WS Top 100 #1 Wine: Follow Up Part II

2005 Columbia Crest ‘Walter Clore Private Reserve’

“Columbia Crest has long been known for the quality of its value-priced wines. The current collection will only enhance the winery’s reputation. Their upper-level, limited-production wines merit serious attention as they are value-priced compared to the competition.” – Robert Parker

2005 Columbia Crest ‘Walter Clore Private Reserve’ Red – SALE $22.99, (Reg. $25.99)

Columbia Crest is obviously on a roll, with their 2005 Reserve Cabernet having just been named Wine Of The Year by the Wine Spectator. Sold out over a year ago, we recently offered the 2006 Reserve Cab to our customers and it too sold out in a blink!

But the requests for Columbia Crest wines just keep pouring in. So we dipped into our tasting notes and discovered that we tasted the 2005 Columbia Crest ‘Walter Clore Private Reserve’ just a few weeks ago, before the WS Top 100 wines were published.  Not only is this the same vintage as the sold out WS Wine Of The Year, the Walter Clore represents the best of Columbia Crest’s reserve level wines. And we’ve got it for just $22.99 per bottle!

Named after Washington’s pioneer grapegrower, this vintage is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc and was aged for 26 months in new French oak. As compared to the Reserve Cabernet, the Walter Clore is made like a grand cru Bordeaux, utilizing such typical winemaking techniques as barrel to barrel racking and egg white fining.

This wine is delicious now but definitely has the stuffing to go the distance. With Columbia Crest winery on everyone’s lips, you should act now so the wine can be there as well.  Enjoy!

Pre-Arrival: Ships Next Week

USA – WASHINGTON – COLUMBIA VALLEY

2005 Columbia Crest ‘Walter Clore Private Reserve’ Red – SALE $22.99, (Reg. $25.99)

The Wine Spectator, Feb 2009, 92 points: “Ripe and polished, with gorgeous chocolate-tinged black currant, black raspberry and coffee notes swirling through the long, vivid finish. Tempting now, but should develop more with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2016. 6,500 cases made. –Harvey Steiman”

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Oct 2009: “Purple-colored it exhibits an alluring bouquet of toast, coconut, chocolate, graphite, spice box, black currant, and black cherry. Medium to full-bodied, savory, and structured, this well-balanced effort will improve for another 3-5 years in the bottle and offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2025. -Jay Miller”

JJ Buckley, Oct 2009: “A vibrant plum red color, this medium bodied red wine blend offers aromas of cedar, black cherry, anise and coffee. On the pallet this wine displays flavors of tobacco anise, cherry, blackberry and bakers chocolate finishing with dusty tannins in the finish. This will require a little more time to come together.”
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Stellar Shiraz Only $15.99 – R Wines ‘CR Ebenezer’

“R Wines that make it to the shelf are not merely sound and well-made, but are stylish, compelling, hand-crafted and peerlessly delicious.”

2007 R Wines Chris Ringland ‘CR Ebenezer’ Shiraz  – SALE $15.99 (Reg. $19.99)
Hoo doggies, does THIS wine over-deliver! Today we’ve got a super deal on another seriously great value shiraz from The Grateful Palate and superstar winemaker Chris Ringland. Normally $19.99, this baby is on sale for only $15.99, 20% off the regular price!

The CR boasts hedonistic notes of violets, licorice, vanilla, blackberry liqueur and espresso that way over-deliver in satisfaction for the price. This is a bold, classic Barossa Valley shiraz that drinks more like a $50 wine (heck, it may drink better!) It hits on all cylinders with succulent fruit, a juicy mid-palate, a super long finish and a plush texture. We tasted this wine over four days against all kinds of worthy contenders. Quite simply, the CR Ebenezer spanked everything else on the table!

The very talented Chris Ringland, who has probably earned more RP 100 point scores for his wines than any other Aussie winemaker, sources fruit for the CR from his favorite Barossa sub-region, Ebenezer.  Fruit from this area provides the backbone for many of the Barossa’s most famous wines, like the E&E ‘Black Pepper’ and Rockford ‘Basket Press’ Shiraz. The lean soils and slightly cooler temperatures provide shiraz from this area with a minerally, structured spine wrapped by the rich fruit that the Barossa is known for.

You know that we taste a whole lot of wine here at JJ Buckley and you know we appreciate a great quality-price-ratio. That’s where the CR Ebenezer Shiraz kills it! If you don’t think this is the best shiraz you’ve had for less than $16, let us know asap. Enjoy!

In Stock: Ready To Ship

AUSTRALIA – SOUTH AUSTRALIA – BAROSSA VALLEY

2007 R Wines Chris Ringland ‘CR Ebenezer’ Shiraz  – SALE $15.99 (Reg. $19.99)

JJ Buckley, Nov 2009: “Chris Ringland’s latest releases are classic examples of the new approach to winemaking in the Barossa Valley. The nose is a refreshing, lively aroma of dark cherries wrapped around a deep core of graphite and stone. Later, scents of roasted coffee, spice and tar appear. Like any good Barossa shiraz, the midpalate is juicy, but the wine never gets syrupy thanks to integrated acids that frame the finish. This is no simple fruit bomb -savory herbs and spicy tannins intermingle with that deep cherry note found in the bouquet. For a rich wine, there is still a lot of packed fruit yet to be revealed. Examples tasted over three days had the wine slowly revealing the concentrated flavors sampled at day one. A very sophisticated wine for the price!” – Chuck Hayward

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