Winery - Columbia Crest
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a perfect go-to, everyday Chardonnay, solid and light, if a bit unexciting. The fruit flavors of apple and melon are gentle and soft, and the oak treatment delicately handled. You get a little bit of buttered popcorn, but it’s not a night out at the movies.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though perhaps just a notch below the 2002 version, this remains the Merlot to beat in the budget bottle sweepstakes. Bright berry fruit is married to smooth chocolate, without appearing over-manipulated or laced with fake vanilla. Creamy and consistent, it’s widely available at a great price. Over 172,000 cases were produced.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is the best Cab from Two Vines to date. It’s got real concentration and fruit flavor, enhanced with the addition of 11% Cab Franc and 7% Syrah in the blend. Berries, cherries, cassis, plums, coffee and smoke filter through the palate, with just a little bite to the tannins. Very impressive.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a solid effort in a very difficult vintage. A freeze took out a lot of Washington grapevines in 2004, and it probably impacted the quality of the fruit available for this budget blend. The 2004 carries far more of the green bean and herbal qualities than recent vintages, but the tannins are softened and for the price it seems honest and well-made.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Chardonnay is the sweet spot in the white wine lineup (along with Riesling, of course). Big, bright and buttery, with plenty of legit oak highlights—none of this fake vanilla or microwave popcorn excess. Bacon fat, smoke and toast match the big, round, rich fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though it lacks the broad, sweet fruit of the 2005 reserve, this is a fine reflection of the vintage. It’s compact, tannic, and a bit unyielding, but structured with enough density to age for a few years. Light red fruits are somewhat overwhelmed by grainy, toasty tannins; that should balance out with a little more bottle age.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This follows along the same track as the 2003—moderately ripe with lightly herbal fruit mixing plum, blueberry and cherry. The tannins have a rough edge and a rather sharp bite; this will smooth out if you decant it an hour or so.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a clear step up from the excellent Two Vines Shiraz, and worth the extra couple of bucks. Wild berry flavors and varietal spice are given a somewhat tannic, earthy frame. Flavors suggest graphite, moist soil and some textural, grainy tannins. It’s substantial, not just simple and fruity, and offers a lot of depth for the price.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Roughly 140,000 cases were produced, making this (along with the Two Vines) the benchmark budget Merlot for the state, if not the country. These wines are given plenty of cellaring, which helps to soften them up. The style is wide open and flavorful, with broad cherry and berry fruit set against very smooth, chocolatey tannins. The Grand Estates has thicker, more substantial weight and a silky, milk chocolatey finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
H3, the newest tier joining the Columbia Crest brand, may quickly become the go-to bottle for Merlot lovers if this new effort is representative of the line. Great fruit is the story of course, sourced from Horse Heaven Hills (hence H3) vineyards. Balanced berry and cherry fruit flavors are underscored with dusty notes of earth and cocoa, then finished with some dark chocolate.
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