As we continue our spotlight on Washington wineries for Washington Wine Month, we bring you an exciting new winery by Chateau St. Michelle Estates. The winery is named after the Drumheller channels in central Washington which were carved out roughly 15,000 years ago during the floods of the the Ice Age. If you have never been out to the Othello area to check out these massive channels, it is worth a visit to see this geological marvel. Drumheller is a restaurant only label that focuses on Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet. Their first releases were from the 2014 vintage and their latest release wines come from the very hot 2015 vintage, which saw serious heat spikes.
Tim Jones serves as winemaker, as he has been with Chateau St. Michelle since 2012. I was particularly impressed with his 2015 Drumheller Chardonnay (WWB, 90) which showed wonderful fruit weight and poise considering the heat of the vintage. This is a marvelous value. Even better is the 2015 Drumheller Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 91) which has wonderful dark fruit aromatics and flavors while showing great balance. Priced at $12.00 retail, this wine is a knockout value. All these wines are highly approachable right now and are downright delicious value wines from Washington. Learn more about Drumheller at https://www.drumhellerwines.com Here are the great new wines by Drumheller
2015 Drumheller Chardonnay- This wine begins with Pazzaz apple, creme brûlée and vanilla aromatics with suggestions of toasty oak. The palate shows nice poise and weight with golden delicious apple flavors, vanilla cream and suggestions of creme brûlée. The finish is creamy and long. Drink 2017-2023- 90
2015 Drumheller Merlot- You have to admire the plush aromatics here with this bottling. Black cherry compote, black olive, black tea and mocha aromas impress. The mouthfeel is lovely as well, showing black tea, wild blackberry jam and coffee ground flavors that sit alongside some nice sturcture. This is an outstanding value out of Washington. Drink 2017-2024- 91
2015 Drumheller Cabernet Sauvignon- This densely colored Cabernet wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 2% Syrah. The wine begins with aromatics of dill, creme de cassis, mocha and black olive with hints of black cherry compote. The palate is plush and rich, showing black tea, creme de cassis, mocha and anise flavors that impress. This shows an excellent mineral-driven backbone that backs up the dark fruits and is an awesome pairing for a juicy ribeye steak. Grab a case of this awesome new Cabernet wine. Drink 2017-2025- 91