Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Goat cheese crostini, grilled oysters, herb-roasted chicken
✨ Technical Specifications
Columbia Crest's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc represents a refined, small-lot expression of Washington State's capability with Bordeaux white varieties. Sourced from premier vineyard sites within the sun-drenched Columbia Valley, this wine benefits from the region's dramatic diurnal temperature shifts—where hot desert days develop rich, ripe tropical fruit flavors, and crisp, cool nights lock in a vibrant, food-friendly acidity. Historically, Washington's viticulture owes much to pioneers like Dr. Walter Clore, who recognized that the sandy-loam soils and abundant sunshine of the Columbia Basin were ideal for vinifera grapes. In crafting the Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, the winemakers often employ a combination of stainless steel fermentation to preserve the grape's bright, herbaceous character, alongside partial aging in neutral French oak barrels to impart a subtle creaminess and textured complexity. The result is a sophisticated white wine that balances the zesty, lemongrass energy of the New World with the elegant, mineral-driven structure of the Old World.
🍾 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.
🍇 Grapes
Sauvignon Blanc