Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia Valley

Cork split on withdrawal but came out clean. Nice purple color, immediate sip was pungent but wine quickly mellowed. Moderate lingering on the palate. Wine retains good quality although not outstanding.

2005 vintage

Still nicely dark ruby. Muted but harmonious aromas of evergreen forrest, damp earth, some vanilla and oak and plums. Super mellow body. Tired but not dead although certainly was better 5 or 10 years ago. Harmonious and well made but not resonant.

2003 vintage

Surprising but still drinking if well cellared. Soft, some fruit but fading, no tannins, little finish.

2000 vintage

Happy surprise. So much better than we expected. Dark cherry color. No old nose, lovely mouth feel- not dusty. Back to opening comment - lovely surprise. Last bottle

2003 vintage

Dark chocolate violet color Full bouquet Soft smooth tanins. Full cherry dark fruit. Long finish. Way better than the short ribs in Barolo reduction that I ate it with. my first time from that vineyard and Makes me want to get newer vintages of it

2003 vintage

Drank while “goumetting” (Dutch tradition, a bit like tepan yaki). Still youthful dark color, slim legs. Very nuanced aromatics of dark cherry, berrries and some oak. Well preserved bottle, I would say. Not a blockbuster but quitte nuanced Bdx type of wine. American but without being heavy. Quitte enjoyable actually. Good pqr.

2005 vintage

My last bottle of this QPR king drank with left over spaghetti. This wine was delicious and still has years ahead of it. At $35 per a ridiculous QPR. Dark fruits, licorice, earth and spiciness. Complex with loads of nuance. Loved it. Wish I had more. Drink or hold.

2003 vintage

Still had life; although the tannins seem to be gone.

2005 vintage

Who’d a thunk this could be as good as it is? If I’d tasted blind I might’ve guessed a high-end Barbera d’alba. Soft, round, friendly and happy fruit for miles, perfect for the misty, cool weather that abounds right now. Just enough backbone of tarry acidity to go with the brandied cherries and mild cocoa, slight hint of aromatic thyme and grapefruit zest. Little nose to speak of, opulent mouthfeel and longish finish. I’m loving this! Probably better drink up …

2000 vintage

Nose dominated by dark plum, pencil shavings and oak. Fruit needs more time to evolve and mellow. A touch of spice on the finish from alcohol ( 14.2%). Concord grape, sweet blackberry fruit - smell some cactus and ???

2003 vintage

Oaky prominence as usual but fruit was only moderately represented; dark berry and cherry. Good but this has been better in the past.

2005 vintage

Fading flavors. Drink now.

2005 vintage

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle.

2005 vintage

very nice, but other countries + wines have much much better price/quality

2005 vintage

My last bottle of this beauty. (The first opened over 6 years ago). It has achieved its full potential, proving Columbia Valley red is worthy compared to any other district in the new world. Phenomenal appeal to all senses. All hail Walter Clore.

2005 vintage

First one of these in 16 months. Consistent with that previous bottle. This has really developed beautifully over the past couple of years. Seemingly all of a sudden. Fully mature now and much more subtle on the palate. It has lost quite a bit of its blueberry, dark currant and plum fruit, but secondary flavors of spice and chocolate are now much more pronounced. Has also put on some weight over the past couple of years, but remains very elegant …

2005 vintage

This had a great nose, still oak and fruit. Smooth. Didn't get better over the next two days

2005 vintage

Very good. Still will benefit with more bottle age.

2005 vintage

Crown The Clore. This Columbia Valley blend has really come into its own now, achieving its full potential as an outstanding Washington red. In the glass, the color is dark indigo, with legs that are powerful. After an hour decant, the nose reveals glorious dark berries, cedars, and spices. The palate offers silky smoothness, with blueberries, blackberries, polished oak, and fine tannins.

2005 vintage

Nose of currant, plum, crushed rock, pencil shavings and some oak. Blackberry & cherry on the palate. Soft with well integrated racy tannins and a medium plus finish w/ some nice. Not quite as impressive as the first bottle but still excellent & elegant, especially for the price.

2003 vintage

Tannins have softened. Acidity is still very present. Plenty of fruit. Very good.

2003 vintage

Holding up nicely.

2003 vintage

Not as smooth as the previous bottles I've had...

2005 vintage

-- decanted approx. one hour before tasting -- -- tasted non-blind over a few hours -- -- 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.2% Merlot, 7.3% Cabernet Franc -- -- Total acidity: 0.57 g/100ml; pH: 3.71 -- NOSE: rich red berries; a touch medicinal; medium+ amount of sweet oak; a touch fumey; medium+ expressiveness. BODY: dark garnet color of medium-deep to deep depth; no bricking; some sediment present; medium bodied. TASTE: very bitter; very heavy oak; lots of sweet vanilla oak; red/purple fruits; …

2003 vintage

bonne bouteille, rien d'exceptionnel, mais agréable à boire. Vanille, bleuet, pas trop complexe. le vin a plu à des non-amateur.

