2016 The Last Best Wife
Aromas of late harvest blackberry, cocoa and fig precede a palate brimming with bright Oregon raspberries that are sure to leave you wanting more. Sturdy tannins round out this vino and add to its slightly dry finish.
This is the first ever vintage of The Last Best Wife, we know you'll find her as stunning as we do!
Pairs best with charcuterie selections, light pasta salads and pizza.
2015 Malbec Reserve
Malbec from the Columbia Valley has been steadily gaining attention from consumers and judges alike. Our stunning and distinct Malbec matured in the barrel for 18 months to a beautiful, bold and sensuous wine. Complex notes of toasted caramel, anise and dark raspberry are intoxicating on the nose and followed by a brooding but light tannin palate of Bing cherry, this voluptuous vino finishes on a tangy citrus rind note. One of our favorite simple-yet-delicious pairings is with Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with Blue Cheese and a recipe card is provided with every purchase.[show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”] Our 2015 Malbec Reserve came fromMcKinley Springs Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA managed by Justin McKinley.
Pairs well with: Manchego cheese, mushrooms, rare steak, bittersweet chocolate torte
2015 Bolton Vineyard Barbera Reserve
The Barbera grape is a traditionally Italian varietal known for bright fruit and a lighter, acidic finish. In the Columbia Gorge however, it is being rediscovered as big, bold and the most sensual of reds. This ripe, smooth red boasts a blueberry and plum presence on the nose and the palate. The Cathedral Ridge Barbera is a standout among Barberas and a non-stop team, judge and crowd favorite having garnered a double gold in the heart of Barbera country at the San Francisco Wine Show. We pair our Barbera with the insanely amazing Fig, Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onion Tart recipe from Jocelyn. A recipe card comes with every purchase![show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”]The 2015 Bolton Barbera Reserve is a tremendous wine sourced from Bolton Family Vineyard on the Columbia Gorge River right by the famous Maryhill Museum. Barbera is often the last grape to come in because we want it to grow out of the infamous Barbera acidity before we pick it. That way, we don't have to tame the acidity that mars so many other Barberas. The 2015 fruit was harvested in early October and featured enormous clusters and berries with the darkest deepest purple imaginable. Barbera is considered a young wine of the year. We kept it in neutral barrels for only 14 months to keep the bright fruit flavors and delicate finish – anything longer would risk the integrity of Barbera. We are absolutely in love with this varietal and are continuing to develop our Barbera program at Bolton. Our 2015 yielded a slightly less limited run of 375 cases at a pH of 3.55 and a TA of 6.3. [show_more]
Pairs well with: Toast w/berry jam, sweet and savory tarts, gorgonzola, chutney, bacon, thumbprint cookies, goat cheese
Silver Medal Winner! 2019 Texas International Wine Competition
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cathedral Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon is the definition of a Northwest Cabernet. Wholly unlike the more famous Napa Cabs and proudly so, our Cabernet Sauvignon boasts and intoxicating pepper and smoke nose, rounded out with plum fruit leather and tea leaves on the finish. The body is full and smooth with gentle tannins that linger with every sip. Our Cabs pair beautifully with roasted and seared meats, hearty pastas, and mushrooms – especially the Pacific Northwest Morels and Chanterelles. A favorite pairing here is simple Seared Steak with sautéed Morel mushrooms or Slow Cooker French Dip Sliders with Rosemary Au Jus, the recipe included with purchase of the wine. Alcohol of 14.2% [show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”]Our 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a delightful blend of the Echo Vineyard Cabernet and Bangsund Vineyard Cabernet. Echo Vineyard, now known as Firethorn Vineyard, is located in Echo, Oregon. Owned and managed by Jay Bales and his wife Donna; it was originally started by Drew Bledsoe. The 2014 fruit was picked in early October, run through the stemmer-crusher and fermented in 3 ½ ton fermenting bins. The Cabernet grapes came in at 24 Brix (a measure of sugar in grapes) and fermented with no drama. The Bangsund Cabernet was picked early and was a relatively low alcohol wine coming in at 24 ½ Brix. Each wine stayed in the barrel for 24 months, and was then blended and bottled in 300 cases. With wines from these vineyards in our library dating back to 2002, we know these wines cellar very well with no oxidation and spectacular flavor concentration appeal.[/show_more]
Pairs well with: game, mushrooms, macaroni and cheese, filet mignon
2015 Rhett's Red Reserve
Rhett's Red is an exuberant and bold blend in honor of our winery dog. Bright and boisterous, the first vintage of this remarkable blend showcases fresh orchard and berry aromas with a hint of green tomato vine. The mouth-feel of this newcomer is unassuming yet layered with textural tannin, followed by toasted oak and vanilla rounding out the finish. Pair this Reserve blend with Primavera or a Feta Margherita Pizza. [show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”] To know Rhett is to understand why dogs are a [hu]man's best friend. Here's to Rhett: He is sharp, yet playful; bouncy and sweet, and like this wine, he is one of the best. Cheers![/show_more]
Pairs well with: Aged meats, hard cheeses, mushrooms and red meats.
