Andrew Will Winery Champoux Red Blend 2008
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Blend: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Champoux Vineyard is made up of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. It sports an inviting bouquet of sandalwood, rose petal, Asian spices, a hint of leather, black currant, and blackberry. This is followed by a succulent, plush, pleasure-bent wine that deftly conceals enough structure to evolve for 5-7 years. It offers a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2028+.
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Wine Spectator
Powerful, focused and compelling for its layers of black cherry, mineral, animal and spice flavors, swirling together on the beautifully constructed finish. This has presence, depth and distinction, with miles to go. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2013 through 2020.
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Wine & Spirits
This blend includes 45 percent cabernet sauvignon, withthe balance mostly merlot and franc. There's an earthiness in the aroma that plays over scents of dried plum and violets. Its texture, especially at first, is dense as fig cake, built to a barely contained immensity. For all that, it's in proportion, and should reward the patient. For the impatient, it's a pairing for entrecote.
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Andrew Will Winery was started in 1989 and is owned by Chris Camarda. The winery was named for nephew Andrew and son Will. Andrew Will was launched out of a love for wine that Chris developed while working in the restaurant trade for almost 20 years. Named after his son Will and nephew Andrew, Andrew Will has been a major contributor in putting Washington State on the map as a world-class wine-producing region.
Andrew Will wines are labeled by vineyard with each wine a different makeup of the Bordeaux varietals. These vineyards, all in the Columbia Valley, include Camarda's own estate Two Blondes. He is part owner of the Champoux Vineyard and sources from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. They make about 4500 cases of wine. In addition to the blends, Andrew Will makes from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese from fruit grown at Ciel du Cheval.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.