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Cascade Ridge 2011 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $20

December 1, 2013 by Great Northwest Wine 2 Comments

cascade-ridge-merlot-bottleMark Takagi, specialty sales director of Metropolitan Market, also ranks as one of the Pacific Northwest’s top wine judges, so it makes sense the Seattle-based, high-end grocery group appointed him as director of winemaking for its new tier of in-store wines under a brand abandoned nearly 20 years ago by Columbia Winery. Takagi’s skill in blending lots from Alder Ridge, Black Rock, Canyon Vineyard Ranch and Doval vineyards checks out beautifully. He focused on fruit expression, rather than barrel influences, which explains aromas of dusty cherry, blueberry and fresh cedar bark. On the palate, the drink is a lighter style than many Merlots from Washington, featuring expressive flavors of black raspberry, ripe blueberry and Bing cherry. Food-friendly acidity and tamed tannins will allow for pairings with a lean roast or New York strip.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 500 cases

Alcohol: 13.5%

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Filed Under: Latest wine reviews, Washington

About Great Northwest Wine

Articles credited to Great Northwest Wine are authored by Eric Degerman and other contributors. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. yuhui says

    August 7, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    Tried this bottle last week, absolutely loved it, wanted to buy a case and need to be shipped back to NH. Could you please advise how? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Eric Degerman says

      August 7, 2015 at 8:08 pm

      A good question because that wine is made specifically for Metropolitan Market in Seattle, which is a grocer rather than a wine merchant.
      Let me see if they still have that wine and if they can ship.

      Reply

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