Tamarack Cellars, Firehouse Red Blend, Columbia Valley

Blackberry, raspberry, red cherry, all just on the tart side of fresh. Really very good at this price point. Medium tannins are soft, not at all grippy. Medium acidity. A nice wine to sip, but even better with food (I enjoyed mine with Coq Au Vin).

2019 vintage

I have lost track of the number of people who have raved about this wine. You start to worry its gotten too hyped up, and then you try it, and your like, why did I wait so long to buy a bottle. Quality + Price makes this stand out against wines 2-2.5 times the price. Tamarack, where have you been all my life. I definitely want to go on a second date.

2019 vintage

Right out of the bottle this Firehouse Red tangled with a dry aged Ribeye Steak and all the sides. Red and purple fruits on the nose and on the palate. This wine has a long finish likely owing to the Syrah and Petit Verdot in the blend. Have had many vintages of Firehouse Red, with 2019 being one of the best, and will buy again.

2019 vintage

Dark ruby. Not much nose. What a pleasant surprise. A full bodied wine with a lingering finish. Plums blackberry tobacco sour cherries. This is a nice wine. It has some complexity and structure. Will buy again.

2019 vintage

Not a fan

2016 vintage

Scoring this one high based on the incredible QPR (you can find it for $12.99 at Costco). Olives, dark cherries, and pencil shavings are foremost on the nose. Smooth, silky finish and easy to drink. This has become our everyday drinker.

2016 vintage

A nice sipping full-body red. Nothing spectacular but good enough.

2016 vintage

Good. Dark fruits

2016 vintage

Smooth low tannin red blend.

2016 vintage

Smooth low tannin red

2016 vintage

A simple and balanced offering. Lacking in character.

2016 vintage

Well balanced red blend. Went well with Thai Curry dish.

2016 vintage

Good wine for the price

2016 vintage

Medium ruby – sweet dark cherry, cherry cola. Medium acid, medium tannins, 13.9% ABV, medium+ body, medium finish. Smooth and easy drinking. Great value. 31% Merlot, 27% Syrah, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 7% Mourvèdre, 4% Grenache, 2% Sangiovese, 1% Petit Verdot, and 1% Counoise.

2016 vintage

It’s OK. It definitely is running in the table wine realm. Medium body with dark, purplish color. Fruit obvious, but there is a flavor that is a bit too dirty/mineral for my palette. Worth what I paid = $12.

2016 vintage

Washington & Oregon wines : Medium purple color. Smells like black cherries, sweet blueberries, saucy plums, with smoky earth, barbecue sauce, clove, dark chocolate. Medium-bodied with velvety tannins, moderate acidity, a pleasantly chewy texture. Plummy, saucy cherry fruit, mixed with barbecue sauce, black pepper glaze, some coffee, cedar and clove. Fun and fresh but this shows a lot of complexity for the price. A kitchen sink blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Mourvedre, Grenache, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and …

2016 vintage

Very inviting and easy drinking. Not too fruit forward. Blue fruit flavors and easy tannins

2016 vintage

Dark Fruits, Oak, Tobacco. Medium red color, medium body, jammy with soft tannins. Nice red blend with merlot as leading varietal.

2016 vintage

Nicely balanced. Medium finish. Could be at its peak now.

2008 vintage

For $15 not a bad wine. Very drinkable.

2008 vintage

Really enjoyed this tonight. Definitely better than the when I first tried it a year or so ago. Smooth and great fruit without being "fruity". Just good.

2008 vintage

Last of 4 bottles consumed over last 3 years. Wish I had waited on all of them. Beautiful dark red fruit, long finish. If you are sitting on any of these, I would drink now. Hope my 2009s continue to improve as well.

2008 vintage

Smokey, dark fruit on the nose and palate. Finish is long with pronounced leather and tar notes. Well integrated tannins and acidity.

2008 vintage

This is the 3rd bottle i've had in the 3 years I've had these. Must say that this bottle was the most enjoyable. Long finish. Decent wine. Lots of fruit. Might be at it's peak though so wouldn't hold too much longer.

