SCHAEFER ON WINE:

Columbia Winery, reinvented

Dennis Schaefer

March 19, 2015

Columbia Winery, in Woodinville, is perhaps Washington state's first premium wine producer. Founded in 1962 by a handful of academics from the University of Washington, it's had its ups and downs over the years. In the 1980s, innovative winemaker was the first to produce , and in the state. But its neighbor across the street, Chateau Ste. Michelle, grew to become the state's largest producer while Columbia has seemingly been in its shadow.

Now with more than 50 years of wine heritage, Columbia Winery has recently reinvented itself, refreshing its identity while still sourcing its fruit from mature vines in the Columbia Valley. For what's captured in the bottle, the wines are competitively priced: You get fruit-forward flavors that snap with good acidity and play well at the table. Some notes on their current releases (they also make limited quantities of , syrah and grenache rosé that are worth seeking out):

• Columbia , Columbia Valley 2013 ($9.99): Drawn primarily from the cooler sub-appellation of Yakima Valley, this chardonnay shows pear, apple, lemon zest and a bit of tropical fruit on the nose with just a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. It has solid, in the wheelhouse, pop in the mouth, chardonnay flavors that echo the aromatics with citrus, green apple and green pear aided by a touch of clove and nutmeg. Fresh and clean, it has a sense of high-toned elegance, as well as an enriched midpalate texture from eight months of aging on the lees (spent yeast cells) than might be expected at this price.

• Columbia , Columbia Valley 2013 ($13.99): Just from the dark color of this merlot, you can tell it's going to be a big drink. Dark plum and boysenberry come through on the nose, in an appealing and fresh way, along with brown spice undertones. Plum, blackberry and boysenberry are the fruit flavors on the palate, supported by a light touch of , vanilla, milk chocolate and more brown spices. But mostly the fruit just shines; it has the flavor intensity of a $40 bottle, though not the complexity. Fruit- forward and juicy, it coats the mouth and breezes to a long and lengthy finish, something not usually found at this price (again). Tasty and merlot- like, it's a great Tuesday night wine.

• Columbia Composition Red Blend, Columbia Valley, NV ($11.99): Primarily a and merlot blend, mostly from the 2011 vintage, this wine spotlights winemaker Sean Hails' blending skills. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, dark plum, graphite and spice are immediately inviting. It's expansive on the palate, with both red and dark fruits in the mix, including cherry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry and plum, with spicy oak in the background. A case where the whole is more than just the sum of its parts, it morphs into a vibrant red wine with softer tannins and a lasting finish.

• Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley 2012 ($13.99): Just barely over the legal limit to be called cabernet, this bottling also incorporates syrah, and merlot. Dark plum, black currant, coffee and cedar are the dominant aromatics. From the first sip, you sense that this wine is more substantial than the merlot (as it should be). Densely structured with firm tannins, the wine's core of flavors include black currant, blackberry, loganberry, cedar and cigar box plus hints of cocoa powder and vanilla on the finish. The hard core of fruit is there, if still tightly wound. Surprisingly, decanting will bring out the best features of this still young wine.

Wine expert Dennis Schaefer's column appears every other week in the Food section. Email him at [email protected].