Columbia Crest Named One of Wine & Spirits “American Wineries of the Year” For First Time

Wine & Spirits magazine named Columbia Crest one of its "American Wineries of the Year" for the first time. The accolade was part of the magazine’s Winter 2011 Buying Guide issue which featured the 100 Best Wines, 100 Best Buys, and Top 100 Wineries of 2011.

Wine & Spirits credits Columbia Crest's ability to consistently create quality Washington wine at all price points – from the H3 tier of wines at $15 to the single-vineyard Reserve wines at the $35 price point.

In the article, Wine & Spirits editor Patrick J. Comiskey writes that the H3 wines are "a tier that brings more appellation character to a $15 wine than most." He goes one to say that "the top-scoring Columbia Crest wines this year came from its (Reserve) single-vineyard program, a series of six bottlings that change depending on the growing season." These wines include the 2007 Reserve Stone Tree Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (92 points), 2008 Reserve Coyote Canyon Syrah (90 points), and the 2008 Reserve Malbec (90 points).

Columbia Crest’s Reserve wines are hand-crafted in le petit chai, a small winery within the overall winery where the artisanal approach to winemaking is reminiscent of the top boutique wineries and châteaux. The single vineyard Reserve wines are part of a small selection of limited edition wines from Columbia Crest that represent the very best of vintage and varietal from the single vineyard site. Each vintage the vineyard-designated wines vary based on vineyard sites and varietals to match the high standards of the program.

"We pick these wines to showcase the vintage rather than the house style, to express what happened during the season," Head Winemaker Juan Muñoz Oca, stated to Wine & Spirits.

Muñoz Oca’s was named Head Winemaker for the winery in 2011. He joined Columbia Crest in 2003, and most recently was dedicated to the winery's red wine program.

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For further information:
Erin Shane
425/415.3696
erin.shane@smwe.com