Columbia Valley Wine

This is a splendid rendition of Chateau Ste. Michelle's mainstay Cabernet, rich and round, with a sophisticated mix of grapes, including Malbec, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Syrah. Dark fruit flavors of black cherry and cassis create a lush center, and the wine is more evolved and smoother, with less obvious oak and barrel flavor, than the pricier Cabs from Ste. Michelle.

Light and silky, with pretty boysenberry and spice flavors that linger on the finish. Drink now. 65,000 cases made.

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc from our Horse Heaven Vineyard delivers aromas of ripe pear and notes of citrus fruit. The wine was fermented in a combination of oak and stainless steel tanks. The stainless steel fermentation preserved the Sauvignon Blanc’s vibrant character and refreshing, crisp quality.

The 2011 Eroica Riesling exhibits aromas and flavors of white peach, grapefruit and sweet lime with subtle mineral notes. The mouth-watering acidity is beautifully balanced by flavorful Washington Riesling fruit. After more than a decade we have truly found our “Eroica style,” striving for beautiful bright fruit with crisp acidity and enhanced mineralilty.

Incorporating a mere 2% of Merlot (from Palengat Vineyard) and dominated by fruit from Champoux, with strong assists from Red Mountain's Klipsun and Tapteil, Quilceda Creek's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon perpetuates the deeply toasted nuttiness, bittersweet herbal intensity, and above all chocolate and dark berry confiture familiar from its stable mates. But here there are liberal sprinklings of baking spices; headily decadent floral garlands; and high-toned suggestions of fruit distillate - kirsch, framboise, sloe - to add complexity and allure. As with the other Quilceda 2009s, torrefaction and richness are not purchased at the expense of vivacity, as this flagship Cabernet positively courses with energy, leaving the tongue aquiver. The sheer palate-staining finishing intensity of berry concentrate brings some realization of the tannin underlying this powerful Cabernet, but given how mouth-coating and sweetly rich it is, no obvious sense of grain let alone roughness can be detected. I suspect this will have two decade's solid aging potential.