Columbia Crest
2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Washington: Columbia Valley
Mission Briefing
More awards than you can...
92 points - Wine Enthusiast ~ Cellar Selection
With more accolades and more 90+ scores than many California wineries, Washington state’s Columbia Crest Winery produces wines that rival the best of our beloved California. The winery is the only Washington state winery to have won Wine Enthusiast’s coveted Winery of the Year award.
Today’s 2008 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is an impressive wine that makes us look at Washington state wines in a whole new light. Sure, we’ve tasted really good wines from Washington, but today’s is easily the best that we’ve ever featured.
If you love great Cabernet Sauvignon as much as we do, you’ll accept today’s delicious wine with our boldest recommendation.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Very dark garnet with concentrated color from heart to edge. Heavy and viscous-looking in the glass, giving clues to the weight to come on the palate. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Plum brandy, spice and leather lead the way. As the wine breathes, it opens up, revealing dark fruit of braised plum, blueberry, braised fig, smoked meat and concentrated black cherry. At the end, hints of Christmas spice and cedar underpin the wine. |
| Taste: | Dark and rich with blackberry, dusty bramble, alpine strawberry, dried cherry, smoked cherry, river rock and dried unsweetened cranberry. At the end, walnut meat, dark tobacco and a hint of lichen. |
| Finish: | Extra long, with a softly grainy texture that seems to hold on to dark fruit and earthen flavors for a long time. |
| Pairing: | BBQ duck breast with rosemary would be a delight. Add grilled asparagus with freshly grated parmesan for a real treat. |
What the Winery Says
2008 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
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- Growing Season
- A perfect ripening season with full crop yields and restrained sugar levels led to outstanding wines from Washington state’s vineyards in 2008.
Harvest began 10 days later than normal due to cool spring weather and a moderate summer.
Hot weather in August provided ideal ripening conditions for grapes across all varietals and harvest was quickly ramped up in order to obtain fruit at the optimum ripeness.
- Vineyards
- Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for the Reserve program were harvested from the top 10% of the vintage’s best vineyard sites.
Vineyard sites are located on the Wahluke Slope, offering aromatics, texture and complexity; the Cold Creek area, which add flavor and fruitiness; and on the Horse Heaven Hills, which contribute balance and body to the finished wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon has an affinity for the growing season’s warm daytime cooler evening temperatures. The balance between daytime and nighttime temperatures during the ripening period concentrated aromatics and enhanced complexity.
The region’s low rainfall stressed the vines, yielding concentrated fruit with depth and varietal expression. Vinification Hand-picked grapes were crushed with 20% whole berries remaining.
Cold soaking on the skins for two days extracted soft tannins and intense color.
A combination of twice-daily pumpovers and délestage (punch-downs) during fermentation occurred for 6 to 9 days, depending on lot and vineyard.
Lots are blended and placed in 82% new French and 18% new American oak barrels for malolactic fermentation.
Aging occurred for 25months in oak.
- Appellation
- ColumbiaValley
Vineyards Wautoma Springs 31%, Coyote Canyon 28%, Stone Tree 22%, Beverly 12%, Four Feathers 7%
- Harvest Date
- September 24, 2008
- Blend
- 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot
- Fermentation
- 6-10 days on skins
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Total Acidity
- 0.59g/100ml
- ph
- 3.73
Cases Produced 6,600
- Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
- “Crafted in a classic Bordeaux style and sourced from low-yielding vineyards within the best appellations of the Columbia Valley. This wine delivers an enticing bouquet of spice, anise and rose petals. On the palate a perfect balance of cherry, berry and coco flavors lead to a powerful and complex finish.” ~ Ray Einberger, Columbia Crest Winemaker 
About the Winery
- Columbia Crest
- At Columbia Crest, we are dedicated to celebrating the rich heritage of Washington winemaking through an unwavering commitment to producing outstanding, approachable wines.
Nestled alongside the Columbia River in eastern Washington, Columbia Crest winery opened its doors in the heart of the acclaimed Horse Heaven Hills in 1983. Year after year, the winery maintains its commitment to quality, heritage and innovation in grape growing and winemaking to craft exceptional wines.
- Extraordinary Craftsmanship
- Washington state and the Columbia Valley represent the perfect grape-growing climate, from the weather to the soil to the vineyard sites. These growing conditions, along with outstanding viticulture and winemaking practices, allow Columbia Crest to create high-quality wines that are true to their varietal character and represent the unique terroir of the region.
- Critically Acclaimed
- From the vineyard to the glass, Columbia Crest wines are an extraordinary expression of craftsmanship. With a large body of acclaim, Columbia Crest winery delivers a steadfast promise with each bottle—world-class wines from a world-class wine region.
Historic Highlights
The Wine Advocate names Columbia Crest as one of the 24 “Best Value Wineries” in the world.
The 1990 Estate Series Cabernet Sauvignon is the only U.S. wine awarded a gold medal at the “Challenge du Vin” in Bordeaux, France.
Columbia Crest makes its first appearance on Wine Spectator’s list of Top 100 wines for the year with two wines: 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon; 1995 Estate Series Chardonnay.
Columbia Crest is named Wine Press Northwest’s first “Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year.”
Wine Spectator selects the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, with a score of 95 points, as the #1 Wine of the Year in their annual Top 100 Wines of the Year edition – Columbia Crest is the first Washington winery to receive this honor.
The 2007 H3 Merlot is named to Wine Spectator’s list of Top 100 wines of the year, marking Columbia Crest’s sixteenth placement on the list.
Wine & Spirits Magazine names Columbia Crest winery as one of its “American Wineries of the Year.”
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon makes an appearance on the Today Show as part of a “Best Products of the Year” segment.