Also recommended, but no tasting note given. Columbia Crest is a 2.5 million-case outgrowth of behemoth Ste Michelle, sharing fruit from Cold Creek, and based amid enormous riverside acreage not far from Ste Michelle's Canoe Ridge Three decades old, this winery is dedicated to a very distinctive style of wines that are treated according to a different methodology, inter alia involving assemblage prior to barreling down to do malo, and in the reserve wines the completion of primary fermentation in barrel. A native of Mendoza, Juan Munoz Oca joined the team here in 2003 and became head winemaker in 2011. His long-time predecessor in that position and only the second to hold it, Ray Einberger - now officially Winemaker Emeritus - thus had final say in the making of many of those wines I tasted on this occasion. "I'll be happy," notes Oca modestly but displaying confidence, "if at the end of my tenure nothing has dramatically changed in how people look at Columbia Crest." The winery portfolio is broken into three distinct groups: a so-called Grand Estates tier of inexpensive Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Merlot based on fruit from the Horse Heaven Hills and Wahluke Slope; an -H3- label based on fruit of those same three varieties from Alder Ridge, McKinley Springs, and Coyote Canyon in the Horse Heaven Hills; and a reserve tier featuring various blends that receive long elevage in all or nearly-all new barrels. Confitured fruit and prominent caramelized resin from (a hundred thousand!) barrels - even the inexpensive Cabernet gets one-third new wood, both French and American - are common denominators for most of the wines I tasted, and I am sure there are tasters for whom the styles here - especially in the reserve tier - will hold greater appeal than they did for me. And I could only recommend, modestly, a few of the whites I tasted. Even so, there are some imposing results in the entire Columbia Crest line-up, including some remarkable values. Tel. (509) 875-2061

The 2008 Merlot Grand Estates which includes 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc in its blend was aged for 14 months in 33% new oak, quite a commitment to another $12 wine. It displays a pleasant perfume of spicy red fruits, cherry blossom, and cassis but comes up slightly narrow on the palate. This wine is unlikely to be cellared by purchasers but should a bottle or two get lost and reappear in a year or two, it could well have filled out. Columbia Crest, part of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, is Washington's largest winery. It produces mammoth amounts of wine (2,000,000+ cases) at a remarkably high level of quality. A visit to the cellars reveals brilliant organization, high morale, and a sense of personal involvement by the staff that undoubtedly adds value to the finished wine.www.columbia-crest.com

Thoroughly delicious, this seamlessly integrated, palate-coating Merlot matches pretty berry fruit to impressive barrel flavors. Coffee, toffee and chocolate are there in abundance, smoothing out dusty tannins and adding a suggestion of sweetness.——P.G.(4/1/2012)—— 89

The 2007 Merlot Grand Estates has some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. It was aged for 14-16 months in 25% new French and American oak. Dark ruby-colored, it displays aromas of cedar, spice box, violets, and black currant. Slightly narrow on the palate with a firm finish, it still delivers plenty of value for the money. Drink it over the next 6 years. Columbia Crest, part of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, is Washington’s largest winery. It produces mammoth amounts of wine (2,000,000+ cases) at a remarkably high level of quality. A visit to the cellars reveals brilliant organization, high morale, and a sense of personal involvement by the staff that undoubtedly adds value to the finished wine. Tel. (509) 875-2061; www.columbia-crest.com