A winery that focuses on their estate grown fruit, Chandler Reach has been producing some impressive red and white wines for more than a decade. The Perris family dream began in 1997 on a trip to Italy where they decided to launch a winery between Richland and Prosser off I-82. Len Parris was interested in building on his 21.5 acreage and decided to purchase the adjacent land next to his. He called the family who owned the extra land and they agreed to a price. Parris took to a tractor and cleaned up the land, which took a lot of time and was filled with large tumbleweeds. He needed someone to help with planting grapes and sought out help from Den Hoed winery. In 1999 vineyard was planted with starts off from the famous Ciel du Cheval vineyard.
The Chandler Reach winery has an absolutely stunning Tuscan style villa overlooking the valley and Yakima river. It is an absolutely gorgeous setting to taste their wines. If you have never had the chance to visit this villa, it is a must for any Washington wine lover. The Chandler Reach red wines are all estate grown and show ripe and flavorful qualities. You can typically taste the richness of the heat in that area, especially in hotter vintages. They have received considerable recognition for their red wines, especially their Cabernet Franc and their Monte Regalo, a Cabernet blend. Their white wines are also impressive as Kestrel vineyards provides the fruit for their Chardonnay and Viognier bottlings. Their Reserve tier bottlings called Parris Reserve are highly impressive. At a recent visit to their Woodinville tasting room, I was particularly impressed with their reserve lineup. One thing that makes these current releases so great is that they are all held back, so that they are drinking beautifully right now. All of the new release wines showcased beautiful and rich fruit flavors. Owner and head winemaker Len Parris has impressed with his recent lineup. Check out more about Chandler Reach wines at http://www.chandlerreach.com/#estate-winery
Some of these wines can be found at Costco. They can also be found at great Northwest wine shops like Met Market and Esquin, as well as online at the Chandler Reach website. Here are some of the fantastic new release wines from Chandler Reach winery. #chandlerreach
2013 Chandler Reach Chardonnay- The wine has aromas of ripe pear, banana and golden delicious apple. Flavors of Granny Smith apple, green papaya, poached pear and wonderful freshness. Nice minerality and lip smacking acidity to this wonderful summer wine. Drink 2016-2022- 91
2011 Chandler Reach ‘Brevetatta’- This wine is a blend of 73% Syrah, 18% Merlot, and 9% Sangiovese. The wine has aromas of red cherry, sandalwood, red raspberry and blackberry. Flavors of red cherry, blackberry and anise. Lovely fruit flavors considering the vintage. Nice minerality and balance, considering the coldness of the vintage. Drink 2016-2023- 92
2009 Chandler Reach ‘Parris Estate Reserve’ Cabernet Franc- This wine begins with dense aromas of red bell pepper, thyme, anise and cassis. There are rich flavors of anise, sagebrush, red raspberry and cherry pie. The wine has seamless texture and wonderful richness and minerality. Impressive effort here, as this represents one of the best Cab Francs in the state. Drink 2016-2024- 93
2010 Chandler Reach ‘Monte Regalo’- Aged 22 months in oak before bottling, the wine is a blend of 68% Cabernet with 20% Cabernet Franc and 12% Merlot. This outstanding wine begins with lovely black fruit aromatics of blackberry preserves, black olive and tar. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black olive tapenade and mocha. Nice structure and fruit flavors to this very solid wine. Drink 2016-2022- 92
2010 Chandler Reach ‘Parris Estate Reserve’ Cabernet- The wine has aromas of anise, sagebrush, cassis and black olive. This leads to dense flavors of creme de cassis, black cherry, black raspberry and black truffle. Absolutely polished and lovely effort, with nice structure from the cool vintage. It is particularly impressive that they managed this fruit profile in 2010. Drink 2016-2023- 93
2013 Chandler Reach Parris Estate Reserve’ Barbera- The compelling wine has aromas of wild mushroom risotto, sage, anise and red currant. Flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, gooseberry and sage persist. This is hugely novel. Fantastic texture and viscosity to this wine. This is one to savor. Drink 2016-2023- 93