Vins de l'État de Washington, cabernet et syrah du désert
10 bouteilles, du riesling sec au cabernet de garde du désertA dense Cabernet built for ageing, a peppery Syrah, a dry and perfumed Riesling: this is what an irrigated desert at the latitude of Bordeaux gives. Washington State, at the opposite end of the country from the federal capital, borders the Pacific and Canada; its vines grow east of the Cascades, sheltered from Seattle's rain.
Hot summers, long days, cold nights: the grapes ripen while keeping their acidity. Choose by grape variety, by AVA or by occasion.
Tenet Wines - Syrah The Pundit 2020
The expression of Washington's terroirs expressed through Syrah
Château Sainte Michelle - Syrah 2020
When Syrah meets Washington State
Château Sainte Michelle - Dry Riesling 2020
A Riesling with intense flavors from Washington State
Château Sainte Michelle - Merlot 2022
Ripe cherry, cocoa and coffee: a velvety Merlot made for the everyday table.
Château Sainte Michelle - Chardonnay 2022
Pomme verte, poire et pêche, un chardonnay de Columbia Valley à la rondeur mesurée.
Columbia Crest - Chardonnay Grand Estate 2019
Poire et pêche blanche, une pointe crémeuse, la fraîcheur minérale du fleuve Columbia.
Col Solare - Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Antinori associé à Château Ste. Michelle sur Red Mountain, puissance et longueur.
Canvasback - Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Red Mountain in the glass: blackcurrant, cedar and dark chocolate on a dense tannic frame.
Quilceda Creek - Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
The benchmark Cabernet of Washington State: tight, mineral and made to be cellared.
Columbia Crest - Merlot Grand Estate 2019
Cerise, prune et cassis, un merlot rond que le chêne parfume de vanille douce.
The state's AVAs, from plateau to hillside
An AVA (American Viticultural Area) defines a growing area. The vast Columbia Valley brings together almost all the vineyards and encompasses more precise districts.
| AVA | Terroir et climat | Vins de la cave |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Valley AVA mère, créée en 1984 | Basalt covered with sands and silts from the Missoula floods, irrigated by the Columbia, a wide gap between day and night temperatures. | Château Sainte Michelle, Tenet, Quilceda Creekde 15,50 € à 392 € la bouteille |
| Red Mountain au-dessus de la Yakima | A south-west-facing hillside, among the warmest in the state; poor sandy soils and constant wind give tight tannins. | Canvasback et Col Solarecabernets à 54 € et 116 € la bouteille |
| Horse Heaven Hills pentes au bord du Columbia | Longs versants au sud descendant vers le fleuve ; l'air en mouvement protège du gel, le raisin garde un fruit net. | Columbia Crest le domaine du plateau, installé à Paterson |
| Yakima Valley première AVA de l'État, 1983 | Slightly cooler, it supplies Riesling, Chardonnay and Syrah for blends labelled Columbia Valley. | Dry Riesling Château Sainte Michellesecteurs chauds et frais assemblés |
| Walla Walla à cheval sur l'Oregon | Loess at the foot of the Blue Mountains, rounded cobblestones to the south; Syrah and Cabernet from artisan wineries on both sides of the border. | Cayuse, côté OregonThe Rocks District, in the neighbouring cellar |
Un vin qui assemble plusieurs secteurs porte la mention la plus large, Columbia Valley.
Cinq cépages, cinq manières de boire l'État
Same sun, same cool nights, very different styles depending on the grape variety.
| Cépage | Style | La bouteille | Prix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabernet sauvignon | Cassis, cèdre et chocolat noir, tanins denses tenus par une acidité vive ; se garde dix ans et plus. | Canvasback 2018Red Mountain, domaine du groupe Duckhorn | 54 € |
| Cabernet de grande garde | Tight, mineral, designed to wait fifteen years; the Cabernet that made the state known to wine lovers. | Quilceda Creek 2019Columbia Valley | 392 € |
| Merlot | Ripe cherry, cocoa and coffee, velvety palate: a supple Merlot for everyday meals. | Château Sainte Michelle 2022Columbia Valley | 21,90 € |
| Syrah | Blackberry, prune, liquorice and leather, a rich palate with silky tannins, a spicy finish after sixteen months in barrel. | Château Sainte Michelle 2020par caisse de 6 | 21 € |
| Syrah et touches du Rhône | Olive noire, poivre et lard fumé ; touches de mourvèdre, grenache et viognier, grappes entières en partie. | Tenet The Pundit 2020par lot de 3 | 33 € |
| Chardonnay | Green apple, pear and peach, measured roundness and freshness preserved by the plateau's cold nights. | Château Sainte Michelle 202221,90 € la bouteille par caisse de 6 | 22,90 € |
| Riesling | Sec, élevé en cuve inox : bergamote, écorce d'orange, pêche et acacia, bouche ronde et fine acidité. | Château Sainte Michelle Dry Riesling 2020Columbia Valley | 15,50 € |
Prix à la bouteille ; le format de vente figure sous le nom du vin.
A bottle for every mood
Partez de l'occasion ou du plat, prix indiqué à la bouteille.
