Cave B Estate Winery 2010 XXV Merlot, Columbia Valley, $43
These old Merlot vines, planted by Seattle physician Vince Bryan, turned 25 years old this vintage, and his son-in-law Freddy Arredondo used them to produce a standout wine. Bittersweet chocolate and white pepper aromas also take in Marionberry, plum, pomegranate and black cherry. There’s an easy and mellow approach to the structure of chocolate-covered pomegranate and plums with plum-skin tannin and abundant acidity. Arredondo, a chef trained in Italy, suggests serving a pork tenderloin rubbed with coriander and cumin, topped by caramelized shallots and served with a raspberry balsamic reduction. This wine earned a gold medal at the 2014 Seattle Food & Wine Experience Wine Competition.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 125 cases
Alcohol: 14.6%
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.