Columbia Crest strikes again

Columbia Crest, one of the biggest producers in Washingston state, had done it again. They have recently released two different labels that you need to check out. I'll start with the cheap one. Vineyard 10

Vineyard 10:

Produced in both a red blend and white, this bottle should ring in around $7/btl. While the white blend was plenty good for the money (can't remember the blend, but perhaps some sauv bland, semillon, etc) I'm here to focus on the red. Vineyard 10 red is a blend of mainly cabernet, syrah and sangiovese (with touches of grenache, my new favorite grape). You'll be pleasantly surprised by this inexpensive red. It's got good simple red fruit on the nose. But where it earns it's buck is in the mouth. It's surprisingly rich in the mouth (and easy to drink thanks to what must be some residual sugar). Try it out, then buy it by the case. This is your new house wine. You're welcome.

H3 (Horse Heaven Hills):

Alright, so if you follow the ratings on wines you probably already know that the H3 chardonnay was rated 91 pts by Wine Spectator ("one to buy by the case") and that the cabernet also garnered a 90 pt rating. The great thing? You can find these wines for under $15! Sometimes on a volume discount you can get them for under $11 (which I did last week). The wine that has not been scored by WS yet is the merlot, and honestly I think it is the best of the bunch. Easily a 90 pt wine. It has the softness and fruitiness that you expect of a Washington merlot, but with a little something extra. This wine has an element of earthiness/smokiness that really did it for me. This is a wine that I recommend quite often during the work week (along with the chardonnay) and haven't had any complaints yet. Brought it to a family get together, too, and it was quite well received. It's one of those bottles that drinks like many $20 plus bottles, and that's why I love it.