Force Majeure Vineyards

Paul McBride founded the label in 2004 as Grand Rève, buying grapes and bringing in well-known winemakers to make up to six individual lots. Among them was the Grand Rève Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Collaboration Series Reserve 2007, made by Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan and Ross Mickel of Ross Andrew. The Red Mountain site was purchased in 2004 and development began in 2006. In January 2015 the winery was starting to use its new vineyards while continuing the Collaboration Series. In 2018 it acquired a small vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley next to the site of its new winery, and it later acquired a large piece of land in the area locals call The North Fork. The winery explains its name as describing 'the relentless, powerful elements of Nature that form the terroir of our vineyard.'

• 2004: Paul McBride founded the label as Grand Rève; the Red Mountain site was purchased the same year.
• 2006: development of the Red Mountain estate vineyard began.
• 2014: Todd Alexander named winemaker; January 2015: Helen Keplinger signed on as a consultant, with the Collaboration Series continuing.
• 2018: acquired a small vineyard partly within The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, next to the site of the new winery.

Paul McBride founded the label in 2004. Todd Alexander was named winemaker in 2014; he worked at PlumpJack, was Helen Keplinger's assistant at Bryant Family in California, and followed Keplinger in Bryant's cellar. Keplinger, Bryant's winemaker for two years before going off on her own in 2012, signed on in January 2015 to consult for Force Majeure, helping with the blends. Alexander made the winery's 2018 vintage, which Decanter reviewed in August 2021.

• Founder: Paul McBride (2004, as Grand Rève).
• Winemaker: Todd Alexander, named in 2014; previously at PlumpJack and at Bryant Family, where he was Helen Keplinger's assistant.
• Consultant: Helen Keplinger, from January 2015.

The original estate vineyard lies on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain. In the winery's words, it drew inspiration from 'the great vineyards of Bordeaux, the Northern and Southern Rhône valleys, as well as parts of Spain' and set out to 'pioneer the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain.' Varietal and clonal selections, trellising and irrigation were matched to eight distinct soil types formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity, giving a vineyard divided into many small micro-blocks. The vineyard ranges in elevation from 960 to 1,230 feet, has a west/southwest exposure and is farmed entirely by hand. The soils have a volcanic foundation of fractured basalt, concreted ash and wind-blown loess with a high calcium carbonate content, along with granite erratics from the Missoula floods. The rocky upper slope with shallow soil suits Syrah and Grenache, and the Syrah on the hill is tightly spaced to shade the fruit; the lower blocks have deep, well-drained Warden soils suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Additional Grenache was planted in 2015 on the sandy lower slope as goblet-trained vines, and the Syrah trellising methods include gobelet sur echalas. A very small amount of Viognier grows just below some of the Syrah blocks, and a single block of once-stolen Mourvèdre supplies the 'Les Volés' bottling.

• Elevation 960 to 1,230 feet; west/southwest exposure; farmed entirely by hand.
• Eight distinct soil types: fractured basalt, concreted ash and wind-blown loess, with Missoula flood granite erratics; Warden soils on the lower blocks.
• Syrah and Grenache on the rocky upper slope; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc on the lower blocks; more Grenache planted on the sandy lower slope in 2015.

In 2018 the winery acquired a small vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, a one-hour drive from Red Mountain, next to the site of its new winery. The property lies partly within The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, on the Oregon side of the border; the rest is within the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The vineyard was planted between 1992 and 1994, and the soil covering the cobblestones is deepest at the north end of the property and shallowest at the south end. For the Walla Walla Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the soils are silt loam on top of basalt river cobblestones. About 15 minutes' drive east of The Rocks District, the winery has acquired a large piece of land in a canyon area that locals call The North Fork, after the North Fork of the Walla Walla River. Its elevation rises to almost 2,100 feet, and being close to the Blue Mountains it receives significantly more rainfall than many other parts of the Walla Walla Valley and Red Mountain.

• Rocks District vineyard: acquired 2018, planted 1992 to 1994, partly in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA and partly in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.
• The North Fork: a large parcel about 15 minutes east of The Rocks District, rising to almost 2,100 feet near the Blue Mountains.

