WOW - Columbia Crest "Grand Estate" Merlot

[Brad Ballinger]

With some of the recent discussion about merlot as a grape and as a wine, it seems only fitting that the next WOW go in this direction. Columbia Crest has wide distribution, and is a perennial Wine Spectator "Best Buy" (which means the points are usually upper 80s and the price is below $15). Most people should be able to find this wine for under $10 (U.S. currency).

I did not designate a vintage because that may vary from maket to market. Go with whatever vintage you'd like.

Post your impressions in this thread.

[waves2ya]

Wine Spectator "Best Buy"...

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Could be folks are sick of Sideways; anyhow - this 2000 WOW got an 84 on WS's rating but was less than 'wow' at our table. My sig ot felt it akin to better wine served at art openings...

13.5%, it didn't really need to breath and was not changed by time/air. Full bodied fragrance yielded a very jammy taste that didn't become more refined as the meal progressed. Not a jam taste with legs, rather a kind of big mishmash that refused to develop into something more subtle.

At $9.99 a bottle and very easy to find - I bought a couple. We served it with a lentil stew (ham, sausage) and leeks; pairing was about right. Maybe next go 'round will be better...

[Hopleaf]

Could be folks are sick of Sideways...

I know I kinda am. I really enjoyed the film, no doubt. but the more I hear about spikes in sales of Pinot Noir, the boom at the Hitching Post II, the outcry that Virginia Madsen didn't get the Oscar (puh-lease...she was good, but not THAT good) and that Thomas Haden Church's performance made me forget he cut his bones in Wings (he'll always be Lowell the mechanic to me).

It's like Sideways has or is about to jump the shark (though no listing yet at www.jumptheshark.com).

[jhiroshi]

Just a note of warning, I am a beginner, so forgive me my transgressions.

I also tried the 2000 vintage.

Colour: (something I've always had a hard time describing, why isn't there a standard spectrum so everyone is on the same page, it's much more objective than smell and taste so it seems to me that there should be one), anyways pretty typical merlot, a medium intensity garnet red

Nose: Plum and cherry with some oaky background notes.

Mouth: More cherry flavours. Smooth and a little buttery; well balanced with enough acidity to give it some substance.

Finish: Nice dark chocolate, sour plum finish that lasts for awhile.

My overall impression was that this is a good wine for the money, nothing too surprising, very good merlot. But as with many people, Miles included, I have to say that I do not find merlot particularly interesting or challenging. Though I seem to remember having one or quite interesting merlots from Washington, the Kestrel Columbia Valley Merlot comes to mind, though I can't remember what vintage, generally I avoid it. So I suppose I am somewhat biased in saying that I would probably not buy it again, even though I thought it was good.

Just a note to clarify: I'm pretty sure Wine Spectator gave it an 88 and the 2001

vintage a 90.

I forgot to add: I bought this at a private wine store here in BC (was more convenient than going to Government liquor store) and it was $26.99CDN! A little steep if most of you are getting it below $10US.

Cheers,

James

Edited March 3, 2005 by jhiroshi (log)

[Smithy]

I've been testing and tasting wines for a couple of years with friends, but still don't have good descriptions. I hope the present eGCI class will change that, but in the meantime, please bear with me. This is a pretty generic description.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Columbia Valley Merlot, 2001

On first opening: Deep garnet color, coats the glass, no legs that I can see.

Aroma pleasant, fruity, rather light-bodied.

The first sip was pretty astringent - due to tannins?

I let the glass sit 30 to 40 minutes and tried again. The dry salami I had in the meantime may have influenced my palate, but the wine seemed less astingent.

After an hour, the wine was definitely smoother, but also not as fruity. Still some tannins (I think). It wasn't quite a one-note wine; as it sat on the the tongue the flavor changed and improved. This was a drinkable wine, but not as good as other merlots I've had in the same price range. Without having a good term for it, I'd say it struck me as dark, rather musty, and almost sullen.

Andrea Immer says some wines improve after a night - or in some cases two - so I let the rest of the bottle sit until tonight. There was a definite improvement.

2nd night: Aroma light, fruity

Flavor: pleasant, fruity (see, I told you my wine vocabulary is weak)

Tannin bite is gone

The flavor is better, brighter. Whatever seemed dark and sullen last night is gone.

Tonight, it's a pretty good wine. I don't know that it's worth bothering to buy again, though. I have trouble envisioning myself buying a bottle of wine and opening it the night before I want to drink it. I've found other merlots that are friendly right after opening, for the same price.

[Smithy]

I'm curious about what's going on with the changing flavors I noted in my previous post, and how to describe it. If someone else experienced it with this wine, and can explain it along with better descriptors than mine, I'd appreciate some elucidation. I may try it again after the current Introduction to Evaluating Wine eGCI class is finished, as a measure to see how my perceptions and ability to describe them have changed.

[BrentKulman]

Before we get into this, I should state that I am not a fan of Merlot as I generally find it too tooty-fruity for my palate.

So, with that preface, here goes:

I've got a a bottle of the 2001 vintage.

Appearance: Medium red/purple, relativley viscous, with lots of nice legs

Smell: Cherries, blackberries and plums

Taste: Starts out with a burst of somewhat sweet cherry-flavored juice; in the middle, my tongue starts to dry and this sensation is followed by some acidity that makes my mouth water and, finally, some very soft tannins that build, somewhat, as I consume the balance of the glass

Drinkability: Overall, very fruity, just as I expected; straightforward Merlot characteristics; very approachable, with nothing challenging to the palate. Bottom line, there is nothing wrong with this wine if you like the straightforward cherry fruit style

[LEdlund]

How fun, the WOW is from my own hometown!

Some friends were visiting earlier this week so I decided to crack open a couple of bottles to taste. I must admit, I got a lot of strange looks as if to say "are you kidding me with this?".

I was having a hard time keeping folks attention - but I was able to capture a few comments. Mostly people thought the wine was shallow and not complex. Blackberry and black cherry were the strongest flavors noted and then heat, alcohol and a metallic or sour taste were next.

I didn't serve it with any food, so maybe that would have made a difference. Even at $11 a bottle, I think I'll pass on drinking any more of this.

[Smithy]

Has anyone else tried letting it breathe overnight? I did think it improved, although still not enough to become a preferred merlot.

[Zeemanb]

This wine sure was easy to find. They had a ton of it (2001) at my local Price Chopper grocery store for $9.99. We had it on its own last Friday night, and I don't really have anything new to add to previous comments. Fruity aroma and flavors seemed to dissipate quickly as I drank it, becoming kind of watery. There was virtually no finish with the exception of some sharp/bitter lingering flavors in the last glass or two.

Overall, nothing too memorable. I'd drink it with pizza, gyros or something in that vein. However, at $9.99 it will be more likely that I bypass it to go and try out other wines in search of that $7-$9 "holy grail".

Jerry

[jhiroshi]

Has anyone else tried letting it breathe overnight?  I did think it improved, although still not enough to become a preferred merlot.

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Smithy, I did try some the second day and did not think that it had improved. If anything I would say that it lost some of the fruit on the nose. This is not to argue against your finding. For my tastes, I usually find that improvement on the second day happens mostly with more tannic wines, such as Shiraz/Syrah and Bordeaux blends, not so much with merlot.

James