Tag: Washington

Best Washington State Merlot Under $40: Exceptional Quality Meets Value Washington State has emerged as a powerhouse in the American wine scene, particularly for Bordeaux-style varietals

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Among these, Merlot stands out for its approachable, velvety character and remarkable consistency. Often offering a more generous, fruit-forward profile than its counterparts from other regions, Washington Merlot delivers exceptional quality at every price point. For the savvy wine enthusiast, the sub- category is a treasure trove of bottles that over-deliver on sophistication, complexity, and pure drinking pleasure. Here are some of the best Washington State Merlots you can find for under .

Why Washington Merlot?

The secret lies in the geography. Washington’s prime wine-growing regions, especially the Columbia Valley and its sub-appellations like Walla Walla and Horse Heaven Hills, benefit from a unique combination of factors: high desert climate with abundant sunshine, cool nights that preserve acidity, and well-drained, sandy-loam soils. This allows Merlot grapes to achieve full phenolic ripeness—developing deep, rich fruit flavors—while maintaining a fresh structure. The result is a wine that is both powerful and polished, with notes of ripe plum, black cherry, dark chocolate, and often a hint of earthy or herbal complexity.

Top Picks:

Washington Merlot Under

1. L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot, Columbia Valley
A benchmark for the region, L’Ecole’s Columbia Valley Merlot is a masterclass in balance. Consistently scoring 90+ points, it offers layered aromas of blackberry, cassis, and mocha, with a palate that is both supple and structured. Its integration of oak and tannin is superb for the price, making it a versatile partner for food or a satisfying solo sip. (Typically -)

2. Columbia Crest H3 Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills
The “H3” stands for Horse Heaven Hills, and this wine is a direct expression of that stellar terroir. It’s a crowd-pleaser for a reason: bursting with juicy black cherry and plum fruit, underscored by notes of vanilla and spice from careful oak aging. It’s incredibly smooth, reliable, and represents one of the best value propositions in American wine. (Typically -)

3. Waterbrook Merlot, Columbia Valley
Waterbrook is renowned for delivering quality and accessibility. Their Columbia Valley Merlot is medium-bodied and elegantly styled, featuring red fruit flavors like raspberry and currant alongside softer tannins and a touch of cedar. It’s an excellent “Tuesday night” Merlot that is consistently well-made and easy to love. (Typically -)

4. Seven Hills Merlot, Walla Walla Valley
For a taste of the esteemed Walla Walla Valley at a friendly price, Seven Hills is a go-to. This Merlot often showcases a slightly more savory, earthy profile alongside its core of dark fruit. Notes of tobacco, olive, or dried herbs can complement the plum and berry flavors, offering a more complex, Old-World-inspired experience. (Typically -)

5. Charles Smith The Velvet Devil Merlot
From the innovative winemaker Charles Smith comes “The Velvet Devil”—a name that perfectly describes its style. This Merlot is all about immediate, hedonistic pleasure. It’s lush, ripe, and velvety on the palate, with pronounced notes of blackberry jam, dark chocolate, and a whisper of smoke. It’s unapologetically delicious and perfect for those who love a fruit-driven style. (Typically -)

6. Pepper Bridge Merlot, Walla Walla Valley
Pepper Bridge is a pillar of the Walla Walla community, and their entry-level Merlot punches well above its weight. It demonstrates the finesse and depth possible in the valley, with structured tannins, balanced acidity, and a blend of dark fruit and mineral notes. It’s a wine that can benefit from a brief decant or even a few years in the cellar. (Typically -)

Tips for Exploring

* Vintage Matters: Washington is generally consistent, but cooler vintages (like 2010, 2011) may yield more structured, elegant Merlots, while warmer years (2014, 2015, 2018) often produce richer, riper wines.
* Decanting: Even affordable Merlots can blossom with 30-60 minutes of decanting, allowing the aromas to open and the texture to soften.
* Food Pairing: Washington Merlot’s balance makes it incredibly food-friendly. Try it with herbed roast chicken, mushroom risotto, grilled pork tenderloin, burgers, or semi-hard cheeses like Gouda.

