Winemaker Notes
This classic Bordeaux-style wine opens with intense aromatics of graphite and plums. Balanced flavors of dark fruit and black currant lead to hints of cocoa and tobacco on the palate. The supple tannins lead to a smoky, velvety finish. This wine is powerful, yet elegant.
Vineyard sites are located on the Wahluke Slope (for aromatics and complexity); the Cold Creek area (for flavor and fruitiness), and on the Horse Heaven Hills (which contributes texture and body).
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A style statement that speaks to the established Columbia Crest brand. Very ripe with assertive new oak (100%) and blackberry and cassis fruits that pervade the nose and palate. Super long sweet-fruit flavors with plenty of mocha warming the finish. Blend of 64% merlot, 33% cabernet sauvignon, 2% cabernet franc and 1% malbec. This wine needs time. Try from 2025 for the complete expression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Walter Clore Private Reserve gives up ample blackcurrants, smoked herbs, licorice and hints of chocolate. With full-bodied richness, lots of sweet fruit and a mouth-filling, pleasure-bent style, drink it over the coming 6-7 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Merlot (64%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (34%) makes up the majority of this wine, which is topped off by smidgens of Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The aromas of raspberries, black cherries and milk chocolate are generous, while the palate brings a sense of smoothness and balance.
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.