For seafood
Un riesling sec et parfumé, agrumes et fleurs d'acacia, qui accompagne crustacés, poisson gras et fromages à pâte molle.
Château Sainte Michelle Dry Riesling 2020 · 15,50 € la bouteilleA red for weeknights
Cerise mûre, cacao et café : un merlot velouté qui se boit dès maintenant, sur une viande grillée ou une pizza.
Château Sainte Michelle Merlot 2022 · 21,90 € la bouteilleFor a spicy dish
A Syrah signed by two Rhône winegrowers, black pepper, olive and smoked bacon, cut out for beef and spicy food.
Tenet Wines Syrah The Pundit 2020 · 33 € la bouteille, par lot de 3Découvrir Red Mountain
Blackcurrant, cedar and dark chocolate on a dense tannic frame: the state's warmest hillside summed up in a Cabernet.
Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 · 54 € la bouteilleUn cadeau à laisser vieillir
Le cabernet né de l'alliance entre la famille toscane Antinori et Château Sainte Michelle, puissant et long, à garder dix ans et plus.
Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 · 116 € la bouteillePoursuivre vers l'Oregon
Across the Columbia, the Pinot Noirs of the Willamette Valley and the Syrahs of Cayuse, in Walla Walla.
La cave de l'Oregon voisin
Pourquoi le désert réussit au cabernet
The Cascades block the Pacific clouds: to the east, the Columbia Valley receives barely 200 mm of rain a year. The vines live on irrigation drawn from the Columbia, the Yakima and the Snake, measured out precisely. In summer, the sun shines nearly two hours longer per day than in California, then the nights turn cool: the grapes ripen fully and keep their acidity.
The Missoula floods covered the basalt with sands and silts at the end of the last ice age. Phylloxera struggles to establish itself in these sands, hence vines that are often ungrafted, on their own roots.
Comment on choisit
The team tastes every wine before adding it to our cellar. For this state, it looks for the balance between ripe fruit and cool nights, from dry Riesling for aperitifs to age-worthy Cabernet. Each label states its AVA, and the price is always shown per bottle, even for wines sold in packs or cases.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur l'État de Washington
Does Washington State have any link with the city of Washington?
Only the name. Washington State occupies the Northwest, between Oregon, Idaho, Canada and the Pacific, with Seattle as its main city. The federal capital, Washington D.C., is on the Atlantic coast. The wines on this page come from the Northwestern state, whose vineyards stretch east of the Cascades.
What is the climate like for vines east of the Cascades?
A dry, continental climate. The mountains catch the rain from the Pacific: the Columbia Valley remains semi-desert and lives on irrigation. Summers are hot, days are very long at this latitude and nights are cool. The grapes ripen well while keeping a crisp acidity, hence dense reds and lively whites.
Qu'est-ce qu'une AVA et laquelle lire sur l'étiquette ?
An AVA (American Viticultural Area) is a growing area defined by geography alone, which leaves the winegrower free to choose the grape variety and the yield. Columbia Valley covers almost all the state's vineyards; Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills or Yakima Valley designate more precise districts. Our appellations page explains this principle in detail.
Why are the vines there said to be ungrafted?
An ungrafted vine grows on its own roots, whereas Europe grafts its vines onto American rootstocks. Phylloxera, which ravaged Europe in the 19th century, does poorly in the sands deposited by the Missoula floods, and cold winters slow its spread. Many plots in the state are planted this way.
Which Washington State wine should you start with?
Château Sainte Michelle's Dry Riesling, at €15.50 a bottle, shows off the freshness of the plateau well. For a red, the same house's Merlot, at €21.90, offers cherry, cocoa and a velvety palate. This estate, founded in 1934, was one of the pioneers of European grape varieties in the state.
Le cabernet de Washington ressemble-t-il à celui de Napa ?
It shares the ripe black fruit, but the cold nights often give it more acidity, and the tannins of Red Mountain are tighter. Many wine lovers place it between California and Bordeaux. Compare with the Napa Valley wines, then taste Canvasback from Red Mountain, at €54 a bottle.
Combien de temps garder Quilceda Creek ou Col Solare ?
These two Cabernets are made for the cellar. Quilceda Creek 2019, at €392 a bottle, benefits from fifteen years or more. Col Solare 2018, born of the alliance between Antinori and Château Sainte Michelle, at €116, will keep for ten years or more. If opened young, decant them for an hour.
Pourquoi certains vins se vendent-ils par lot ou par caisse ?
Some cuvées are offered in the estate's original format. Château Sainte Michelle's Syrah is sold by the case of 6, at €21 a bottle; Tenet Wines' The Pundit in packs of 3, at €33 a bottle. The price shown is always for one bottle, so you can compare one wine with another.
Walla Walla, c'est Washington ou l'Oregon ?
Both: the Walla Walla Valley AVA extends on either side of the border. Its southern part, on the Oregon side, is home to The Rocks District, a soil of rounded cobblestones where Cayuse grows highly distinctive Syrahs. You will find these wines in our Oregon cellar, next door to this one.