If you are ever in Columbia Valley, visiting Chandler Reach Winery is a must. Perched on top of a hill, overlooking the valley, the winery is in a fantastic location. There is something really novel about visiting a winery in a remote location. Looking out at Chandler Reach, you feel like you are a million miles from the city.
The winery now has a tasting location in Woodinville, which makes tasting their wines more convenient for those who live in Western Washington.
Chandler Reach is a small, boutique winery that makes some great wines for the price. Many of their wines are in the 10-20 dollar range and their wines receive consistently 90 plus ratings from Wine Spectator. Many of their current released wines are from the 2008 and 2009 vintages (which were fantastic years for Washington red wines), which is novel considering most Washington wineries do not hold their wines back. Chandler Reach grows only red varietals (Cabernet, Cab Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah) but they have recently begun making a fantastic quality Viognier.
Here are some of the wines that I tried at Chandler Reach Winery.
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2012 Viognier- nice nose of honeysuckle, pear and golden delicious. Vibrant acidity with ripe pear, red delicious, and white peach. Impressive. Drink now. -91
2009 Corella- Some translucence on the reddish brown color. Blend of 75% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. Perfumed nose of rose petals, smokey oak, and blackberry. Palate is vibrant with great balance. Ripe strawberry and raspberry. Very tasty. Drink now. -92
2008 Ventoso- 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet. Brownish red hue with cherry cough syrup nose. Palate is smooth with fig, red cherry and oak. Nice complexity and slightly vegetal. Drink now. -90
2009 Brevetatta- Brownish red color. Syrah, Sangiovese and Merlot blend. Raspberry and smoke on the nose. Tasting red raspberry, red cherry and dried herbs. On the lighter side but well-made. -89
2008 Syrah- Red cherry and raspberry oak and smoke on the nose. Very perfumed. Impressive nose considering it's age. Palate is smooth and plush. Raspberry, red cherry and smoke. Balanced and ripe.on the lighter side but novel. Drink now. -90
2008 Parris Reserve Cabernet Franc- Vegetal nose with green bell pepper, red cherry and white pepper. Balance is fantastic. Red cherry, anise and red bell pepper on the slightly herbaceous palate. This is consistently one of their best wines. Drink now. -92
2007 Parris Reserve Sangiovese- Brownish red hue. Nose is slightly astringent with raspberry and oak. Palate is on the acrid side with red raspberry, red cherry and olive flavors. -89