlot from Long Shadows is a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels. Crème de cassis, wood smoke, scorched earth, and graphite characteristics all emerge from this rich, full-bodied, voluptuous beauty that has more mid-palate depth and richness than any other Merlot made in the state. With ample tannin, it will benefit from a year or three and keep for 15. It's a gorgeous wine."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 96 pts

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"The 2015 Pedestal Merlot is a rich, dramatic wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of black cherries, crème de cassis, cigar tobacco and mocha. On the palate, it's broad, full-bodied and lavish, with ripe, generously oak-inflected flavors and an ample core of fruit, structured by fine-grained but youthfully chewy tannins, concluding with a sweet, spicy and somewhat heady finish. The most exotic and expressive wine in the Long Shadows range, it's crafted by Michel Rolland. - William Kelley"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #237, June 2018), 94 pts

Go to Long Shadows Merlot Pedestal

"A very vivid and pure red with aromas of blackberries and blueberries. Hints of violets and licorice, too. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows tension and focus. Give it two or three years to soften. A blend of 75% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon and 10% petit verdot. Drink in 2020 and beyond."
- James Suckling (May 2018), 94 pts

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"I loved the 2014 Pedestal Merlot and it’s 81% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. It offers a downright voluptuous and incredibly sexy style in its ripe black currants, toasted spice, chocolate and licorice aromas and flavors. Broad, expansive, layered and pleasure bent, with ripe tannin, it's a knockout Merlot that's going to have 10-15 years of drinkability. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 95 pts

Go to Long Shadows Merlot Pedestal

"One of my favorites in the 2013 lineup is the 2013 Pedestal Merlot. Its deep purple color is followed by fabulous notes of plums, coffee beans, spice box and sweet oak in a full-bodied, decadent, ripe and expansive package. In general, Cabernet was more successful than Merlot in 2013, but you wouldn’t know it by tasting this beauty."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 94 pts

Go to Long Shadows Merlot Pedestal

"Red currant and darker berries complicated by graphite and licorice on the nose. Lush and seamless but with lovely inner-mouth lift and energy to its dark fruit and mineral flavors. This palate-staining Merlot will be a long ager. Finishes with big, tongue-coating tannins. - Stephen Tanzer."
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 92+ pts

Go to Long Shadows Merlot Pedestal

"The combined winemaking of global great Michel Rolland and Walla Walla’s Gilles Nicault has this merlot locked and loaded with great flavor and balance. The Long Shadows experiment of bringing the world to Washington is paying off."
- The Seattle Times (November 2016) - #1 of the Top 50 Regional Wines of 2016

Go to Long Shadows Merlot Pedestal

"The 2012 Long Shadows 'Pedestal' is a magnicifiant Merlot made by famed Bordeaux wine consultant Michel Rolland, who has teamed up with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to make one of the best Merlot’s you will come across. Composed of 81% Merlot with the rest Cab, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Nose has black cherry, dill and black olive. Rich and viscous wine with Flavors of mocha, black cherry, black olive and wonderful mouthfeel throughout. Delicious wine for a special occasion. Drinking incredibly now but also has a long future. (Best 2015-2030) - OB."
- International Wine Report (July 2015), 94 pts

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