Delicious Available Everywhere
Rating: Almost shocking. Not a refined wine, but stupid-yummy and not a flaw to be found. Super deal available everwhere. $11
The Rest of The Story: There are those things in life that are so common that you barely notice them...pre-flight safety demonstrations, mailboxes, satellite dishes... Such is the case - and curse - with Columbia Crest's wine...
The local grocery store stacks it by the pallet with sale prices seemingly a permanent fixture. At that volume and placement, it's more of an obstacle than an offering.
So, how can something so ubiquitous be any good?
There are - and will be - many small, unique, hard-to-find wines represented here. To balance that out, we like to dip into the masses of commonly available product - or, slum it - on occasion. More often than not, we're glad we did.
With 170,000 cases made for the 2007 vintage, there are stacks of this stuff all over the country. That's more that most wineries make of all their wines combined. But just as we've found with producers like Gallo and Bogle and McManis and Kendall Jackson and others, quality and mass production can go hand in hand. Add Columbia Crest to that list.
This Cab is as straightforward as it comes. Extracted, oaked, full-bodied, and dark. Quintessential American Cabernet with the requisite dash of spice-rack varietals to smooth out the wrinkles. Balanced, aromatic, and chocolatey. Romantic even. And, dig this, for under twelve bucks.
Despite trying hard, nary a flaw is to be found in this wine. No, it isn't the epitome of refinement and class, but we also tried hard to leave some leftovers in the bottle for tomorrow. And, as with flaws, there were none to be found.
Earmark this for a best of 2010. Dig it.
Rating: Almost shocking. Not a refined wine, but stupid-yummy and not a flaw to be found. Super deal available everwhere. $11
The Rest of The Story: There are those things in life that are so common that you barely notice them...pre-flight safety demonstrations, mailboxes, satellite dishes... Such is the case - and curse - with Columbia Crest's wine...
The local grocery store stacks it by the pallet with sale prices seemingly a permanent fixture. At that volume and placement, it's more of an obstacle than an offering.
So, how can something so ubiquitous be any good?
There are - and will be - many small, unique, hard-to-find wines represented here. To balance that out, we like to dip into the masses of commonly available product - or, slum it - on occasion. More often than not, we're glad we did.
With 170,000 cases made for the 2007 vintage, there are stacks of this stuff all over the country. That's more that most wineries make of all their wines combined. But just as we've found with producers like Gallo and Bogle and McManis and Kendall Jackson and others, quality and mass production can go hand in hand. Add Columbia Crest to that list.
This Cab is as straightforward as it comes. Extracted, oaked, full-bodied, and dark. Quintessential American Cabernet with the requisite dash of spice-rack varietals to smooth out the wrinkles. Balanced, aromatic, and chocolatey. Romantic even. And, dig this, for under twelve bucks.
Despite trying hard, nary a flaw is to be found in this wine. No, it isn't the epitome of refinement and class, but we also tried hard to leave some leftovers in the bottle for tomorrow. And, as with flaws, there were none to be found.
Earmark this for a best of 2010. Dig it.