2008 vintage

The wine is a fairly dark ruby to maroon color. The enticing nose has blackberries, smoldering charcoal, vanilla, meat juices, dried herbs, baking spices, licorice, and a bit of earthiness. This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has a nice mix of fruity and savory elements that play well off of each other. The finish has decent length leaning a bit more on the savory elements. This is in a very nice drinking window …

2008 vintage

Spicy, pepper, vanilla, bold to start but mellowed over two hours. good but not great. ending its run.

2008 vintage

This had an elegant, expressive bouquet of blackberry, black currant, pepper, vanilla, herb and spice aromas. The palate was tart, round, harmonious and dusty with flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cocoa, vanilla, herb & spice.

2008 vintage

Down to the last bottle of a case that has lasted almost two years. It was our favorite high QPR at purchase; not so much now. Still solid, but flavors are not as harmonious as when it was fresher.

2008 vintage

The wine is a fairly dark ruby color. On the nose, this has blackberries, charcoal, smoke, vanilla, meat juices, earthy underbrush, some cherries and a faint herbal note. Medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity. Nice fruit and savory flavors on the palate which carries no extra heavy extraction or over ripe elements. Decent length on the finish which again, shows no excess weight. I think this is a wine most Francophiles would enjoy, to me …

2008 vintage

Just OK. Took time to open up. Acidic and a bit thin.

2008 vintage

Very good. A little young. Could have gone 3-4 more years.

2008 vintage

Pop and pour ... A decent, if unspectacular, red. Very nice, Zin-like nose (smelled better than it delivered on), medium-bodied with some black fruit up front and cocoa and sour cherry notes in the mid-palate. Mostly dry, some noticeable tannins. A little more heat on the palate than I'd like to see. Might have blown off if we'd been able to decant/give it more air. Far from a must-buy, but quite quaffable.

2008 vintage

Good Value did not decant or aerate but it definately improved after a few hours, Cocoa and pllum on nose, Cherry on palate and a nice spicy finish

2008 vintage

Had with steak this time and held up well. Still one of my favorite reds in the last year or so.

2008 vintage

Drank at my Birthday Party out on the deck! Great fun bottle of wine. Tasted great. Glad we bought more of the mags.

2008 vintage

Very Good. Wonderful nose of vanilla, cocoa and violets that just pulls you in. Dark berries and vanilla on the palate. <Wow/Very Good/Good/Fair/Plonk>

2008 vintage

Blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Verdot, 1% Carmenere. Medium to dark ruby color. Blackberries, smoke, vanilla, cherries, meat juices, spicy oak, dried herbs, fresh flowers, and a bit of earthiness on the nose. Medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity. A bit of an herbal or stemmy note add to the complexity on the palate. Decent finish at best is the weakest point, …

2008 vintage

Great value with depth and richness to the dark fruit flavors, just the right oak treatment bringing a nice touch of mocha to the flavor profile. Relatively long finish. Would recommend.

2008 vintage

Hints of licorice, beautiful smell (almost like ice wine) but then it disappoints. Overpowering alcohol and weak finish wrap it.

2008 vintage

A very complex wine both on the nose and the mouth. Blueberry, vanilla, spice, violets on a long fruity finish. Nose blueberry, blackberry, vanilla and spice. Served with BBQ steaks.

2008 vintage

A medium to dark ruby color. Blackberries, smoked meat, vanilla, cherries, tobacco, dried herbs and violets on the nose. Medium body with ripe tannins and very nice acidity. Nice bright fruit and spice on the palate with some smoked meat coming in on the back end. Decent finish with just a touch of earthiness and an herbal note added to the mix. Very nice and killer QPR at under $15.

2008 vintage

this wine was good, I'll give it the benefit of doubt and rate it 87, it was balanced smooth, nice flavor profile, but it was not special in any way. Nothing to suggest it should be considered a top 100 wine(for the price). There were certainly no negatives, but the wow was lacking, especially for me. I drank it over two days to give it a good chance to show well.

2008 vintage

I'm going to hold with my 89 rating from a year ago. Solid, well-balanced but not much change from prior bottle.

2008 vintage

Are you sure?

Tamarack Cellars, Firehouse Red Blend, Columbia Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews