Columbia Valley
The vast high-desert engine room
- Soil
- Arid, sandy, free-draining basalt soils east of the Cascades; irrigated; big diurnal swings.
- Style
- Structured yet ripe Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Riesling; long sunny days, cold nights.
- Top sites
- Red Mountain (powerful Cabernet), Yakima Valley, Wahluke Slope.
- Vintages
- 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021
- Producers
- Château Ste. MichelleColumbia CrestHedges (Red Mountain)
Tip · Washington is the US’s #2 wine state. Its desert east, sheltered by the Cascades, gets long summer daylight and cold nights — ripe fruit with firm structure and freshness.
Value pick
Château Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling · ~$12
A benchmark-value, off-dry Washington Riesling — the state’s most famous bottle.
Collector pick
Hedges ‘Red Mountain’ Estate Red · ~$45 · 2018
A Bordeaux-style blend from powerful Red Mountain — dense, structured high-desert Washington red.