Columbia Valley: Marquee Cabernet Sauvignon Region

As a part of my reporting on the World of Cabernet Sauvignon investigation, I am developing profiles of the Cabernet Sauvignon regions not previously covered in this blog.  Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley in Washington fall within that category and are profiled in this post.

Washington is second only to California in US grape production.  Due to the rain-shadow effect of the Cascade Mountains, most of the state’s quality wine production occurs to its east where rainfall averages 6-8 inches per year.  Irrigation in the wine regions is primarily from riverine sources.

Primarily due to the Cascades, Washington State wine regions operate in a continental climate of hot dry summers and cold winters.  The state’s location at 46 degrees north latitude provides 17 hours of daylight in the growing season (two more hours per day than Napa) and this, combined with extreme diurnal temperatures, allows for good ripening with acid retention.  The free draining sandy soils and cold winters serve as repellents to the phylloxera louse.

Columbia Valley

The Columbia Valley AVA (established in 1984) extends over central and southern Washington and juts into the northern portion of Oregon.  Spread over 11 million acres, this is the largest AVA in the state and itself contains a number smaller AVAs to include Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills, Wahluke Slope, and Snipes Mountain.  Ninety percent of the grapes grown in Washington are sourced from the 6,851 acres of vineyards planted in this AVA.

At 46 degrees to 45 degrees N, Columbia lies on the same parallel as the famed French wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.  The climate is continental but on a day-to-day basis, it is desert-like with hot days and cool nights.  With annual rainfall of 6 to 8 inches, irrigation from the Columbia River and its tributaries is a requirement.  In addition to being a water source for the vineyards, the Columbia and its tributaries also serve to moderate summer and winter temperatures.  The area is subject to vine-killing winter freezes which mandate replanting of damaged vines.  The cold weather, along with sandy soils, is credited with keeping the phyloxerra louse at bay allowing the vines to sit on their own rootstocks.

The soil in the Columbia Valley AVA is primarily silt, sand, and loess sediment.  Most of the regions vines are planted on south-facing slopes thus increasing solar radiation in summer and  drainage in the winter months.

The most widely planted grape varieties in the region are Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah.  Some of the notable wineries include Quilceda Creek, Columbia Crest, Chateau St. Michel, Col Solare, and Owen Roe.

The Cabernet Sauvignons of Washington are characterized by an easy drinking style with lower levels of tannin than enmcountered in Bordeaux and Napa. The blog site winepeeps.com has described the Cabernets from the region as a great Cab at a fair price. The site has noted that Washington winemakers are migrating away from weedy, vegetal characteristics which they see as being associated with the younger Cabernet Sauvignon wine regions.

Walla Walla Valley AVA

This is an arid zone of 530 square miles with vineyards that stretch over into northern Oregon.  The area contains 1600 acres of vineyards and 100 wineries.

The area experiences very little rainfall due to the Cascade Mountains rain shadow and, as for the larger Columbia Valley AVA, irrigation is a key enabler.  The AVA has a 200-day-long growing season which is characterized by hot days and cool nights.  The area is subject to sudden temperature shifts  as cold air from the Blue Mountains on occasion is trapped in the valleys.  Growers are always on guard for the possibility of killing freezes during the winter.

Basaltic lava flows millions of years ago formed the Columbia Plateau of which the Walla Walla Plateau is a part.  Ice age floods have contributed rich, silty soils and huge boulders.

The primary varietals grown are Cabernet Sauvignon (41%), Merlot (26%), and Syrah (16%) along with small amounts of Cabernet Franc (4%), Sangiovese (2%), and Chardonnay (2%).  Some of the more important wineries include L’Ecole No. 41, Leonetti Cellar, Cayuse Vineyard, and Woodward Canyon.

