Founded more than 25 years ago, today Columbia Crest is one of Washington State’s premier wine producers.  Since the release of its first white varietal wines in 1987 and its first release of red varietal wines in 1988, this Washington State winery has become recognized as the epitome of consistency in the global value wine category.  In the 90’s, Impact magazine named Columbia Crest as one of the “Top Five U.S. Wineries”.  It has also garnered tons of top honors and accolades from other large circulated wine publications like The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator as being one of the “Best Value Wineries” in the world.  Year after year, Columbia Crest has shown amazing consistency at producing exceptional wines at a price point that most consumers can swallow.

The Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay is, in this case, one of the winery’s stewards of excellence.  In 1997, Wine Spectator magazine ranked the 1995 Estates Series Chardonnay #59 on its “Top 100” list. In 1999, Columbia Crest pleased the judges again at Wine Spectator to earn a spot at #40 on its “Top 100” list with its 1997 Estates Series Chardonnay.  The list of medals and achievements has been endless for both the Chardonnay as well as the Columbia Crest Winery.  In my personal opinion, Columbia Crest is one of the most reliable winery names that shoppers should be looking for when considering to purchase either a red or white wine.

However, with that being said, I will caution you:  There’s a lot to choose from if you decide that you want to try a wine from Columbia Crest for the first time.  You’ve got their first tier, which is called “Two Vines” – this is their least expensive stuff.  Then you’ve got their second tier of juice, called “Grand Estates”, which is the equivalent of saying “$10 bucks of intensity and gusto.”  The next rung will put you into their VIP section with the  Horse Heaven Hills (“H3″) wines that first debuted in 2008.  Finally, their top of the line wine is the high octane brain bender “Reserve” – which is liquid gold.  This is definitely one of those situations where you get exactly what you pay for here.  The “Two Vines” is pretty decent for the price, while the Reserve line-up will rock your world so long as you’re willing to ante up anywhere from $25-40 bills to feel the beat of your brain.

I thought for this tasting experience that I ought to hit the sweet spot of most wine buyers – $10 buckaroos.  I’ve had the Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” line-up of wines more times than counting sheep in my sleep over my wine drinking years, and that includes this very “decorated” Chardonnay for which my beloved sister-in-law and I would drink by the gallons way back in our early days.  I’ll be the first to admit, I’m usually a huge fan of the consumer-friendly “Grand Estates” line-up, however I’ve become particularly sensitive to one very apparent attribute about the “Grand Estates” Chardonnay – it appears to be stuck in its glory days of the ‘90s and early years of 2000 when most of the Chardonnay drinking world liked gnawing on big chunks of oak.  Back then, it was the cool and palatable thing to do.  Fast forward to the present, I can honestly say that not much has changed over the years with this brawny-style American Chardonnay.  All in all, the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay just seemed very “dated” to my taste buds.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s ok, but solid wood just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.  I would personally welcome a design change towards a leaner and crisper modern style.

I award the 2007 Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” Chardonnay 2 Stars out of 4.  It tasted “out of style” to me with it’s over the top oaky flavors.  However, I’m sure that there are still a lot of “woodchucks” out there that would whole-heartedly disagree with me and ask that this recipe be left alone.

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From: Washington

Price: $10.99

How often is the BS on the back of a wine bottle right on the money!?  More importantly, how often in life do you get entirely what you pay for and more?  The Pacific Rim Dry Riesling (a mix of 20% German Riesling, 80% Washington Riesling) is quite possibly the greatest BFF that a grilled piece of tuna or sushi boat could ever have!  It has a terrific apricot and citrus flavor that really matches up well with any grilled fish, sushi, or vegetarian dish – especially the spicy stuff.  And the folks at Pacific Rim also seem to think so, based on the back of the bottle description.  Try it for yourself!

If you really enjoy this wine, you may want to request a copy of the “Riesling Rules” book.  Just click onto this link and follow the directions to get a free copy.

WineLife365 Rating: 4-Star

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From: Washington

Price: $7.99

Is this wine wearing panty hose???  My wife and I drank about half of the bottle before realizing that nearly ¾s of the bottle had a funny looking brown tint over it that reminded us of panty hose.

As far as the wine is concerned, it’s just “aw-ite”.  There’s nothing exciting at all about this simple plum and choco-bits of a Syrah.  It just barely passed muster with me.

However, I did find the bottle rather amusing.  I guess the folks at Covey Run didn’t want us to see just how truly thin and watered down their 2004 Syrah really is.

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star

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From: Washington

Price: $9.49

I really like the artwork that Cynthia Sampson–Files created for the 14 Hands Merlot.  It has a “Wild Horses”, ala Rolling Stones feel to it.  The wine’s label depicts wild horses that once ran through the 14 Hands vineyard.  The vineyard is located near the Columbia River.

The 2006 14 Hands Merlot is a very tasty Merlot in my opinion.  It’s perfectly put together with the right amount of cherry and berry flavors to get your attention, just the right amount of oak to give it some depth, and a finish that lingers.

The 2006 14 Hands Merlot is a solid and enjoyable red wine that I think most wine lovers would like.  I would personally drink this red wine any day of the week.

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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From: Washington

Price: $7.99

I’ve really been on a Riesling kick so far in 2009.  I’m on the kick partly because I’ve tasted so many delicious ones and because so many are within my budget.  I figure that I’ll just keep going back to the well to see what others that I can find, and see if they’re just as good as or better than the ones that I’ve already tasted.

I decided to pick up this 2007 Covey Run Riesling for several reasons.  First, I had high hopes of finding yet another enjoyable Riesling.  Second, I read several positive reviews about this particular wine from Consumer Reports and Wine Spectator.  Finally, this wine has received several awards.

After hearing the high praise and positive press (and oh, did I mention the $7.99 price?), I was motivated to give this Riesling a try.  Unfortunately, the 2007 Covey Run Riesling was kind of weak and too sweet for my liking.

This Riesling is pleasant enough, but the citrus flavors are just so-so, the peach flavors are dominant, and the finish is on the sweeter side.  This Riesling lacked any intensity that grabs your attention.  It was just “ok” and “nice” to my taste buds.  If I had nothing to compare this wine to, maybe I would be a little more enthusiastic about it.  But at this price level, I have had several others that I thought were better.

There’s really nothing special or unique that is compelling enough for me to purchase this wine again.  In my opinion, the 2007 Cono-Sur Riesling from Chile blows the doors off this Riesling for the exact same price.

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star

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