Col Solare 2007
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The toasty, succulent nose is lifted and intense, and the palate is very rich, full-bodied and oaky, yet not too smoky. Overall it's very concentrated but velvety and balanced, too. And the length is excellent.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting the tasting and a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that comes from a variety of vineyards (about 30% in Red Mountain and the balance from the Columbia Valley) and was aged 22 months in mostly new French oak, the 2007 Col Solare is a superb effort that offers up notions of cassis, cedar, lead pencil, tar and dried herb as well as a full-bodied, supple and polished texture. A classic Washington State Bordeaux blend, it stays classy and balanced, and shows the quality of the 2007 vintage. It’s also worth noting that there were 11,000 cases of this wine produced! Hats off to the Col Solare team – this is a beauty.
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Wine Enthusiast
An excellent Col Solare; the best yet. It has suppleness and structure, with a panoply of fruits, from cassis to slightly candied cherries. The barrel notes are here in proportion, adding toast and coffee and chocolate, and the tannins are firm and polished. A strong core leads into a tight, confident finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Aged in barrel for 21 months and built for the long haul, this blend of cabernet sauvignon (75 percent), with the balance Merlot and Franc, comes from sources that include Klipsun, Hedges and Cold Creek. The flavors are held in a powerful oak frame, supporting a pure shot of blue fruit that fills the middle palate; the tannins are firm but supple. Cellar it, then serve with a New York strip.
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Wine Spectator
Supple and inviting, with a lively texture to the dark berry, currant, floral and spice flavors, coming together smoothly on the focused, mildly chewy finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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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.