This is one of those rare "Oh, wow!" bottles. We opened this on Saturday night and it was half gone before the steaks were ready. Do not miss this fabulous bottle of wine! This Cabernet Merlot blend is smooth as velvet now and should cellar well for another eight years. It's Columbia Crest's flagship wine, the reserve Bordeaux blend named for Washington wine pioneer, Walter Clore.

Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve 2005
Columbia Valley, Washington $36
We Bought a Bunch $24.99
What the Wine Critics Thought: Wine Spectator 92 Points
Ripe and polished, with gorgeous chocolate-tinged black currant, black raspberry and coffee notes swirling through the long, vivid finish. Tempting now, but should develop more with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2016. 6,500 cases made. –HS

What We Thought: There is plenty of "Oh, wow!" factor in this new vintage of a wine that I consider to be one of Washington's finest Bordeaux-style blends. A classic Cabernet nose of cedar and cassis precedes a smooth-as-silk, medium-bodied palate of ripe blackberry and dark chocolate, all supported by velvety tannins that make this about as pleasant and approachable a Cabernet blend that you will ever find at this price point.

October 28, 2009