" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Abeja Merlot Columbia Valley 2011
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | Washington Washington (Columbia Valley) |
| Winery: | Abeja |
| Grape Type: | Merlot |
| Vintage: | 2011 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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This one-hundred-percent Merlot has really nice, bright red fruit, rose petals, and a richness on the nose. Flavors of plum, mountain strawberry and mocha come together with a balanced mouth feel and a long finish. Though it was a cooler vintage, I feel we have still captured the powerfully elegant style for which we are known.
Review:
"Moderately saturated bright red-ruby. Sexy aromas of dark raspberry, mocha, red licorice, tobacco, minerals and cocoa nibs reminded me of a Right Bank wine. Plush, ripe and serious, with dusty herbs and spices enlivening the raspberry and plum fruit flavors; more red fruits than black here. Finishes with substantial but ripe well-integrated tannins and slowly building persistence. Not a powerhouse but uncommonly complex and refined for Washington Merlot. And more pliant at this stage than the 2016 was. (a blend of eight sites) - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2019), 92 pts
Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is made from 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot.
Aged for 20 months in 100% French, medium toast; 60% new, 40% one & two year old
The nose leads off with plum, bright blackberry, and dark bing cherries. A touch of dried blueberry rounds out the fruit proï¬le. Floral notes and cocoa, with nuances of cedar and spice, are sprinkled throughout. All of these characters follow through on the palate and, with a pleasant minerality and continuity, weave a tapestry of complexity and youthful exuberance.
"Offers finesse and structure with elegantly expressive blackberry, basil and black olive flavors that build richness towards polished tannins. Drink now through 2028. - TF"
- Wine Spectator (October 2019), 94 pts
Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is made from 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot.
Aged for 20 months in 100% French, medium toast; 60% new, 40% one & two year old
The nose leads off with plum, bright blackberry, and dark bing cherries. A touch of dried blueberry rounds out the fruit proï¬le. Floral notes and cocoa, with nuances of cedar and spice, are sprinkled throughout. All of these characters follow through on the palate and, with a pleasant minerality and continuity, weave a tapestry of complexity and youthful exuberance.
"Plenty of blackcurrants and blueberries with a hit of new wood, too. Medium body, slightly firm tannins and a flavorful finish. This still needs some time to come together. Cabernet sauvignon with 1% petit verdot. Better after 2021."
- James Suckling (June 2020), 92 pts
Aromas of barrel spice, coffee, cherry, bittersweet chocolate, graphite and sautéed herb are followed by textured cherry and chocolate flavors. There's a pleasing sense of brightness to the acidity and deftness to the rich, creamy coffee and bright cherry flavors that keep the interest high. Plenty of tannic structure holds it all together. Coffee notes linger on the finish. It's far from a big bruiser and needs some time to all integrate but brings and abundance of rewards. Best after 2026 with a very long life beyond that.
-Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Buccella Merlot Napa Valley is made from 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our Merlot fruit comes from two blocks atop a knoll in the famed Hyde Vineyard, where harvests typically yield less than two tons per acre. It’s a youthful wine that’s invitingly approachable, while still offering the richness and decadence we love.
Our Merlot is fresh and vibrant, yet also lavishly textured and elegantly fine-tuned. With a swirl of the glass, you are enticed with aromas of sumptuous ripe plums, warm baking spices and a touch of sweet vanilla. Savory and structured, flavors ooze with raspberry jam, hazelnut spread and concentrated plum. Immersed in lush red fruits, each sip of this voluptuous wine hits pleasantly at the beautiful round mid-palate, then evenly dissipates leaving you yearning for another taste.
The 2015 growing season was the warmest ever recorded in Washington State. We achieved sufficient shoot growth early in the season to provide the fruit shading during the hottest June days. We have also installed overhead misters in all of our vineyard sites to cool the fruit, if needed, to produce the finest grapes we can grow, regardless of extreme weather. Almost all of our Cabernet Sauvignon achieved its final ripening under perfect, mid-70 degree Fahrenheit temperatures in October. The results were very small and concentrated berries full of flavor and freshness.
The 2015 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is a truly majestic wine with great purity, class and breed. The wealth of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit is remarkable, with hints of spring flowers, cocoa powder, roasted herbs, forest floor and minerals. This wine will have a large drinking window due to the seamless integration of all its elements. Drink now through 2037. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Paul Golitzin, Director of Winemaking
Review:
"The flagship is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon mostly from Champoux with the balance from Palengat and Wallula vineyards. Crème de cassis, graphite, black licorice, unsmoked tobacco, and hints of chocolate and emerge from this beauty and it continues to gain depth and nuance with time in the glass. Full-bodied, deep, and layered with an incredible purity and elegance on the palate, it's already accessible but has more than enough tannin, depth, and balance to evolve for two decades or more."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 99 pts
"The flagship 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is all Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in new barrels (mostly Taransaud and Darnajou). Beautiful crème de cassis, graphite, spice box, and lead pencil notes all flow to a full-bodied, soft, elegant wine that has beautiful tannins, no hard edges, and a seamless texture. It shows the more upfront, charming style of the vintage and is already hard to resist. Nevertheless, it should easily evolve for 20+ years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 97 pts, #29 TOP 100
Product Description
Abeja Merlot Columbia Valley 2011 is made from 100% Merlot
Aged for 16 months in 95% French, medium toast; 5% Hungarian, 50% new, 50% one year old.
