Winemaker Notes
Blend: 70% Syrah, 30% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2018 Red Wine Columbia Valley combines Syrah (70%) with Grenache (30%). The palate is wonderfully stony with bright red fruits that mingle with orange rind, umami and pretty pomegranate seed flavors. The salty accents really make this sing.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Grenache, the 2018 Columbia Valley Red Wine has an earthy, meaty nose of spiced red and black fruits, smoked bacon, ground pepper, and assorted earthy, leathery, iron-like nuances. It leans heavily in the meaty, earthy end of the spectrum and is medium to full-bodied, has good balance, and a reductive, backward vibe that's going to benefit from at least 2-3 years of bottle age.
Rating:91+ -
James Suckling
This has a dusty nose, with plums and brambleberries, cured meat and chocolate on offer. Medium-bodied with chalky tannins and juicy red and blue fruit character. Some stony minerality in the end.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Rhône meets the Pacific Rim on the nose of this beautiful wine. Aromas of blackberries, violets and garrigue are joined by the slightest touch of pickled daikon. The wine's plush tannins provide an excellent backdrop for flavors like blueberries, blackcap raspberries, iodine, saline and freshly pulled espresso shots.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.