WTN: Cheapy WA CS and Merlot

A friend recommended Columbia Crest CS and Merlot as a good inexpensive drinking wine. I was not disappointed!

2003 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon: Washington State. 13.5% Alcohol. $9.99 (USD). This wine had a nice deep red/purple color. A very fruity nose - cherry, cigarbox, vanilla and some plum. On the palate there was lots of vanilla, black cherry, and blackberry, with hints of smoke and cedar. Had a decent chocolately finish.

2003 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot: Washington State. 13.5% Alcohol. $9.99 (USD). The color of this wine was a deep red. The nose was very floral and fruity and reminded me of a young, modern right bank bordeaux. It had lots of plums, black cherry, prunes, and violets. Palate showed lots of black cherry, some raisin and leather. The tannins are soft. The wine was jammy (but I like jammy!). The finish was also decent...chocolately/mocha.

Thanks for your notes, Maria. I have not had these wines for a while but always thought the were high on my Quality to Price Ratio list. It always nice to have few of these around.

Like Jon, haven;t had this vintage, but always thought the wines were good examples of their styles at very good prices. Thanks for notes!

"2003 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon"

Maria, you can't go wrong with this wine, and they age much better than they have any right to. About a year ago I found a bottle of the 1995 that had crawled back into a corner and was lost. I figured it was good for salad dressing if I was lucky, so I pulled the cork. A lovely aroma of cherries and chocolate wafted from the bottle, so I poured a tiny taste. the taste was as good as the smell, so I had it for dinner. That wine IIRC was at age 10.

Maria:

It's not often when what was touted as a "second label" tends to vault past the flagship, both in terms of quantity and reputation of quality. But that's what happened with Columbia Crest under the stewardship of Doug Gore, a great guy and excellent winemaker.

Columbia Crest started as a bargain-basement brand under Chateau Ste. Michelle/Stimson Lane...but within a few years, people were crowing more about the CC wines---you couldn't beat them for the money---than the CSM!

CC has since creeped up a bit, and added some pricier tiers, but they still consistently produce somd darned good wines. I've always though Doug's reds were better than the whites, but that's just my personal preference perhaps.

Hoke, I can still buy the CC Estates merlot and cab for under a tenner here in Lexington. I am not sure that Robin can buy them that cheap in the big city of lou-uh-ville.

...they age much better than they have any right to

This is totally unexpected Bob...I would have never thought they would age well at all...Wow!

It's not often when what was touted as a "second label" tends to vault past the flagship, both in terms of quantity and reputation of quality. But that's what happened with Columbia Crest under the stewardship of Doug Gore, a great guy and excellent winemaker.

Columbia Crest started as a bargain-basement brand under Chateau Ste. Michelle/Stimson Lane...but within a few years, people were crowing more about the CC wines---you couldn't beat them for the money---than the CSM!

CC has since creeped up a bit, and added some pricier tiers, but they still consistently produce somd darned good wines. I've always though Doug's reds were better than the whites, but that's just my personal preference perhaps.

Thank you so much Hoke for that backround. I had no idea that was the case for CC...definitely explains it's good quality. I hope I can continue to get it for such a good price in the future! It's definitely my absolute favorite everyday QPR wine!!

Thanks for the notes, Maria. I have been a big fan of CC for about 10 or 15 years now. Great wines at a great price.

rwj

Edited to say: I also like their chardonnay. I haven't had it in a while but I remember it being more fresh and lively than a Napa chard. It wasn't as heavy on the butterpearvanillaoak thing that Cal chard tends to overdo.

I am a retailer out here in Oregon. I remember going to a lunch for Columbia Crest and Doug Gore was there. The real standout wine was his Walter Clore Cabernet. For me it was the best under the Stimson Lane i.e. Ch. St. Michelle, group that I had ever tased. It was so much better than any single vineyard bottling from CSM. Now that CSM has bought ERath here in Oregon I would expect the quality to increase.

I know that the WS gave these wines high scores, which created quite a buzz. Another online guide also compared the CCGE Merlot to a Bordeaux. I was excited to try it.

2003 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot

Color: Ruby red.

Nose: Weak nose of dark fruit and earth. I let it warm in the glass for about 15 minutes, but it was still pretty much DOA.

Taste: Berry with some earth in the background. Short finish.

I was quite surprised that the wine was given 90 points by WS. For about the same price I can get the Red Truck Merlot which I think is much more complex. Sorry that I can't jump on the band wagon.

I notice that no one has mentioned the CC Two Vines line. It's not usually quite as good as the Grand Estates (although opinions vary!), but it's usually under $10. I find them to be very nice wines, and absolutely stunning in terms of QPR.

I'll be the odd man out -- I did not like the 2003 at all. Maybe a mistreated bottle???

2003 Columbia Crest, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Estates, Columbia Valley, Washington, $11, 150,000 cases. The wine is deeply hued, with aromas of black cherries, milk chocolate and cedar. It is very ripe in the mouth, bordering on pruniness; 80/80.