Columbia Valley

This is always a great value from Oregon/Washington producer Sineann.  Peter Rossback makes a lot of a wide variety of wines.  Once he is done, he makes a couple of different blends with the leftovers.  The Abondante is the better of the two (the other is labelled Red Wine).  This sells for around $22 and comes screw capped!  This vintage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight chocolate and char.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Drinking well right now.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  This should drink well for

A few months ago, we reviewed the Cabernet Sauvignon from the vintage and vineyard, so it was nice to go back and taste the Cab Franc.  While not quite at that level, it is quite good.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cigar tobacco and cedar.  On the palate, this has a lush but sinewy texture.  Lots of black cherry fruit.  Some depth.  Good balance.  Medium tannins.  Nice length.  This should continue to mature and may improve a bit.  It works well on its own but better with food.  Roasts or casseroles go well.  

Another great value from this winery.  Light golden in color.  The nose has lychees and a bit of minerals.  Medium bodied, slightly viscous.  Moderate acidity.  This is slightly sweet on the palate.  A bit of citrus.  Nice finish.  This drinks easily on its own and works with lighter or medium bodied foods.  Drink now, this was probably a bit fresher a year or so ago.  

This is made by an Oregon producer using Washington fruit.  Screw capped.  Champoux Vineyard is one of Washington's finest.  This Merlot is quite good and certainly better than many California Merlots at similar pricing.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, chocolate,  and spice.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Some depth.  Light tannins.  This is still youthful and may improve a bit over the next three to five years.  It should be good for another five to seven after that.  It will work well with roasts and casseroles.  

Sineann gets grapes in Oregon and Washington and makes quite a few different wines.  This one is a blend of grapes that did not get bottled as a single varietal.  It is always a great wine and a better value.  This vintage it contains Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel.  By the way, Abondante means "generous" in Italian.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice, slight chocolate and forest floor.  On the palate, there are light tannins.  This is medium to full bodied.  Plenty of black cherry fruit with some cherry over a forest floor quality.  Good finish.  This is very fle

This is join venture made in Washington state.  Back in the day, this was a bit pricey vis a vis the other options but the price has remained stable and now full retail is about $25.  A nice wine for that price.  Light golden in color.  The nose has peaches, minerals and slight char.  With air a slight lychee note emerges.  On the palate, this is just slightly sweet.  Peaches with nice minerality.  A softer texture.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should for the next five to ten at least.  It will work with almost any food.  Spicy foods would be great!  

Another Washington wine that was nice to try.  97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cassis, some chocolate, a bit of blueberries and spice.  On the palate, this has a lush texture.  It is tight but with air opens in the glass.  Cassis and blueberry fruit with spice and oak.  It needs a few years and will probably improve by a point or two.  Nice finish.  It is concentrated but a big wine and will need bigger foods or great on its own.  

This is a very nice Cab Franc from Washington.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco and slight bell pepper.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity.  Good fruits black cherries and cherries with underlying herbal notes.  Good finish.  Slight tannins.  This works better with foods and went well with a home made pizza.  It seems still young and might get better but should easily last another 5 to ten years.  

This is a great value in Washington Cab.  Originally from younger vines in the Champoux vineyard, these wine have been made for 20+ years now.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, sandalwood, slight bell pepper.  On the palate, this has nice cassis fruit with an underlying char.  Full bodied.  A nice complexity, it takes some time (about an hour) to fully open up.  Firm tannins.  Juicy acidity.  In style, this is somewhere less ripe than Napa and more than Bordeaux.  It easily has a decade or more left.  Works great on its own or with bigger foods.  

Sineann is an Oregon producer but they make wines in many places.  The vines for this wine are almost one hundred years old and are just inside the Washington border.  It is an excellent Zin, that is not full throttle but not shy either.  It ages nicely too.  Purple in color.  The nose has some spice, plenty of cherries and a bit of plums.  On the palate, there is a nice gravelly quality underneath some nice cherry fruit.  It is young and exuberant at the moment but if you prefer a more claret style, this should cruise into that in another ten years.  It will work with meats and peppery foo