Waterbrook Melange Red Blend 2006
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Aromas of cedar, spice and dark stone fruit are a warm welcome. Black cherry and plum notes marry with delicious flavors of dark chocolate and toasted oak. Balanced tannins and lingering fruit round out the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Crisp in texture and beautifully focused to show its rose petal-accented blackberry and cherry flavors, finishing firm and persistent. Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and others. Best from 2009 through 2013.
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In the early 1980s, a handful of visionaries set out to realize the potential of Walla Walla as a winemaking force. Waterbrook founders set up the town’s fourth bonded winery in 1984, and in the process fostered a culture of camaraderie among fellow Walla Walla winemakers, growers and friends.
Today you’ll find a town whose rich history is matched only by its soaring success in wine. The charming town of Walla Walla has flourished, and so has Waterbrook. With a 2008-built, state-of-the-art winery, visitor center and a nearby estate vineyard, Waterbrook has created a destination for wine lovers and simultaneously helped put Walla Walla wine on the world’s stage.
Never straying from its principles to create fruit-forward, varietally correct wines, Waterbrook marked 30 years of winemaking in 2014. In that time it has earned more than 100 combined Best Buys and 90+ point scores.
Waterbrook is recognized for producing wines that exemplify our outstanding vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley and the Columbia Valley. From vineyard to bottle, every detail of production is carried out by a committed team led by winemaker John Freeman. Whether touring Washington Wine Country or opening a bottle of Waterbrook wine at home, we look forward to you experiencing “what Washington tastes like.”
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.