Donedei Wines 2009 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $30
This product of Ciel du Cheval (Red Mountain) and Elephant Mountain (Rattlesnake Hills) marked the 10th commercial vintage for Washington’s Carolyn Lakewold, the Olympia-area vintner who trained with Bob Andrake and Doug McCrea. Her barrel program for this is focused on neutral oak, which allows for the development of cherry cola, raspberry, Raisinets and vanilla aromas. Chocolate-covered cherries, plum juice, pomegranate and cocoa powder flavors make for a rather hedonistic, lighter-styled Merlot that’s ready to enjoy now.
Rating: Recommended
Production: 280 cases
Alcohol: 13.5%
Lots of love for Merlot. Several of your recently are new to me. I am looking forward to trying them. Several of my favs, in addition to Kyra’s Estate Merlot, wonder if you had the opportunity to try them…are: Dunham Cellars, Januik, Kontos, LongShadow’s “Pedestal”, Pepperbridge, Reininger, Seven Hills, Sineann, and of course, Leonetti Cellar, L’Ecole!?!
Hi, Bill. We do taste a lot of these wines. However, this group included Merlots we’ve tasted in the past few weeks.
To Whom It May Concern:
I really enjoy your website and this story and review in particular as I enjoy well made Washington Merlot. I’m blown away by the quality and value of the Columbia Winery 2012 Merlot. This is a juicy, plummy wine that gets better after being open for at least three days. I hope other wineries take note as this a great example of Merlot, especially at this price point. I can’t wait to see the evolution of Sean Hails (Columbia Winery Winemaker)wines over these next few years. A very promising future for this winery indeed!
Best,
Jeff Curry
Gig Harbor, WA
Thanks, Jeff. We appreciate the great feedback.
We’ve now tasted the Columbia wines three or four times, mostly under blind tasting conditions, and they are delicious. Add in the price point, and I think Gallo has a winner here.