Reserve Red
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 15 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted prime rib, grilled lamb chops with rosemary, aged gouda cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
The Reserve Red from Columbia Crest represents the pinnacle of the winery's craftsmanship, sourced from the finest estate vineyard blocks in the Horse Heaven Hills and the wider Columbia Valley. This wine showcases the dramatic terroir of eastern Washington, where intense desert sun is balanced by cool winds sweeping along the Columbia River, resulting in grapes with concentrated fruit flavors and balanced acidity. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the Reserve Red is typically aged in premium French oak barrels to develop a complex structure, velvety tannins, and refined spice notes. Historically, Columbia Crest's reserve program has played a pivotal role in establishing Washington State as a world-class wine region, proving that its terroir can produce bold, sophisticated red blends with exceptional aging potential.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1982 by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Columbia Crest was the pioneer winery founded within what is now the acclaimed Horse Heaven Hills AVA of eastern Washington. Situated along the benchlands above the Columbia River, the estate takes full advantage of a semi-arid, rain-shadowed microclimate marked by intense summer sunshine, constant river breezes that deter frost and pests, and fast-draining, wind-blown Warden silt loam soils. Initial plantings in 1978 and early winemaking under founding cellar master Doug Gore established the winery's benchmark status for reliable varietal purity and commercial scale. The production regimen bridges large-scale precision with small-lot barrel fermentation and French and American oak aging. Columbia Crest cemented its reputation when its 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon won Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year. Today, the estate produces tiered selections ranging from the everyday Two Vines and Grand Estates labels to vineyard-driven Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay expressions.