Abeja Merlot Columbia Valley 2011
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | Washington Washington (Columbia Valley) |
| Grape Type: | Merlot |
| Winery: | Abeja |
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:
"The 2014 Columbia Valley Merlot (100% Merlot) is a ripe, black fruit, plum, leafy herbs and mineral-scented effort that has medium to full-bodied richness, moderate mid-palate depth and tons of upfront charm. It's going to drink nicely through 2024."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 90 pts
"The aromas bring notes of dried herb, vanilla bean, wood spice and black cherry. The flavors are rich and luscious, supported by plump ripe tannins. The finish lingers."
- Wine Enthusiast (June 2017), 91 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.
Review:
(14.7% alcohol; mostly from Bacchus and Dionysos vineyards): Healthy dark red. Nicely ripe, nuanced aromas of black- and redcurrant, blueberry, licorice, fresh herbs and tobacco leaf. Deep, spicy, chewy Cabernet with lovely acidity giving shape and clarity to its flavors of blueberry, blackberry, cassis and bitter chocolate. Very nicely balanced, long wine with firm tannins that avoid dryness.
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.
Review:
"Bright, dark red. Ripe aromas of currant, black cherry, licorice, fresh herbs and dark chocolate, lifted by a floral element. Plush and seamless but laid-back, conveying a restrained sweetness to its creamy flavors of currant, mocha and licorice. This wine didn't display quite the sweetness, horizontality or length of the 2015 Merlot on first pour but it expanded beautifully with 48 hours in the recorked bottle without losing its spring. A very suave Cabernet with excellent aging potential. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (October 2017), 93 pts
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
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.
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Bright and light golden-yellow in color. Exotic and sweet vanilla bean aromatics backed by pear and kiwi with a slight orange peel. The palate resonates with texture and depth as stone minerality and cream brioche to match. Flavors of roasted plantains, gravenstein apple, and lemon zest frame the wine for a long yet soft finish.
Planted in the early 90’s, this is the coolest vineyard site in the Russian River Valley, located at Lee Martinelli Sr.’s home ranch in Forestville, CA. After riding around with Lee in his pick-up truck when we visited his Woolsey Road, Zio Tony, and River Road Vineyards, he decided to take me to this gem. He kept this particular vineyard in his back pocket until we hit it off. We did, and I think you’ll enjoy the ride as well.
Review:
Elusively crisp and inviting on the nose, this is a thickly intriguing wine, floral in orange blossom and fresh apple. Structured and lengthy, it retains a tangy acidity and structured finish, the grapes sourced from a dry-farmed vineyard. - Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
This is an intense wine with a bright scarlet colour. Pure grapey aromas are complimented by red spices, herbs and lavender. The palate has a gentle entry with subtle spicy fruit flavours filling the mid palate. The tight structure gives the wine a succulent dry finish with lingering flavours of red fruit, anise, liquorice and a mineral saltiness.
All grapes used in producing our wines are grown on Keermont Vineyards. Small parcels of grapes are selected according to optimal ripeness and harvested by hand. The grapes are vinified gently and naturally following traditional techniques.
Review:
"The 2015 Topside Syrah comes from dry-farmed vines on decomposed granite and sandstone soils at 350-400 meters above sea level. It spent 20 months maturing in seasoned 500-liter French oak barrels before being bottled by hand without filtration. It has a perfumed, Côte-Rôtie-like bouquet of detailed blackberry, briar and light iris aromas, and just a little chalkiness in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannin, a fine line of acidity and a linear, structured, gently grippy finish with hints of Provençal herbs on the sustained aftertaste. An outstanding Syrah from Keermont. - Neal Martin"
- Vinous (August 29th 2018), 94 pts
