2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Columbia ValleyKevin VogtMerlotUSAWashington State

Pedestal

Merlot 2021
Columbia Valley

2021 Pedestal Merlot Columbia Valley

Washington State has proven, time and again, that Merlot thrives here, but Pedestal captures the variety at a particularly high register. The 2021 release reflects an approach centered on site expression, precision farming, and patient élevage, yielding a wine that delivers depth and polish. It is a Merlot built to command attention rather than chase it.

Pedestal is a product of the Long Shadows philosophy: pairing world-class vineyard sources with a singular, disciplined vision. In 2021, that vision comes into focus through a carefully assembled blend of Columbia Valley Merlot drawn from vineyards prized for consistency and character. The result is a wine that feels deliberately shaped to emphasize clarity, depth, and longevity.

Guiding the final expression is Michel Rolland, whose influence appears not through excess, but through control. Trained in Bordeaux and refined through decades of working with Merlot at the highest level, Rolland brings a philosophy rooted in balance, texture, and age-worthiness. The 2021 Pedestal reflects that sensibility at every turn: expressive, composed, and built to evolve with understated confidence.

Pedestal
Merlot 2021
Columbia Valley
Retails at: $75

Your Price: $68

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“A blend put together by the incredibly talented Michel Rolland, the 2021 Merlot Pedestal is based on 80% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 75% new French oak. Its deep plum/purple hue is followed by a brilliant, full-bodied, unctuous beauty that has loads of darker currant and black cherry fruits, some chocolate and leafy herbs notes, velvety tannins, and a layered mouthfeel that just begs to be drunk. It’s easily one of the finest expressions of Merlot in the state, and it would stand up just fine to some of the top Merlot releases from France and Napa. Drink bottles over the coming 10-15 years.”

96 Points

2021 Feather by Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

2021 Feather by Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonColumbia ValleyKevin VogtWashington State

Feather

by Long Shadows
Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley 2021

2021 Feather by Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

Feather represents a pinnacle of Washington State Cabernet, distinguished by its profound depth, meticulous craft, and vivid reflection of its origins. Far beyond a mere showcase of Columbia Valley terroir, this wine embodies a daring vision, uniting some of the world’s most skilled winemakers to create bottles of remarkable individuality.

The story begins with Allen Shoup, once the guiding force behind Château Ste Michelle, who launched Long Shadows with an audacious goal: to bring together exceptional vintners, each lending their unique artistry to Washington’s finest grapes. Leading this innovative endeavor is Gilles Nicault, a French-born winemaker whose mastery ensures every vintage achieves its truest expression.

Feather emerged from a partnership between the renowned Napa winemaker Randy Dunn and Gilles Nicault, resulting in a pure 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that remains a reference point for the varietal in Washington. The 2021 release strikes a seamless balance of strength and grace, shaped by the year’s richly concentrated fruit. It offers a Cabernet Sauvignon of poised structure, lush texture, and intricate layers—an elegant yet powerful wine that underscores Washington’s place among the world’s great wine regions.

Feather
by Long Shadows
Cabernet Sauvignon
Columbia Valley 2021
Retails at: $85

Your Price: $79.99

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“All Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend put together by Randy Dunn, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant nose of cassis, new leather, graphite, and truffly earth. This rich, spicy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has terrific purity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this remarkable Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon over the coming two decades.”

97 Points

2018 Pirouette Proprietary Red Columbia Valley

2018 Pirouette Proprietary Red Columbia Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Columbia ValleyKevin VogtProprietary RedUSAWashington State

PIROUETTE

PROPRIETARY RED
COLUMBIA VALLEY 2018

2018 Pirouette Proprietary Red Columbia Valley
Nine of the world’s top winemakers make up the Long Shadows brand that Allen Shoup created after decades of building the Chateau Ste Michelle brand and its affiliate wineries to international recognition. Allen retired from Chateau Ste Michelle in 2002 to focus on his newest endeavor to promote Washington wines by bringing in celebrated international winemakers.
 
Allen hired Gilles Nicault as the Director of Winemaking because of his expertise, flexibility, and eagerness to merge his winemaking skills with each vintner who joined the team as a co-owner of their wine. Philippe Melka and Agustin Huneeus, Sr worked as a team to create the 2018 Pirouette by combining Old-World winemaking and New World technology elements to make this Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, aged 22 months in French oak. The resulting wine is, as Decanter proclaims, “Hauntingly good.”
 
PIROUETTE
PROPRIETARY RED
COLUMBIA VALLEY 2018
 
 
 
“Hauntingly good, this a stunning new bottling by Philippe Melka. Dense and chewy, once in the month, this takes on a glorious range of flavours from sagebrush and pipe tobacco to blackcurrant jelly and chocolate cake. The vibrant sense of tension and silky tannins both add to the enjoyment, as this has a long way to go in the cellar.”
96 Points