The Verdict

You don’t need to spend a fortune to experience the quality that has put Washington State on the world wine map. The Merlots in the – range routinely compete with bottles twice their price from other regions. Whether you seek everyday drinkability, sophisticated complexity, or ripe, velvety fruit, there’s a Washington Merlot under waiting to become your new favorite.

Explore, taste, and enjoy—the value and quality in this category are truly something to celebrate.

Washington Wine Tour

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Washington Wine Tour

Everyone has heard of California wines but not many people realize that Washington is an up-an-coming wine region that is starting to become known in the professional wine world. There is a multitude of small wineries in Washington, especially in the Yakima Valley and Columbia Gorge regions. The area does not produce wine on the scale of California in quantity but the quality of many wines is rivaling the best of the Californian vintages.

Most people don’t think of Washington as a good growing area. Popular culture out of Hollywood has Seattle’s rainy climate spread to the whole state. Nothing could be further from the truth. The eastern part of the state gets over 300 nice days per year because of the Cascade Mountains which block a lot of the moisture from the west. The nice weather and easy access to water makes this region an ideal one for growing wine grape varieties.

Within the nine recognized viticultural areas, a great assortment of grape varietals can be grown. Red wine grapes grown in Washington include Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Merlot varietels. White wine grapes that do particularly well in the region include Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon and Chardonnay. Each region has different micro-climates that are suited to specific varietals.

Whether for yourself or as a gift, a wine tour in Washington would be a wonderful way to experience the premium quality wines of this region. Most wineries are small and family-owned so you will usually get a much more personal and intimate look at the wine making process. The smaller wineries also tend to have a greater consistency within specific vintages of wine.

Smaller wineries will often allow the wine lover access to the owners and even the wine makers for conversation and education. Sometimes wine tastings are done right in the wine maker’s home! Try to find that in California amongst the thousands of other tourists.

The wineries in Washington make wine tours a bit more difficult than in California. The Napa Valley in California is a very small region so wineries are quite close together. There is a much larger portion of Washington with wineries so to tour multiple wineries will often involve some traveling around.

The advantages of giving a gift of a Washington wine tour is that it is much less expensive than a California tour. This is partially due to the relative newness of the Washington wine industry and partially because there are less tourists there. Also, it is much more unlikely to get the up close and personal feeling in California as there are so many people taking tours. While the Washington wine tours are still unknown, you can get a bargain on wine tours for gifts.

The Washington wine industry is exploding upon the wine world in recent years. Even though wine making is relatively new there, the region has become the second largest wine producer in the United States. The amount of land devoted to growing grapes for wine has tripled in the last ten years and is showing no signs of slowing down. Give a wine gift that will surely go up in price over the next few years.

Washington Wines Revealed

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For too long now, Washington wines have existed under the shadow of their neighbors to the south, and living under the pretense that they could not, and would not stack up to the boisterousness and nobility of California wine. Washington has been prisoner to the understandable misconception that they simply do not host a suitable grape growing climate. How could they grow grapes, you may ask, when it rains all the time? In fact, the majority of Washingtons wine growing region lies to the east of the Cascade mountain range, which, due to the rain shadow effect is arid and sunny. While damp and temperate Western Washington gets an average of sixty inches of rain per year, the East Side receives eight.

Its true that Washington was still making fortified wines based on Concord grapes in the 1960s when California wines were already receiving awards and becoming world recognized. But they have grown with leaps and bounds over the past 40 years and are producing high quality wines that compete with the best of California. The wheat fields and fruit orchards that were the previous staple economy in Walla Walla and Yakima Valleys have been replaced with acres of lucrative vines, growing from just ten wineries in 1970, to over five hundred today.

