Wine of the Week Columbia Crest 2013 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Hills

I could not resist posting today about this wonderful wine.

This month I have several forthcoming posts about wine and wine related products. While I am working on a post about Columbia Crest Reserve wines and uber talented Columbia Crest Head Winemaker, Juan Muñoz-Oca, I could not resist first sharing my enthusiasm for this wine.

Did you know that Columbia Crest has a Reserve line of ultra-premium Washington wine?

Sourced from premier vineyard sites and meticulously hand-crafted in their Petit Chai, a "winery-within-a-winery" Columbia Crest Reserve wines represent the height of winemaking skill by Columbia Crest Head Winemaker, Juan Muñoz-Oca. These are special limited production wines.

Hand of the Head Winemaker and his Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.

Regular readers should know that I am a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc. My participation these last three months with #WinePW a twitter group of mostly food bloggers, has brought a greater focus to my wine and food pairing planning. When I was contemplating opening this special bottle of Columbia Crest Sauvignon Blanc, I spent some time contemplating what food to pair it with. Yes, this post is about the wine, but it is also about how more enjoyable a wine can be with a proper pairing.

Tasting Notes Columbia Crest 2013 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

Color: Pale gold.
Nose: Toasty with ripe mango, passion fruit, mineral quality.
Palate: Tropical, zippy, grapefruit, passion fruit.
Wine expanded after 45 minutes. Honey suckle breeze, serious flavors, solid, dry, citrus with salinity, almost grassy with essence of mandarin on the savory finish. Focused and balanced. Killer finish. Hawaii was on my mind. Wonderful.

Thoughts: Loved this wine. And it was a fantastic pairing with King Crab Salad. I had two leftover King crab legs, so I decided to make a simple salad/appetizer. This turned out to be a wonderful match. The flavors of the crab salad complimented and enhanced the flavors of the wine. Very pleased with both. Strongly Recommended.

King Crab Salad.

King Crab Salad Recipe:
I decided to class up the presentation by serving this salad in martini glasses.

1. For the dressing I used lime juice, salt and black pepper.
2. Stirred dressing until the salt dissolved.
3. Added olive oil to the dressing and stirred.
4. Added shredded crab meat to the dressing.
5. Added sliced celery to dressed crab and stirred.
6. Layered mixed greens in martini glass first.
7. Added sliced avocado on top of mixed greens.
8. Added the dressed crab meat on top of avocado.
9. Topped with fried wonton.

This wine and crab salad were made for each other. Enjoy.

Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Closure: Natural Cork
ABV: 13%
Production 75 cases
SRP: $24
Purchase direct from the winery

Visit the Columbia Crest Winery
Hwy 221,
Columbia Crest Dr.
Paterson, WA 99345
Telephone (509) 875-4227
Open Daily 10:00am - 4:30pm

Columbia Crest Winery, Paterson, Washington.

If you are ever passing through the Tri-Cities where I live, the Columbia Crest winery is about a 40 minute side trip from Richland. They have a very nice facility and an impressive tasting usually available. My last visit was in October during harvest. Lovely time.

Well, we should have a new #winemuse podcast show uploaded this month - look for it. A bunch of wine related posts almost ready to go as well. Thank you for the new twitter follows and positive feedback. It has been a true pleasure and privilege to share so many wonderful wines this year.

Cheers!

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine. That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle ...

Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon. The style has changed.

“There is something special going on at Col Solare." In mid-June 2022, I began working for Col Solare winery on the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. The Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare are famous for stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. That I knew going in. We are not here to make more wine... We are here to showcase place. At the end of June 2022, Col Solare winemaker Darel Allwine retired. Darel had been winemaker since 2013. Prior, he had been Col Solare assistant winemaker for Marcus Notaro. Marcus had been Col Solare winemaker when the Red Mountain facility opened and was winemaker before we had our Red Mountain facility. On July 1, 2022, Col Solare assistant winemaker, Stephanie Cohen, was promoted to Col Solare winemaker. I was present for this change. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Col Solare is the third winery I have worked for. I chose well. Often, I am asked by Col Solare guests, as I was last week, “Tell me about Col Solare. Wh...

William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

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