Columbia Crest gives the people what they want
Columbia Crest unveiled the first ever wine crafted entirely, from vine to bottle, by their fans—The Crowdsourced Cabernet.
Lauded by Wine Advocate as one of the 24 “Best Value Wineries” in the world and considered by Wine Press Northwest as their first “Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year”, Columbia Crest has been crafting wine out of their southeastern Washington winery for over 25 years. Columbia Crest’s location in eastern Washington is ideal for wine making. Hot days and cool nights of the Columbia valley, overlooking the Columbia River, create perfect grape-growing conditions. Columbia Crest’s vineyard lets nature do a lot of the heavy lifting on the ground as well; the sandy soil and natural predators allow for perfect irrigation and pest control. These conditions paired with viticulture and wine making practices allow Columbia Crest to create high quality wines.
Only six years after the release of their first red wine varietal, they were honored with a gold medal at the “Challenge du Vin” in Bordeaux, France, the only U.S. wine to accomplish that feat. Their Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Series Chardonnay have been listed by Wine Spectator as a “Top 100” wine of the year over fifteen times, winning the number one spot on the list in 2009 for their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon—becoming the first Washington winery to do so.
From those same grapes (you know, their best ones) they did something daring to create the 2014 Crowdsourced Cabernet. It seems that after demonstrating their prowess and proving Pacific Northwest wine could hang with the monoliths of France and Napa, they wanted to do something new. Columbia Crest embarked on a journey to become the first winery to crowdsource a wine from vineyard to table. Everything from bud break, to the harvest, to the final blend, and even the label was put in the hands of the online community.
Executed through Columbia Crest’s expert hands, they were told to harvest the grapes at night. Seek a wine full of complexity yet soft tannins. Finally, it would be barrel-aged, 16 months in 30% new oak. After 18 months, working with their wine-loving co-creators and honorary winemakers (who learned an even greater appreciation of the precision craft and skill of winemaking), the Crowdsourced Cabernet would be released on June 3, 2016.
I came in late to game with this project, only hearing about it after the wine was already in the barrels. But as soon as I heard about it, I wanted to try it. What would a wine imagined by many and then executed by experts turn out like? I eagerly awaited it’s arrival.
To celebrate this crowdsourced achievement, it seemed only fitting to get together with some close friends and have a release party. After all, this is the people’s wine; what better way to celebrate that than sharing a bottle or two?
To stay with the crowdsourced spirit, everyone brought over their favorite pairing dish. Soon, we had a mini-feast of charcuterie, white cheddar cheese, caprese, meatballs, and ground beef sliders with mushrooms.
The wine was delicious. The complexity was there and the barrel aging left a lingering finish that evolved as it shifted through your pallet. The rich and salty flavors of the red meat and cheeses paired beautifully with the wine, with both the food and drink drawing flavors out from one another.
After the food was long gone, the wine was perfect to sip and enjoy for the rest of the evening.
You can only get the Crowdsourced Cabernet online or at their tasting room in Paterson, WA. So unless you’ve got a Pacific Northwest vacation planned, check out crowdsourcedcabernet.com to see how the project began and to order a bottle or two of your own. Best be quick though; only 1,000 cases will be available, at $30 per bottle.
You can also sign up to participate in the virtual winemaking experience! If you hurry over, you can help finish the work on the 2015 vintage. If you get hooked on their Cabernet Sauvignon, you can really take it to the next level by joining their Cabernet Collective wine club, which includes early access to the Crowdsourced Cabernet. You can browse Columbia Crest’s selection and learn more about their history at ColumbiaCrest.com.