The Red Mountain Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is grown primarily along the southwest ridge of the vineyard; the 2022 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot from 15-year-old vines, with a 40-day maceration, native yeast and 21 months in 75% new French oak, and 620 cases were made. Épinette, the Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, is named after an avenue in Libourne that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion; it is primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, and the 2022 is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in 65% new French oak (261 cases). Some lots of the Red Mountain Estate Syrah are co-fermented with estate Viognier; the 2022 is 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier with 10% whole clusters, fermented in concrete and aged 18 months in 30% new French oak (487 cases). Parvata, Sanskrit for 'mountain,' is the southern Rhône-inspired blend, grown mostly in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of the vineyard; the blend changes each year and will eventually be driven by Grenache. The 2021 Parvata is 46% Syrah, 39% Mourvèdre and 15% Grenache, aged 18 months in 15% new French oak (200 cases). 2021 was the first vintage of the Red Mountain Estate Grenache; the 2022 is 100% Grenache with 20% whole clusters, fermented in concrete vats and aged 18 months in neutral large-format French oak (207 cases). The range also includes a Red Mountain Estate Cabernet Franc (2021), a Red Mountain Estate Viognier available only to mailing-list members, and the 'Les Volés' Mourvèdre, bottled only in exceptional vintages. From the Walla Walla Valley come the Walla Walla Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, with vintages listed from 2018, and the Walla Walla Estate Syrah from The Rocks District, with vintages listed from 2020. The SJR Vineyard Syrah, from The Rocks District, is the only non-estate wine Force Majeure makes. The Parabellum wines, Alluvio and Coulée, use estate fruit from Red Mountain and the Walla Walla Valley and are crafted with an eye toward more immediate consumption; the 2022 Alluvio is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, and the 2022 Coulée is 97% Syrah, 2% Counoise and 1% Cinsault.

• Red Mountain Estate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Épinette, Syrah, Parvata, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, 'Les Volés' Mourvèdre.
• Walla Walla Estate: Cabernet Sauvignon (vintages from 2018) and Syrah (vintages from 2020).
• SJR Vineyard Syrah: the only non-estate wine, from The Rocks District.
• Parabellum: Alluvio (2022: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc) and Coulée (2022: 97% Syrah, 2% Counoise, 1% Cinsault), from estate fruit.

Force Majeure describes its wines as 'powerful without being overbearing, elegant without being frail, and rich without being clumsy.' The estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The winery's notes give the estate Syrah 'a broad spectrum of black, blue and red fruits, dried herbs and jasmine, fennel, smoked meats and crushed rock,' and credit Parvata's lower-slope soils with 'a good degree of finesse and high-toned aromatic notes, white pepper, dried herbs and grapefruit peel.' Of the 2018 vintage, Todd Alexander told Decanter: '2018 was a terrific year – the best vintage since 2012.'

Wine Spectator rated the Grand Rève 2007 Collaboration Series Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 97 points; in January 2015 Harvey Steiman wrote: 'No Washington Cabernet has rated higher in Wine Spectator annals.' In Wine Spectator's Washington listing for its August 31, 2019, issue, the 2016 Parabellum Coulée scored 95 points, the 2016 Parvata and Syrah 94, and the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Épinette and Parabellum Alluvio 93. Reviewing Washington's 2018 reds for Decanter in August 2021, Owen Bargreen wrote that 'Todd Alexander produced some sensational 2018s for his Force Majeure winery.'

• Grand Rève 2007 Collaboration Series Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: 97 points from Wine Spectator.
• 2016 vintage in Wine Spectator's August 2019 Washington listing: Parabellum Coulée 95; Parvata and Syrah 94; Cabernet Sauvignon, Épinette and Parabellum Alluvio 93.

The wines are made in small quantities and sold through the mailing list and a few select retailers and restaurants, with releases typically two to three times a year. The Milton-Freewater Tasting Studio in Oregon is open Wednesday to Saturday by reservation, with four reservations a day, each limited to two groups and lasting about 60 minutes; as of October 2026 the tasting fee was $50 per person, waived with a minimum purchase of two bottles of Force Majeure wines.

• Mailing list, plus a few select retailers and restaurants; releases typically two to three times a year.
• Tasting studio in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, open Wednesday to Saturday by reservation.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/vineyards, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/the-wines, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/estate-wines, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/parabellum-wines, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/visit, and the winery's technical sheets (PDF): https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/s/2022-Force-Majeure-Red-Mountain-Estate-Cabernet-Sauvignon-Tech-Sheet.pdf, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/s/2021-Force-Majeure-Red-Moutain-Parvata-Critic-Tech-Sheet.pdf, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/s/2022-Force-Majeure-Red-Moutain-Grenache-Critic-Tech-Sheet-5n6e.pdf, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/s/2022-Force-Majeure-Red-Mountain-Estate-Epinette-Tech-Sheet.pdf, https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/s/2022-Force-Majeure-Red-Moutain-Syrah-Critic-Tech-Sheet.pdf. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (Harvey Steiman, 27 January 2015; Washington alphabetical listing, 31 August 2019 issue) and Decanter (Owen Bargreen, published 2 August 2021). Last verified 2026-10-18. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.