Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2015 Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA 75cl

Columbia Crest is one of Washington State’s best-known wineries, based in the vast Columbia Valley in the state’s warm, dry interior. The Grand Estates range is its widely enjoyed core tier, made in a generous, accessible style that has introduced a great many drinkers to Washington wine.

This Chardonnay comes from the Columbia Valley, where hot days and cool nights, along with irrigation drawn from the Columbia River, give ripe fruit with good definition. It is a growing area built for consistency and ripeness, and that reliability is a big part of the winery’s appeal.

The 2015 vintage carries some bottle age now, which suits this richer, oaked style, adding a mellow, settled quality. It is drinking comfortably and ready to pour, so there is no reason to keep it any longer.

In the glass it is ripe and golden, with baked apple, tropical fruit and citrus meeting butterscotch, vanilla and a creamy, oak-derived richness. The palate is rounded and full, finishing warm and smooth. This is a Chardonnay that wears its oak openly and makes no secret of its generous, easy character.

This is a comforting, food-friendly white. Serve it with roast chicken, pork, creamy pasta, grilled corn or a mild cheese, and give it a good chill before pouring. It is an unfussy crowd-pleaser, at home on a weeknight table or as part of a relaxed spread with friends. Rich, ripe and reliably consistent, it is a Chardonnay that knows exactly what it is and delivers just that, glass after glass, without any pretension.