The Washington wine industry is currently worth three billion dollars and is ranked second to California in grape growing and wine production. The 1980s saw a huge demand for white wines and interest spiked for Rieslings and Chardonnays. Although the white wines are continuing to hold their popularity and prestige, Washington is now praised for its Syrahs, Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots as well.

One of the most notable and celebrated winemakers out of Walla Walla Valley is winemaker Charles Smith. This year will mark his tenth year. The retired rock band manager shifted gears when he taught himself the art of creating quality wines, starting with very small batches of Syrah. Dont be fooled by the wine label effect and eye catching names, these are not mediocre wines with a cushy marketing budget. Inside the bottle are some of the most tremendous wines coming out of that region. These wines are not for the faint at heart. They are powerful, rock solid wine that pack a serious punch. With his wild thick hair, leather boots and a plain black t-shirt Smith looks like a cross between Jerry Garcia and a Harley Davidson poster child, and seems a little out of place in the perceived pretentiousness of the wine industry. His motorcycle riding, live on the edge, rock n roll personality shines through in all aspects of his winemaking, from labels to descriptions and within the wines themselves.

You can find Charles Smiths wines, the signature black and white labels, under his self-titled Charles Smith label, K Vintners and The Magnificent Wine Company. K Vintners is his original production and consists mainly of 100% Syrah and Syrah blends. The value-based Magnificent Wine Company label revolves around House Red Wine and House White Wine; quality table wine blends from multiple vineyards and vintages. His most recent endeavor is his Charles Smith wines, where he has been continuing with his full bodied, best wine possible approach and branching out to Rieslings, Chardonnays and Merlots.

Listed below are just a few of the favorites.
Charles Smith Label

Kung Fu Girl Riesling ($ 17)

Inspired by the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill

Tasting Notes: THIS GIRL IS SERIOUS! Aromatic, smooth, vibrant and tasty. Think tangerine, apricot, wet stone, key lime, clove and nectarine.now stop thinking and start drinking CAUSE KUNG FU GIRL KICKS ASS! Charles Smith

Eve Chardonnay 2007 ($ 15)

Tasting Notes: Sinfully temptingfresh, crisp, the perfume of sweet apple blossoms lures you into The Garden of Eden. Silky, soft, mouth filling deliciousnesstake the first sip! Charles Smith

Velvet Devil Merlot ($ 15)

Tasting Notes: If velvet had a flavor this would be it. Bittersweet chocolate, dark Italian cherries. Sweet rose petals with a firm, satiny finish. Pure Washington Merlot. HELL YEAH! Charles Smith

Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($ 21)

96.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Malbec

Tasting Notes: Delicious Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromatics galorecigar box, pencil lead, cedar and currants with super refined tannins and a long, fine finish. French? No. Chateau Smith? OUI! Charles Smith

Boom Boom Syrah ($ 18)

99.5% Syrah, .5% Primitivo

Tasting Notes: Everything you want in a syrah.smooth, firm, fresh & darksuper

dense purple with meaty dark fruit, Asian five spice & sweet tobacco. Intense yet

plush textureit will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! Charles Smith

K Vintners Label

K Vintners Milbrandt Vineyard 2007 ($ 36)

Tasting Notes: As the day is longa never ending finish of spices, fresh tobacco, cured meats, and stone. So smooth, so fine. Charles Smith

K Vintners Northridge Vineyard 2007 ($ 40)

Tasting Notes: Extremely concentrated, intense color. Notes of huckleberry, cedar, cigar and kirsch. Built like a brick shit-house; exuberant ripe fruit with grippy backbone and spice and a seamless finish. Charles Smith

K Vintners Phil Lane Vineyard 2007 ($ 75)

Tasting Notes: Violets, lavender, roasted meat, game, crushed stone, and a super long finish. Charles Smith

Washington Facts retrieved from Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. Additional Charles Smith information can be found at www.charlessmithwines.com, www.kvintners.com & www.magnificentwine.com

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