Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red 2007
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32.1% Merlot, 2.7% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Smooth and spicy, with nutmeg and caramel notes and a few floral touches around a solid core of blackberry and blueberry character, finishing with firm texture. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2012 through 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The purple-colored 2007 Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc that spent 30 months in barrel. Toasty oak, mineral, violets, spice box, herbs, and assorted black fruits set the stage for a concentrated, dense, flavorful blend that will evolve for 2-3 years and offer peak drinking from 2014 to 2022, perhaps longer.
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Wine Enthusiast
A fine rendition of this wine that honors the founding father of the Washington wine industry. Elegant and polished, it blends classic Bordeaux varieties into a complete and satisfying wine with mixed black fruits, coffee grounds, loam, pencil shavings and fresh-cut tobacco. Drinking well already, it will age gracefully for up to a decade.
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Founded in 1982, Columbia Crest was the very first winery in the famed Horse Heaven Hills AVA in eastern Washington state. Since then, the unwavering passion for crafting wines of outstanding quality has earned more 90+ Point bottles than any other U.S. winery from Wine Spectator. The legacy is built with every harvest, honoring the rich heritage of Washington wine in every bottle.
Aptly named after the highest peak on Mount Rainier, Columbia Crest represents the pinnacle of Washington State wine. From the vineyard to the glass, Columbia Crest wines are an extraordinary expression of craftsmanship, delivering a steadfast promise with each bottle – world-class wines from a world-class wine region.
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.