Gallo-owned Columbia Winery continues to showcase the talents of Sean Hails, and here he gets the opportunity to work with historic Oasis Vineyard, a 35-year-old planting west of Benton City, Wash., farmed by Brenton Roy — a fourth-generation farmer in the Yakima Valley. This broadly shouldered red opens with aromas of dark cherry, red plums, horehound, anise, toast and tar. On the pour, there’s a smooth stream of blackberry and boysenberry that grows in stature with sandy tannins before a finish of raspberry. In the short term, suggested pairings include hearty stews, roasts or wild game, but ideally, this would be one to tuck away in the cellar for 5-10 years. And while this wine falls within Columbia’s “tasting room exclusives,” it’s actually a wine club exclusive.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 870 cases
Alcohol: 14.3%
Leave a Reply