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 Vintage1996 Label 1 of 46 
TypeRed
ProducerDeLille Cellars (web)
VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
Designationn/a
VineyardHarrison Hill
CountryUSA
RegionWashington
SubRegionColumbia Valley
AppellationYakima Valley

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2001 and 2010 (based on 150 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 86.8 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 8 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by Montecalvo on 2/16/2011 & rated 93 points: fully mature and drinking like a real bordeaux. (3379 views)
 Tasted by Gary on 2/26/2009 & rated 89 points: drinking very well. double-decanted several hours in advance, drank side-by-side with Chaleur.
Both excellent, with my preference for the Harrison. More fruit forward of the two. (3945 views)
 Tasted by JacB on 6/20/2008 & rated 90 points: Let this sit for an hour in bottle after opening, and it was quite good. Had a duplicate bottle decanted the previous week and sitting for an hour may have been a bit too much (though that was a warmer day). (3863 views)
 Tasted by wineboat on 10/1/2006 & rated 77 points: waited too long on this one (4325 views)
 Tasted by Mark on 9/29/2005 & rated 88 points: No tasting notes. Impression was that this is a mature Harrison but still drinking well. (2280 views)
 Tasted by Mark on 9/29/2005 & rated 84 points: Not a great example of the 1996 Harrison. The bottle was devoid of fruit and overall just tired. (3557 views)
 Tasted by Spencer on 7/22/2005 & rated 84 points: Over-the-hill. The tannin has almost completely disappeared from this wine, leaving it devoid of structure and balance. This used to be an enjoyable, elegant, lighter-bodied wine, but I erred in cellaring it this long. (2326 views)

Professional 'Channels'
By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, September/October 1999, IWC Issue #86
(DeLille Estate Harrison Hill Red Wine Yakima Valley) Subscribe to see review text.
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

DeLille Cellars

Producer website

DRINK NOW OR DRINK LATER?
by Chris Upchurch, Executive Winemaker/Vineyard Manager, Owner/Partner
By far, most questions asked of me always have something to do with the age ability of our wines. We offer the vintage chart below for this very reason, for all the red wines we have ever released. Please note that all of our wines are classically structured and designed to age well. I believe they will all see their tenth birthday and beyond in good health, and I include the white wines as well. Our white wines are not included in the chart because they are at "Drink" status at release. Aging does not make them more drinkable, yet there are interesting characteristics that can only develop in time, especially in the Chaleur Estate Blanc.

Red Bordeaux Blend

Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.

Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.

USA

American wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.

Washington

Washington Wine Commission | Credit to Washingtonwine.org for this article

Washington Wine
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.

Wineries
With 30,000+ acres planted, the state has ideal geography and conditions for growing premium vinifera wine grapes. Primarily grown on their own root stocks, the vines produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. While its focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the region also produces a wide range of other spectacular whites and reds.

Growers
Winemakers from all over the world have chosen to establish themselves in Washington, where they can create wines reflecting this region's unique characteristics. Their hand-crafted wines are receiving wide acclaim from critics regionally, nationally and internationally for their consistently high quality. Many of them have received scores of 90 and above from the major wine media. Overall this is a higher percentage than other leading wine regions.

Regions
As the state's fourth largest fruit crop, the Washington wine industry is an important contributor to the long-term preservation of Washington agriculture. The industry is committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation of water resources.
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.

Varieties
Washington produces more than 20 wine grape varieties - a ratio of 56 percent white to 44 percent red. As the industry matures and experiments, it finds many grape varieties that thrive throughout Washington's microclimates. There are more than 16,000 vineyard acres of red wine varieties statewide.

History & Vintages
Washington's wine future is limitless. As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally. New acreage and wine varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace. Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.

State Facts
Washington's wine industry generates more than $3 billion to the state economy. It employs more than 14,000 people, directly and indirectly, with projections to add nearly 2,000 more jobs by 2006. In terms of tax revenues accrued to the state and federal government, wine grapes are among the highest tax generators of any agricultural crops. Furthermore, Washington wine tourism attracts nearly two million visitors annually contributing to the positive growth of local and regional economies.
Washington State - the perfect climate for wine = ideal growing conditions, quality wines, business innovation, lifestyle, and social responsibility. All are key elements of this world-class wine industry.

Vintages
"2008 and even more so 2010 and 2011 were cool, even cold vintages (think: 2002 in the Barossa) without the extreme ripeness, extract and higher alcohol that had become the norm in the state’s post 1995 world. 2008 was manageable but the duo of 2010/2011 nearly caused a “great depression” in Washington State." - Jon Rimmerman

Columbia Valley

Columbia Cascade Winery Association

The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.

Yakima Valley

Wine Yakima Valley

 
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