Perched high atop Red Mountain, Col Solare is one of the most gorgeous wineries in the Pacific Northwest. The views from this legendary site are extraordinary. Col Solare is a historic partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Antinori Family that began with their first vintage in 1995, as Col Solare’s mission has been to amalgamate these two distinct viticultural and winemaking backgrounds to create a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon-based red wine from choice Red Mountain fruit.
I have been really impressed with these wines since they first began making them with the 1995 vintage. I have been tasting this wine since their first vintage and I have been so impressed with the consistency of the wines. Winemaker Darel Allwine made fantastic botltings for so many years and has now recently passed the torch to winemaker Stephanie Cohen, who has been at Col Solare training under Allwine. Cohen has been at Col Solare since May 2020, following a year-long stint as Enologist at Columbia Crest. She was promoted to Winemaker in June of 2022
I love the new 2019 Col Solare Red Wine (OB, 94) which is dense and chewy, as well as seamless on the mid-palate. Even better is the remarkable 2019 Col Solare ‘Tenuta’ Red Wine (OB, 95) which is even more heady and intense, showing some seriously good aging potential. Darel Allwine really did a magnificent job in this vintage, despite the coolness and the freeze conditions of October 2019. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://www.colsolare.com and Here is my review of the great new Col Solare wines.
2019 Col Solare Red Wine- The beautiful and nicely balanced 2019 Col Solare is an outstanding effort in this slightly cooler vintage. Only 5% of Cabernet Franc has been blended in as the beautiful bouquet takes on layers of tar, black currants, black plum, violets and scorched earth notes. The palate is plush with a seamless texture and shows some lovely weight. Nicely poised, this beautifully perfumed wine is drinking marvelously now. Drink 2023-2035- 94
2019 Col Solare ‘Tenuta’ Red Wine- The 2019 ‘Tenuta’ is one of the great wines from Red Mountain that I have tasted from this slightly cooler vintage. Aged for 28 months in entirely new French oak, this shows off its inky color in the glass. Black licorice, tar and anise flavors combine with mocha and espresso grounds on the palate. The finish is exceedingly long with dense dark fruits and minerals. Very dense and heady, with a silky mouthfeel, enjoy this beauty now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2038- 95