Columbia Crest Syrah

Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2015 Syrah, Columbia Valley

Last night we attended the Queen Anne Helpline's annual Taste of Queen Anne Auction. Queen Anne Helpline improves the lives of our neighbors in need by providing emergency assistance for housing, food and basic needs.

After years and years of going to so many different charity auctions I know to not hold out hope that the wine selection will be that interesting. Typically there is a white, more than likely an Oaky Chardonnay and a red, mostly a Cabernet or red blend. I will give a thumbs up to the taste committee and their wine selections they had options! They had everything from Bubbles, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Syrah and possibly more!  

Even though we are the Washington Wine Chat the 2015 Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley Vineyards was a nice change from the standard Chardonnay. It had a nice rich straw color with pear and apple on the nose along with a bit of floral. The palate hit you with grapefruit, and orange. This wine had a nice balance and had a great finish that seemed to keep going. Also not bad at an affordable price point of $17.00

The surprise though of the evening I felt was the 2015 Grand Estates Syrah from Columbia Crest. To be honest I have not had any wines from Columbia Crest in probably over a decade. I will say that I have the impression that they are lesser quality and just your run of the mill grocery store wine. This Syrah changed that impression for the better for me. 

I was impressed with the smoky tones that this young wine had. The nose had currant and pepper  which then led to a dark fruit palate. Had I done the tasting blind I would have never been able to tell you that this wine was a $12 buck wine. I would recommend this wine and enjoy it as a second or third bottle and still feel satisfied. 

This Syrah would pair nicely with a Pork Tenderloin in Baguette, I've been working on perfecting my recipe which features a delicious inky olive tapenade as well as prosciutto. Keep an eye on ShaunMyrick.com for this recipe. Photos aren't the best but super tasty!