The 2010 vintage has been much talked about because of its substantially cooler than average cumulation of heat units. I feel Merlot, which reaches flavor maturity a bit quicker than the other Bordeaux varieties, really shines in cooler years. We looked forward to the challenge of a vintage that was much more like the vintages of the early ‘90s, when we first started working with the great fruit of Washington State, and 2010 delivered. We also welcomed the achievement of flavor maturity at lower sugar levels. This is the first of at least two vintages in a row that will show amazing structure with lower than the normal alcohol levels.
We worked very hard with the outstanding vineyard crew at Sagemoor’s Bacchus and Dionysus, to manage the crop very carefully by opening the canopies and dropping clusters that were not exposed to the sun, or weren’t at the same maturity level. In the winery, we had the luxury to extend the maceration after dryness, which softened the tannins giving this wine a beautiful, fine, silky texture. We then aged it in barrel a bit longer than is usual for our Merlot, but it really benefited from the added time to mature.
This one-hundred-percent Merlot has really nice, bright red fruit, rose petals, and a richness on the nose. Flavors of plum, mountain strawberry and mocha come together with a balanced mouth feel and a long finish. Though it was a cooler vintage, I feel we have still captured the powerfully elegant style for which we are known.
"This is toasty, dense and inviting from the first sniff to the last swallow. It’s an authoritative, tightly woven and complex wine that offers a core of plum and cassis flavors, annotated by streaks of coffee, licorice and iron. The tannins are textural and gripping. Delicious now, this can also be cellared for a decade. — P.G."
- Wine Enthusiast (April 1st 2013), 94 pts + Cellar Selection
Winery: Abeja
The Abeja Winery
The Abeja Winery sits at the base of the Washington Blue Mountains, just east of Walla Walla, on a farm estate over 100 years old.
Ken and Ginger Harrison spent 35 years in Portand, Oregon before their strategic move to Walla Walla. The growing climate was ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, Ken’s preferred varietal, which made this the perfect location for Abeja Winery. Ken focused on growing and producing, while Ginger operated the Harrison’s Inn.
In 2002, Ken and Ginger met the perfect additions to their Abeja Winery team, John Abbott and Molly Galt. Hailing from the Napa Valley since college, John worked at Pine Ridge and Acacia Winery. He and Molly later began Canoe Ridge Vineyard in Walla Walla. Molly handled all of the marketing and public relations and John was the winemaker for almost ten years.
When choosing a name for their vineyard, they wanted to represent a period of farming that had respect for the environment and close connection to the earth. The word “Abeja” is Spanish for bee. The simplistic nature and beauty of the word complimented their “farm softly” style. The honeybee is the ultimate symbol for their way of life because honeybees are so impacted by how one farms and yet very important to an ample and robust style of agriculture. The Abeja Winery truly strives to make a difference by minimizing impact and nurturing the land. Abeja vineyards are certified sustainable farming by organizations such as LIVE, Salmon Safe, and Vinea.
Some wines from Abeja Winery:
- Abeja, Chardonnay, Washington State
- Abeja, Merlot, Columbia Valley
- Abeja, Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
- Abeja, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
- Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Columbia Valley
Any Abeja wines we have in stock are listed below, if you don’t see the wine you are looking for please don’t hesitate to ask for it.
- back
Capitain Gagnerot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
SOILSChalky soil with fossils from the Bajocian era mixed with red clay and laves. Heavy earth containing iron.
VINIFICATION / MATURING
Harvested by hand, sorted and destemed.
Alcoholic fermentation in open vats, for about 15 days with 2 punch-down a day at the beginning.
Maturation in oak barrels (10% new barrels) for 12 to 15 months.
ALCOHOL
13,5°
TASTING NOTES
Colour : Deep garnet red.
Nose : Black fruits aromas (blackcurrant, blueberry).
Mouth : Strong structure and powerfull tannins. After 10 to 15 years of ageing, it turns to crystallized fruits aromas with a long finish.
FOOD PARING
Game in a sauce, Burgundy cheese (Citeaux)
We are delighted to offer our first Beckstoffer Georges III bottling in many years. The spectacular vineyard site with its back to the Silverado Trail is the historic site of the grand old BV masterpieces produced for most of the last century. It is as pure an expression of Napa Valley terroir as is available anywhere, from anyone. Ripe and round black fruits, spice, blueberry, and cedar, and cigar box aromas are echoed on the palate and balanced by a preternatural lift from natural acidity and a swell of earth notes. A stunning achievement.
Review:
Thick in sage brush, dried herb and earth, this wine is powerfully built and unabashedly ripe. Dark black fruit, mocha and graphite notes arise along the thick, intense palate, leading to finishing touches of slate and iron. Cellaring will help to tame the tannins; enjoy from 2028–2035.
-Cellar Selection Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
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