Wine By Nine

White Wine by Ch. Ste. Michelle from Columbia Valley, Washington. This Cold Creek Chardonnay shows off the power and depth that typifies the vineyard. Fruit flavors of baked apples and lemon meringue open this wine. A slightly higher percentage of new oak was used because it gives this wine nicely integrated smoke and toast flavors on the finish. The structure and acidity insure a long life for those who choose to set down their Chardonnays a few years. Food pairings: Seafood risotto, salmon, veal

White Wine by L'Ecole 41 from Columbia Valley, Washington. Elegantly balanced, this Burgundian style Chardonnay shows Fuji apple, Asian pear and ripe pineapple and tropical flavors with subtle mineral and spice that gain complexity on a long, robust finish.

White Wine by Novelty Hill from Columbia Valley, Washington. Ripe peach, pear and fresh pineapple aromas repeat on the palate and combine with a creamy texture to give this wine a rich and concentrated character. Good balance of acidty that produces a finish with generous length. Similar in style to rich, full flavored California Chardonnays. This limited production Chardonnay is a great example of the high quality wines from Washington state. However, with only a few hundred cases produced, it will be difficult to find. The Conner Lee vineyards in central Washington's Columbia Valley are one of the oldest vineyards in the state. The vineyard is known for its execeptional grape quality and enjoys moderate growing conditions that are well-suited to Chardonnay.

White Wine by Ch. Ste. Michelle from Columbia Valley, Washington. The warmth of the Wahluke Slope consistently produces Chardonnays with an appealing tropical fruit character. The 2006 bottling delivers pineapple, butterscotch, and vanilla aromas with notes of brown sugar and spice. The Indian Wells Chardonnay is soft and rich yet maintains a beautiful elegance. I like this wine with scallops, scampi or pasta with slightly richer sauces. - Bob Bertheau, Winemaker

White Wine by Covey Run from Columbia Valley, Washington. BACKGROUND The best Chardonnay vineyards in Washington state are those planted in the cooler sites. The grapes ripen mid-to-late season in these situations and this is necessary to preserve the most delicate fruit flavors. Higher elevation vineyards in the cooler Yakima Valley ripen beautiful Chardonnay in early October. In the warmer Columbia Valley, north-facing sites are optimal because they ripen later than south-facing slopes. An excellent location for Chardonnay is also the Columbia River Gorge appellation on the east side of the Cascades near White Salmon, Washington, which benefits from the mixing of cooler marine air that blows through the Gorge in the summer and fall. WINEMAKING We pick Chardonnay when the tropical fruit flavors are well developed, but before the berries lose their green acidity. For the Winemaker's Collection bottling, we prefer handpicked fruit that is then whole-cluster pressed to make a delicate, limpid juice. We transfer the juice to a blend of 65% French and 35% American oak barrels and barrel ferment the wines. After 6 to 7 months in barrel, we blend and fine the wines and then bottle during the summer. WINE DESCRIPTION Our Winemaker's Collection Chardonnay is rich and round, yet balanced with enough acidity to bring out the fruit. We consider oak to be a complement to the flavors of the grape, and do not let it dominate the fruit. Mouth-filling flavors of crisp apple, pear and lush melon meld with those of vanilla, hazelnut and toast, leading to a long lingering finish.

White Wine by Columbia Crest from Columbia Valley, Washington. Intense aromas of apple and pear lead into hints of melon and creamy butter on the palate in this refined Chardonnay. The lingering finish is a lush balance of sweet oak, caramelized sugar, and fruit. - Ray Einberger, Winemaker

White Wine by Columbia Crest from Columbia Valley, Washington. Aromas of caramelized sugar, apple, and pear lead into hints of melon and butter on the palate in this refined Chardonnay. The lingering finish is a lush balance of wood and fruit.

White Wine by Ch. Ste. Michelle from Columbia Valley, Washington. My goal vintage after vintage is to make the Columbia Valley Chardonnay a pleasurable, food-friendly Chardonnay. This 2006 bottling is a fresh, soft Chardonnay with appealing sweet citrus fruit character with subtle oak nuances. I work with vineyard lots from all over the Columbia Valley to make this a complex, interesting wine. This is a versatile food wine that can work with many foods including chicken, pork and white sauce pastas. - Bob Bertheau, Winemaker

White Wine by Columbia Crest from Columbia Valley, Washington. Styled for immediate appeal, this wine presents lemon and honeydew aromas that continue across a perfectly balanced palate. A soft fruity finish is threaded with hints of oak. Ray Einberger, Winemaker