Columbia Winery™ Malbec Red Mountain Vintage 2018

With roots dating back to 1962, Columbia Winery has been discovering and celebrating Washington wine for over 55 years. Columbia’s forward-thinking philosophy continues today in the hands of a talented and innovative winemaking team led by Winemaker, Sean Hails. We believe the sum of Washington is greater than its parts, inspiring winemaking and blending philosophies rooted in discovery, sourcing our fruit from across a range of Washington’s premier AVAs. Guided by our vision of high quality, approachable wines, each season we select premier vineyard sites, refine our oak regimen and cellar techniques to impart nuance, texture, and complexity in our wines.

About the Wine: Our 2018 Red Mountain Malbec showcases fruit-driven complexity of the Red Mountain AVA terroir. Grapes sourced from Quintessence, Obelisco Estate and Klipsun Vineyards create generous notes of blueberry, blackberry and spice. Our Malbec is shaped by firm tannins, a deep and well-textured palate and a luscious mouthfeel. It pairs beautifully alongside savory dishes, such as seasoned lambchops and herb mashed potatoes or pork tenderloin.

Vintage Notes: The Red Mountain AVA is known as the warmest growing region within the Columbia Valley. Here, our vineyards sit on southwest-facing slopes, which allow the vines to soak in ample sunshine during the long, warm days. The spring of 2018 vintage was temperate, which led to normal budbreak timing. The temperatures never really spiked until July, which allowed the Malbec grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.

Winemaking Notes: After harvesting the Red Mountain Malbec during the second week of September, almost a month sooner than in 2017, the grapes were destemmed at the winery and transferred to tanks. After a couple days of cold soaking on the skins, fermentation occurred at 85°F to 90°F in small-lot, stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, pump overs were used for intense extraction of color and flavor. Malolactic fermentation was completed to create a complex palate and intricate texture. All lots were barrel aged in 225-liter barrels for 16 months in a combination of 87% French and 13% American oak barrels (50% new).

Varietal Content: 100% Malbec Appellation: Red Mountain AVA Alcohol Content: 15.2% Titratable Acidity: 5.5g/L pH: 3.84 Bottling Date May 11, 2019 Cases Produced 886