
In this month’s Five Wines Under $15 - with one wine stepping a toe over the line, we focus on value wines that deliver the goods.
A high tide lifts all boats as the saying goes – and an ebbing tide can drag them out to sea. It’s never more true than with value priced wines. In good vintages, value wines can often shine with across the board quality and value. In challenging vintages, these wines can sometimes suffer from any one of a number of maladies.
The last several vintages have been remarkably variable in Washington, with 2011 the coolest vintage on record followed by a vintage that tracked to historical averages in 2012 and now, in 2013, the second warmest vintage behind 2003. Who said we don’t have vintage variations?
Despite these challenges, the Pacific Northwest’s value producers have found different ways to succeed. While 2012 was somewhat of a challenging year for high end white wines - with the long, dry summer leading to alcohol levels frequently above 14% that sometimes left the wines out of balance - these same factors sometimes led to high quality value whites where growers were hanging higher crop loads. The result is some truly impressive whites on the shelf from the 2012 vintage, as indicated below. This is assuming, of course, that growers and wineries didn’t hang too large a crop!
Meanwhile, in 2011, the cool vintage - speaking generally - produced much more elegantly styled red wines. At their worst, in terms of the value priced wines, these offerings can be thin, green, and/or excessively tart. But at their best they can show a remarkable sense of elegance and restraint. And while 2011 wasn't quite the vintage for whites that 2010 was, which was exceptional, an abundance of good white wines were produced.
Below are five wines from 2011 and 2012 that maximized the potential of their respective vintages. With the holidays coming up, consider these high quality wines to offer up to you thirsty masses.
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Unoaked Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2012 $12

Erath Pinot Blanc Oregon 2012 $14

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2011 $12

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot Columbia Valley 2011 $12

Goose Ridge g3 Chardonnay Columbia Valley 2012 $16

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