2006 Chateau Rollat Sophie de Rollat

Château Rollat is owned by Bowin Lindgren, who is also the winemaker. Lindgren was a with a large pharmaceutical industry executive before retiring with the goal of making wine. He named the estate after his great grandfather, a sommelier and wine educator who left France for a new life in New York in the early 20th century. Lindgren hired a consulting winemaker, Christian LeSommer, a French winemaker who has worked with Château d’Yquem and Château Latour, to guide the early vintages. Rollat’s first vintages were in 2005. Stephen Tanzer of The International Wine Cellar called the estate an “exciting emerging producer” and noted that one of the Bordeaux blends had “the polished texture of a Medoc wine…”

Columbia Valley AVA is larger than some states. At 18,000 square miles, or 11 million acres, the appellation covers almost half of Washington State and a small part of Oregon on the south side of the Columbia River. Established in 1984, Columbia Valley contains numerous sub appellations within its boundaries, including Yakima Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, both large and important wine districts. Columbia Valley AVA, generally called the Columbia Basin by Pacific Northwesterners, is in the Columbia River Plateau, and the AVA also includes a section of northeastern Oregon. There are dozens of microclimates within this appellation of about 7,000 vineyard acres. Many kinds of grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley, though the principal grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Eastern Washington experiences very hot summers and cold winters, and the northern latitude means that Washington vineyards receive several more hours of sun in the summer than California vineyards. Grapes in Washington therefore have time to develop significant tannins and overall ripeness.