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2006 Columbia Crest Merlot H3 |
| Vintage | 2006 |  Label 1 of 3   | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Columbia Crest (web) | ||
| Variety | Merlot | ||
| Designation | H3 | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | USA | ||
| Region | Washington | ||
| SubRegion | Columbia Valley | ||
| Appellation | Horse Heaven Hills | ||
| UPC Code | 088586003448 |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average 85.4 pts. and median of 85 pts. in 31 notes) | |
| Tasted by jeffal66 on 7/27/2010 & rated 85 points: I bought this pretty much knowing what I'd get. As Columbia Crest's second (third?) label, you can expect some leftover grapes. It's no great shakes, not over-the-top, everyday type drinking. Some dark fruit, chocolate, blah blah blah. (237 views) | |
| Tasted by coloradowino on 6/2/2010 & rated 86 points: Nothing very pronounced here except maybe the finish. Nose is fine, a little dull but black cherry. Rather plain in the palate, a little tannic and somewhat heavier bodied than I was expecting. Finish is a combination of tannin and velvet, it's the most interesting part of this wine. Theres nothing wrong with this, it's a good drink but I think I like the (cheaper) Columbia Crest Grand Estate Merlot better (434 views) | |
| Tasted by chrwhite on 5/28/2010 & rated 86 points: Eh, nothing special. This wine was a dark, inky purple, almost back in the glass. I was hoping for more on the nose: it was fruit forward, but more generic fruit than anything specific. Spice and oak showed up as well. This wine was medium bodied on the palate, and seemed a little off. Oak, spice and cherry predominated, but the wine was chalky on the back of the palate leading into a finish that tasted a bit like fortified wine. Nothing bad, but not something I would seek out again, necessarily. (460 views) | |
| Tasted by jessecz on 5/22/2010 & rated 88 points: (449 views) | |
| Tasted by Pinot Evil on 5/17/2010 & rated 85 points: (515 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 3/13/2010 & rated 87 points: (749 views) | |
| Tasted by schalky on 3/10/2010 & rated 85 points: (714 views) | |
| Tasted by Cobbster on 2/24/2010 & rated 86 points: Big flavors upon opening, fades some after a couple of hours. (982 views) | |
| Tasted by WineontheBarrelhead on 2/17/2010 & rated 78 points: Very lean, with aromas of black fruits and dried herbs followed by clipped flavors of bittersweet chocolate and roasted tomato, and hints of singed toast. In my experience, Columbia Crest's H3 reds have been earthy, loamy and somewhat herbal, but tend to lack concentration. This wine is indicative of that profile, with a light-medium bodied frame and an abrupt finish. Not recommended. (1032 views) | |
| Tasted by Bicycler52 on 2/12/2010 & rated 85 points: not impressed at all, nothing interesting about this wine (1023 views) | |
| Tasted by ATLeonidas on 1/26/2010 & rated 80 points: Nose had some decent cocoa, cola, cherries. Medium bodied, the flavors start with dusty cherries and blackberries, as well as a bitter cocoa. However, a rough astringent oak dominates the palate and nearly hides the rest of the wine. It's unfortunate that this is so overoaked, because it is otherwise a well balanced smooth wine. (1117 views) | |
| Tasted by ethralls on 1/7/2010 & rated 85 points: Very funky, wet and mushrooms on the nose at first but eventually blew off to smokyand slight black fruit but not much else. Blackberries and blueberries on an otherwise uneventful palate (1183 views) | |
| Tasted by df1962 on 12/3/2009 & rated 87 points: Very forward brambly, smoky nose with hint of treacle toffee. Refreshing blackberry blueberry flavour with lingering flavours and a smoky hint of vanilla. Nice balance. Not as flsehy as other vintages but also works better with food. Opended up over the course of a few hours. Tasty mid-week house wine at a great price. (1326 views) | |
| Tasted by *Vine* on 11/4/2009 & rated 81 points: Popped and poured. Medium-plus red/purple hue. Aromas of toasted oak with a touch of fruit. Medium to medium-plus body. Has really devolved from a somewhat palatable Merlot with little merit to what is now simply an oak-laden mess. Palate simply shows spice from the oak additives...what little fruit is underneath comes across as green and under-ripe. Technically not flawed, hence the low rating (showed best on release). Drink now. Really a shame for Columbia Crest to have ever released this Merlot when their example from the Grand Estates line scores at least in the mid eighties (not to mention the Two Vines Merlot, which is also generally much better)...hopefully just an anomaly with this vintage. (1481 views) | |
| Tasted by markandsusanw on 11/1/2009 & rated 82 points: Basic, serviceable Merlot; a little thin and not much fruit. The kind of thing I'd drink only as a last resort. (1152 views) | |
| Tasted by kavitha and nick on 10/18/2009 & rated 90 points: velvety smooth and long finish. Would buy again for price. (1459 views) | |
| Tasted by foobarski on 10/2/2009 & rated 81 points: Didn't decant or aerate, and found it to be kinda thin, and yeah, oaky. (1476 views) | |
| Tasted by bvwino on 8/27/2009 & rated 87 points: (1358 views) | |
| Tasted by ccrida on 8/10/2009 & rated 84 points: Flabby, fruity oak bomb. Big blueberry nose, jammy taste struggles to break through the vanilla. Easy enough to suck back, this would have been a good play when I was chasing girls in college but is too bit boring for adults at this price ($11). (1603 views) | |
| Tasted by DTWOB on 7/26/2009 & rated 88 points: Consumed over three days with no discernible decrease in quality of taste. Nice deep dark color, full nose of dark berries, very approachable with very mild tannins more dark berries and a mild finish - great QPR. (1644 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 7/19/2009 & rated 90 points: (1449 views) | |
| Tasted by *Vine* on 6/29/2009 & rated 85 points: Popped and poured. Medium-plus ruby/purple hue. Still has a strange "funk" on the nose somewhat reminiscent of fruit that is matched by aromas of well-toasted, spicy oak and alcohol (the oak component is especially disconcerting at this point, definite overuse). Medium body. On the palate, flavors of black cherry, plum, vanilla bean, and toasted oak are actually quite pleasant. Tannins are slightly drying. Seemed to improve with air, albeit slightly. This wine may never come together, the oak component seems to have grown. Drink up within the next 1-2 years before the fruit fades away. ***Quick commentary - Clearly this wine has been over-manipulated by use of oak chips and/or powder. The fruit that may have existed before the oak element was added could have actually led to a much better result. At this point, the always solid Grand Estates Merlot is a better wine and value. (1763 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 6/27/2009 & rated 88 points: (1519 views) | |
| Tasted by Quarked on 6/16/2009 & rated 85 points: On opening had almost no aroma and very thin taste, though very smooth with nicely chewy tannins. I was thinking low 80's score, but after a few hours took a nice smokey, woodsy smell and a little more flavor. Still, even at this price point many better options. (1744 views) | |
| Tasted by nwbackpacker on 5/15/2009 & rated 84 points: This is my second bottle of this and I can't believe I didn't pick up before on the insane oakiness on this. This wine needs an hour or so to breathe to let the fruit aroma build up enough to even try to compete with the oak. Luckily the oak is fairly smooth and sweet and not horrendously overpowering, but I can't help but feel they really over oaked this. The fruit is actually decent once you get over the nose and let it sit in the glass/decanter for a while. Nice acid too, which really cut through the fat of the beef ribs I had with it. Overall, fairly drinkable, but too much oak and I would have been pissed if I had bought this at anywhere near MSRP. (1797 views) | |
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