Red Mountain AVA

The Red Mountain AVA -- the smallest in the state -- is fully encapsulated within the Yakima Valley AVA which is, in turn, a part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA.  The AVAs 4000 acres is comprised of a steep, south-facing slope running along the eastern edge of Yakima Valley.  The area supports 15 local wineries with its 600+ acres of vineyards but it is better known for providing grapes for some of the most acclaimed wines in the state.  The primary varietals grown in the AVA include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

Red Mountain is desertic with 5 inches of rainfall per year, hot days (90 degrees), and cool nights (50 degrees) and experiences warmer temperatures and more sunlight than any other AVA in the state.  The Yakima river moderates temperature wjhile the cool air from the north flows down the hillside and cools the grapes.

The AVA lies between 500 and 1500 feet elevation.  The soil is a result of flooding action on the rocky landscape 10,000 years ago which resulted in deposits of nutrient-rich topsoil comprised of high-alkaline, high-calcium-carbonate gravel.

The AVA is known for its powerful, high-tannin red wines with "intense concentration of red berry flavors."  The area is especially known for its structured Cabernets and the use of Clone 8 Cabernet fruit results in Napa-style wines. 

Horse Heaven Hills AVA

Horse Heaven Hills was awarded AVA status in 2005.  The AVA, falling within the bounds of the Columbia Valley AVA,  covers 57,000 acres, is 50 miles long and 20 miles wide, and lies between 300 and 1800 feet elevation.  Of the AVAs 9644 planted acres, 2400 fall within the state of Washington, with the remainder in Oregon.  The region suports 28 vineyards and 6 wineries with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah as the primary planted varietals.

Vineyards lie on south-sloping benches along the Columbia River and are exposed to much more wind than vineyards in other Washington AVAs.  These strong winds act as deterrents to rot and fungus while serving to thicken the grape skins and concentrate the juices.

Marquee Cabernet Sauvignon Region: Maipo Valley, Chile

As part of our contribution to last year's #Cabernet Day celebration, this blog published a number of posts on notable Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc regions to include Margaret River, Chile (as a whole), and New Zealand (Hawkes Bay and Waiheke Island). Since then we have added posts on Cabernet Sauvignon regions such as Graves, the Medoc, and Bolgheri.  Over the course of the next few months I will seek to round out the Cabernet Sauvignon picture by publishing posts on such marquee Cabernet Sauvignon regions as Napa Valley (Rutherford, Oakville, Stags Leap District), Coonwarra, and Columbia Valley.  I will begin this initiative with a post on Chile's Maipo Valley.

As stated in a previous post, Chile is a long, narrow country -- dominated to the east by the Andes and to the west by the Pacific Ocean -- with vineyards located along an 800-mile stretch of land from the Atacama Desert in the north to the Bio-Bio region in the south. Chilean vineyards are allocated to one of four regions based on Denominacion de Origin laws introduced in 1994. The major regions are, from north to south, Coquimbo, Aconcagua,

Valle Centrale, and Southern Regions and each region is, in turn, further subdivided into a number of sub-regions.

The vast majority of Chilean wines are produced in the Valle Centrale region.  Valle Centrale, in general, and more specifically, Maipo Valley, one of its four sub-regions, is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon.  Valle Centrale is the fertile basin that lies between the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Range and runs north-south from approximately 50 miles north of Santiago to 250 miles to its south.  Vineyards in the valley benefit from: the Andean snowmelt that is carried from east to west across the valley by the Maipo, Rapel, Curico, and Maule Rivers; the cooling effect of the Antarctic Humboldt Current in the Pacific off the Chilean coast;  the protection from the Pacific winds afforded by the Coastal Range; and the rainshadow effect of that selfsame range that causes the bulk of the rainfall to be deposited on its western side.  Valle Centrale is divided into four sub-regions: Maipo Valley, Rapel, Curico, and Maule.

