Mention Washington state fly fishing and most anglers conjure up visions of mighty steelhead from the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula and salmon or searun cutts from Puget Sound.
Mention Washington state to an oenophile and they conjure up visions of the sweeping vineyards dominating the Columbia River Valley and Walla Walla region.
Bottlenotes commented on this region’s wines recently here and honed in on what makes the Columbia Valley merlot in particular so special –
What makes Columbia Valley merlot so special? The Cascade Mountains form a massive wall, known as a rain shadow, along the Columbia Valley’s western border, which prevents the wet weather of the Pacific coast from reaching the valley floor. The valley also happens to be located along the same latitude as Bordeaux. As a result, it is a stony desert with well-drained soil and the kind of warm days and cool nights that allow merlot to ripen fully while retaining high acidity and firm tannins. In the glass, this means Columbia Valley merlot benefits from great structure on which to hang its luscious fruit.
She Who Must Be Obeyed and I have enjoyed sampling a number of these Columbia Valley wines and have found, being the cheap bastard that I am, a number of very good wines that don’t cost the proverbial arm and a leg.
Some of our Washington (not necessarily all Columbia Valley) wine favs include Northstar’s Premier, a nice merlot, and we’ve enjoyed L’Ecole’s Apogee, Buty’s Beast and several from the Hedges Family Estate Winery. Keep your eye out for Woodward Canyon and Hightower Cellars (their Red Mountain is a must try) as well.