2015 Dampier Pinot Noir
"Best of Category" Award winner! - 2018 NorthWest Wine Summit
Our Dampier Pinot is a deliciously distinct example of vineyard specific nuances. A beautiful, bright wine with late harvest cherries and earth characteristics on the nose and a full palate of Rainer cherry, and lingering baking spice. We age the wine in neutral oak barrels for a minimum of 16 months. While considered a long time for Pinot Noir, we believe this makes a smoother, more developed Pinot than one that is bottled in under than a year. At the cool end of the Columbia Gorge region, Dampier Pinot Noir is a true cool weather Pinot with mouthwatering acidity (pH) of 3.5, perfect for food. It pairs well with a whole range of foods from seafood to salami - we particularly love Grandma Bell’s 5-spice Glazed Yams – a custom recipe provided with every sale of the wine! Limited bottling of 125 cases.[show_more more="Read More” less="Show Less”]Dampier Vineyard is a gorgeous vineyard estate owned by Paul and Pier Huber that sits across the Columbia River on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge as part of the illustrious Underwood Mountain grape growing district. Some of the most famous Columbia Gorge AVA grapes and wines come from this area such as Celilo Vineyards legendary chardonnay. Underwood Mountain is a bit of a phenomenon, even for the Gorge – with southern facing walls dramatically reaching from river to a peak over 1400 feet and gets the last tickles of moisture coming from the west. The mountain was formed when the Missoula Floods washed through the area creating the Columbia River and depositing sediment from volcanic ash along with soil muddled with minerals of all descriptions.
This combination of factors creates a very distinct wetter and cooler meso-climate at Dampier Vineyards, different from even our winery’s climate at only a stone’s throw across the river, 1 1/2 miles away. As one example, Underwood typically receives up to 58 inches of rain a year (similar to the Willamette Valley) while our House Vineyard gets an average of 38 inches of rain a year – Wow! That’s a mind-blowing difference in landscape for such a short distance. There is no irrigation on Underwood – it is all dry-farmed. From the Hood River winery, we look directly at Underwood and Dampier Vineyards and can witness the changes throughout the year – a rare treat! The fruit is thinned to a single cluster per shoot to and the mineral-rich soil delivers fabulous grapes that are lighter in body, elegant and exude less tannins – Perfect for Pinot Noir.[/show_more]
Pairs well with: Grilled Salmon, Salami, Yams/Squash, Goat Cheese
2016 Necessity Red™
“Great wine is a Necessity of Life” quotes Thomas Jefferson and we agree! Necessity Red is a unique Pinot Noir blend created at Cathedral Ridge inspired by the Thomas Jefferson quote. We share that view and celebrate it with a unique take on Pinot Noir. Necessity Red is essentially a Pinot Noir with some serious cojones. We achieve this delightful effect by blending with a judicious amount of our Moody Zinfandel and McKinley Springs Barbera– this creates some wonderful complexities and a sensuous mouth-feel - and the result is one of our best sellers.
The Pinot Noir from Dampier Vineyard’s distinctive acidity creates a wonderful balance with the Moody Zinfandel and the McKinley Springs Barbera. We have trademarked Necessity Red because we feel it's truly unique and appeals to red wine lovers across the board. A lovely and nuanced wine, it is great for many styles of food including Cassie’s quick n’ dirty Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Wings for which we provide a recipe card with every purchase. A limited run of 375 cases make this vintage of the blend rare.
Pairs well with: sweet & savory dishes, barbecue chicken, honey mustard, salmon