When Washington wine began to articulate its own sense of greatness—distinct from California, distinct from Bordeaux—Klipsun Vineyard was already there, quietly doing the work. Planted in the late 1970s on a steep, wind-swept slope of Red Mountain, Klipsun quickly proved itself one of the state’s most consequential sites, supplying fruit that would help define what serious Washington Cabernet Sauvignon could be: powerful without excess, structured without heaviness, expressive of sun yet grounded in restraint. Long before “Red Mountain” became shorthand for prestige, Klipsun was its proof. Today, Terlato’s stewardship of Klipsun is less about reinvention than guardianship. These wines are not styled to chase trends; they are shaped to preserve the authority of a vineyard that helped build Washington’s reputation bottle by bottle, vintage by vintage. The Terlato Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon stands as the purest expression of that legacy—dense, dark-fruited, and architecturally firm, with cassis, black cherry, graphite, and a distinctly savory undercurrent that speaks to the vineyard’s iron-rich soils and relentless sun. It is a Cabernet of lineage and longevity, a wine that carries its power with composure rather than flash. Alongside it, the Terlato Klipsun Vineyard Red Blend broadens the conversation without diluting it. Built on the same foundation of Cabernet but layered with complementary varieties, the blend emphasizes dimension and harmony—dark berries and plum wrapped in spice, crushed herbs, and a subtle mineral grip. It’s a wine that shows how Klipsun’s intensity can be shaped into something expansive and immediately compelling, while still honoring the vineyard’s unmistakable spine. Together, these two wines tell a single story from different angles: one focused and declarative, the other nuanced and conversational. Both are reminders that Washington’s wine legacy was not built overnight, nor by marketing alone, but by places like Klipsun—vineyards that earned their reputation through decades of consistency, challenge, and quiet excellence. To drink them is not just to enjoy great wine, but to taste a cornerstone of Washington State’s vinous history.
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