Andrew Will Winery Champoux Red Blend 2007
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Wine & Spirits
Cabernet Franc leads the charge in this extraordinary wine from the Horse Heaven Hills' most storied vineyard. It has franc's savory aromas and flavors, like a dusting cinnamon on fresh-picked cherries. It also has that variety's suppleness of texture and finely wrought tannins, augmented by cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot. The texture is simply a marvel, the tannins providing plenty of gravitas without getting in the way, persistent yet gentle.
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Wine Enthusiast
A unique version of Andrew Will's Champoux, this is more than half Cabernet Franc, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot filling in the rest. Thick and tannic, yet perfectly ripe and almost silky, it coats the palate with black cherry, graphite, slate and a bit of chalk. All that said, the fruit more than holds its own against the terroir's minerality. Drink this with your best steak, and give it plenty of breathing time.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Champoux Vineyard is a bit more deeply colored. A blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Petit Verdot, it is also denser, richer, more plush, and longer in the finish. Give it 4-6 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2014 to 2027.
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Wine Spectator
Firm, refined tannins surround a lithe core of currant, guava and pomegranate fruit. The flavors are a bit reticent, but they remain focused and refined through the generous, persistent finish. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2013.
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Andrew Will Winery was started in 1989 and is owned by Chris Camarda. The winery was named for nephew Andrew and son Will. Andrew Will was launched out of a love for wine that Chris developed while working in the restaurant trade for almost 20 years. Named after his son Will and nephew Andrew, Andrew Will has been a major contributor in putting Washington State on the map as a world-class wine-producing region.
Andrew Will wines are labeled by vineyard with each wine a different makeup of the Bordeaux varietals. These vineyards, all in the Columbia Valley, include Camarda's own estate Two Blondes. He is part owner of the Champoux Vineyard and sources from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. They make about 4500 cases of wine. In addition to the blends, Andrew Will makes from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese from fruit grown at Ciel du Cheval.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.