WTN: Division 2022 Ouest Columbia Valley Red Wine

[Robin Garr]

I'm usually a little wary of untraditional varietal blends, but when I got a recommendation from a usually reliable wine-shop buy on this Columbia Valley mix of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Syrah from the usually reliable Division Winemaking Co., I didn't hear anything there that sounded like it would exactly war with the others, so I gave it a whirl. Not bad at all, really. It's marketed as a pizza party wine and that probably works ... it falls into a tart cherry-berry space that would probably accommodate a Cotes-du-Rhone or a Chianti. I doubt I'd buy a lot of it at $20 or so, but I won't deny that we enjoyed it.

Division 2022 Ouest Columbia Valley Red Wine ($17.99)

An offbeat but persuasive Italian-French blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Nebbiolo, and 25% Syrah, Division Ouest Columbia Valley Red is made with organic and sustainably farmed grapes, organic yeast nutrient, and limited sulfiting. It's a dark reddish-purple color shading to a clear garnet edge, and breathes appealing scents that testify to its mixed varietal sources: Ripe cherries, mixed red berries, and – coming across more clearly in its flavor – freshly ground black pepper and subtle smoke and leather. Fresh-fruit acidity makes it food-friendly, and a hint of tannic astringency adds structure that becomes more evident in the long finish. There's a hint of warmth, but 13.5% alcohol is well within reasonable limits.

FOOD MATCH: The producer describes this as a pizza-party wine, which hints at a style more suited to casual events than formal dining. Pizza and pasta, burgers, modern plant-based burgers, chile con or sin carne and similar hearty fare would suit it well.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's hard to predict cellaring hopes for unusual varietal blends, but while this young wine is fun and enjoyable now, I don't see it as a candidate for extended cellaring.

VALUE:
I grabbed this wine locally for $18, which proved a good bargain considering the wine's $22 price at the winery and Wine-Searcher.com's $22 average U.S. retail

WEB LINK:
Here's the producer's Ouest fact sheet and ordering page.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Division Ouest Columbia Valley Red on Wine-Searcher.com.

Discover Washington State's Columbia Valley and its wines at this Wine-Searcher link.

This Wine-Searcher link features the Division Wine Co. portfolio of wines, with retail prices and links to buy.

[Jenise]

That Wine-Searcher link is misleading, at least for experienced wine drinkers. At one time there were essentially two Washington wine AVAs: Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. 'Columbia Valley' was essentially a euphemism for 'everything else'. Now we have something like 22 AVA's most of which, like Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills, took the best out of the old Columbia Valley. So nowadays it's still 'everything else', but even more so. However, if you take some grapes from the most significant non-Walla Walla areas, say HHH and Red Mountain, to make a blend? That's now just Columbia Valley, too.

Anyway, sounds like an interesting wine, thanks for the report.