Maipo Valley is the northernmost of the four regions and stretches from the capital Santiago eastward to the Andes and westwards to the Chilean Coastal Range.  Due in large part to its proximity to the capital, it is one of the oldest wine regions in the country.  Maipo Valley's climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.  Temperatures are modified by both the Andes and the Pacific Ocean with the afternoon warming the vines as it comes over the mountains while the cool night-time breezes drive grape-beneficial day-night temperature differentials.

Maipo Valley Wine Region (Source:http://www.ladatco.com)

Maipo is itself divided into four communes: Pirque (a small commune around the capital with elevations up to 2300 feet), Puente Alto (commune of alluvial soil with high stone content) Santiago, and Talagante.  A more-recent sub-region formulation that divides Maipo Valley into Alto Maipo, Central Maipo, and Pacific Maipo is gaining currency with the realization that east-to-west terroir differentials are much more meaningful than north-south differentials.  Moving from east to west, Alto Maipo is the area closest to the Andean foothills and ranges in elevation from 1300 to 2600 feet.  Some of the leading Cabernets from Maipo Valley originate from this "sub-region."

Maipo Valley is planted to 10,800 hectares of vines to include 6411 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1168 hectares of Merlot, 961 hectares of Chardonnay, 548 hectares of Carmeneré, 427 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, and 380 hectares of Syrah.  Some of the leading estates of Maipo Valley are Concha y Toro, Santa Rita, Almaviva, Don Melchor, Domus Aurea, and Vineda Chadwick.

The best Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon's are from Maipo Valley and these wines have been variously characterized as bold, elegant, rich, complex, and balanced with a signature "powerful eucalyptus and blackcurrant flavor." I recently tasted four Chilean "Icon" wines at a Wines of Chile-Guild of Sommeliers event and, because of its relevance to this post, I will reprise my notes of the Casa Real and Concha Y Toro Don Melchor tastings below.

Casa Real is a "super-premium" wine which is only produced in years of "exceptional" vintages.  The vineyards are located south of Santiago in the Maipo Valley at elevations varying between 1200 and 1500 feet.  The climate is Mediterranean with 350 to 450 mm of rain annually and thermal oscillation in excess of 68 degrees.  The soil is a combination of riverine deposits and eroded rock.  The grapes are sourced from 50-year-old vines and are hand-picked and double-selected.  The fermentation process includes a 10-day cold soak followed by a 12-day oak-vat fermentation and 15-day post-fermentation maceration.  Malolactic fermentation occurs in new French oak barrels where the wine matures for 16 months prior to bottling.

The 2005 Santa Rita Casa Real is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14.5% abv.  This wine exhibited rich, ripe black fruit and wet stones on the nose.  On the palate it was all primary fruit and oak, with a hint of spiciness.  The 1998 -- also 100% Cabernet Sauvignon -- was markedly different and presented tasters with the opportunity for a classic old/new comparison.  This wine showed browning and orange tones in the glass and secondary characteristics on the nose to include a green note, richness, leather, and dried fruit.  The oak has become better integrated into the wine and the fruit is toned down.  On the palate the wine is round, balanced, rich, and soft.

The second "Icon" considered was the Concha y Toro Don Melchor.  As is the case for the Santa Rita Casa Real, the Don Melchor grapes are grown in the Maipo Valley and on similar soil.  The winery contends, however, that its proximity to the Maipo Canyon renders its vineyards the coolest in the region.  The Don Melchor vineyard consists of contiguous sub-divided plots with each of the six Cabernet Sauvignon blocks having its own distinctive style.  The vineyard is also home to 7 hectares of Cabernet Franc vines.

The Don Melchor 2006 was tasted first.  This wine, a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, had a deep, extracted color in the glass and black fruit, oak, dankness, and green notes on the nose.  A cool refreshingness on the palate accompanies medium acidity and ripe fruit.  The wine is rich and creamy with soft tannins.  The Don Melchor 2000 (similar blend as for the 2006) threw off tar, asphalt, and eucalyptus on the nose.  On the palate a mintiness and sour eucalyptus.  Good balance with a hint of salt accompanying a long finish.