2005 vintage

Smooth with very evident oak for those who enjoy oak

2005 vintage

Similar to past note and a little more muscular than my last tasting. No signs of decline.

2005 vintage

Clore is showing very well now, hitting it on all cylinders. Sophisticated dark berry melange backed by inviting spices, mineral terroir, and finely integrated tannins. This is in its prime, with no signs of decline.

2005 vintage

It is rare to get such a delicious wine for this price point. Pop and pour. Delicious from the first sip. nose of blackberry, black cherry, vanilla and graphite. Beautiful integration and balance with complex dark fruit, spice and camphor. Long finish. I would be drinking these if you have them. IMHO drinking at peak. Bravo

2005 vintage

First one of these in 9 months. Much better than the previous bottle, which must have been partially corked. Initially very closed and austere, this required a good 45 minutes of air before it even started to open up. At that point it began its transformation into a wonderful, complex wine. A still youthful-looking, semi-opaque crimson in color, with a powerful nose of leather, dark fruits and spice. Full-bodied, silky and elegant in weight. Its delicious blackberry, plum and dark …

2005 vintage

Dull, uninteresting, nothing too it, browning. Good in its day. Hoped it would last but it didn't.

2000 vintage

Lots of dark fruit with med-low acidity and smooth tannins. This was nice but not great. I opened a 05 Don Melchor and was much happier.

2005 vintage

Drinking very well at this stage. Could last a few more years at least, but it is on the decline for sure.

2003 vintage

My 2nd to last, no rush to drink the last, this was still lively, tobacco-tinged cedar on the nose, round and fruity in the mouth, slight cherry, smooth short to medium finish. Quite enjoyable. Other poor reviews might have had poor storage. Mine has been stored well.

2000 vintage

- Brick color - For Patty's 55th B/day dinner. Paired with Prime rib

2005 vintage

Still delicious, end of a case. :-(

2005 vintage

Just not that impressive. Never opened up, even after 2-3 hour decant. Hot, high alcohol. Muted nose and palate wasn't very complex or interesting. Dried fruits, tart cherry, light leather and cedar.

2005 vintage

Aging beautifully!

2005 vintage

Very smooth, not overly big red like when we drank our other one 3-4 years ago. MUCH better now; could cellar longer but don't push it. Not heavy on the dark fruit(currant,slight prune), some funk initially but blew off after opening. Some mid level tannins but like I stated before, smoooooth...

2005 vintage

Drinking well. Better on night two.

2003 vintage

I loved this wine. It had great finesse, nice oak and still had a bit of fruit. It might be nearing its end but what a great experience. For what I paid for this wine I was blown away.

2003 vintage

Drinking great! Opaque, dark color. Smooth, full bodied with ample fruit.

2003 vintage

PnP - iniitally a little tart... but nice fruit flavor. It was still a little cool... After two small pours, left the rest for day two. Decanted for 2+ hours. Opened up more with dark cherry, good. leather, clove on the palate. Still some residual tannins. A little disjointed... but OK. Not the best QPR.

2003 vintage

Amazing - perfect. Soft, elegant, big, balanced, wonderful fruit and long finish. No detailed notes but don't want too long to drink the other bottles

2003 vintage

Very good after breathing for half hour. Drink now.

2003 vintage

Pop and pour and very Left Bank in style. Pencil lead, red fruits, spice and gravel. Medium finish and on the finish adds a nice floral element. Walter Clore wines are some of the best aging wines in Washington and certainly some of the best values.

2003 vintage

Good, but unremarkable Cabernet. That's one way to look at it, however the other way is to say it's a pretty good ageable bottle of wine for a reasonable price.

2003 vintage

Now here is a bottle that way exceeded expectations for a $35 bottle. Pop and pour. The only bad part about this wine was the crumbly cork. Right from the git-go big nose of dark fruits and berries. All of the flavors have integrated and the wine is balanced. Blueberry, plum, fig and black cherry explode on the palate. A little bit of heat on the medium longish finish. I do not know how much of this stuff they make …

2003 vintage

Still youthful.

2003 vintage

The wine looks Purple colored. It smells like Blackberry, Plum, Oak, Vanilla, and Cherry. It tastes like Blueberry, Blackberry, Plum, Coffee, and Vanilla. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Smooth texture. The wine finishes Medium. (That is what you get using the Tasting Note Assistant 😉) good value

2003 vintage

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Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve, Columbia Valley

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