Our Wines by Vintage

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our 2014 Cabernet highlights the quality of this vintage at our estate Les Collines Vineyard: classic crème de cassis, ripe black cherry, roses and cedar notes in the aroma complement a full body and a lingering, balanced finish.

We fermented this vintage in four French oak and one stainless steel tank, and then pressed into French oak barrels for nearly three years of aging in our underground caves. The extended barrel and bottle aging has allowed this 2014 vintage to gain complexity in the aroma and soften the firm tannins in the finish.

• Cases produced: 384
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months New French Oak
• Bottling date: June 22, 2017

Winemaker notes: Ripe black cherry and raspberry fruit is followed by classic notes of roses and cedar; the finish is pleasing, with soft tannins and lingering, balanced flavors.

2014 Syrah Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Les Collines Vineyard has gained a reputation for growing exceptional Syrah grapes. Our 2014 Syrah is a dark and complex wine, with a dense aroma of ripe blackberries, blueberries, brown sugar and vanilla.

We harvested our Syrah from Les Collines Block 35 on October 3, 2014. After hand sorting, we fermented the gently crushed grapes along with a small percentage of stems in open-topped oak and stainless steel tanks before pressing into new French oak barrels.

Our distinctive winemaking practices of extended barrel and bottle aging before release have softened the tannins and added spicy oak notes to the aroma.

• Cases produced: 219
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months New French Oak
• Bottling date: June 22, 2017

Winemaker notes: Dense dark fruit and spicy oak aromas on the nose; a balanced acidity is followed by a full, lingering finish.

2015 Merlot Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Spring arrived early in 2015 at our estate Les Collines Vineyard and the weather remained warm and dry throughout the summer. We picked our Merlot grapes on August 31, the earliest harvest for this varietal in our history. After fermenting the ripe grapes in one small, open-topped fermenter, we then pressed into small French oak barrels for aging in our underground cellars.

This vintage exhibits the consistent quality of Les Collines Merlot grapes. A lovely aroma of raspberry and bing cherry fruit is followed by a balanced, pleasing finish. We bottled 107 cases in the summer of 2017.

• Cases produced: 107
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 34 months, French oak
• Bottling date: June 21, 2018

Winemaker notes: An abundance of raspberry and cherry fruit in the nose is followed by sandalwood and toasted oak notes. It finishes with soft and lingering flavors on the palate.

2015 Malbec Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our 2015 vintage was the earliest in our history at Les Collines Vineyard. We picked the ripe grapes for our Malbec from block 5 on September 11, a full month earlier than average. The resulting wine shows an intense core of dark cherry, black licorice and warm clove characters; its full body and generous tannins indicate a long aging potential.

After a week of primary fermentation in two small open-topped tanks, we pressed the new wine into small French oak barrels. We aged the wine in the same barrels for 33 months in our underground caves before bottling in the summer of 2018.

• Cases produced: 145
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 33 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 21, 2018

Winemaker notes: Dark berry fruit flavors, chocolate and spice plus a hint of licorice give an overall impression of richness and complexity. The dense fruit and firm tannins indicate a long aging potential.

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Since the 2015 growing season was one of the warmest on record, we picked our Cabernet grapes on September 17th, a full month earlier than usual. The resulting wine shows a classic ripe aroma of black cherry, cassis and a hint of sage. Abundant dark fruit flavors reveal in the lingering, well-balanced finish.

We fermented this vintage in four French oak open-topped tanks, and then pressed into small French oak barrels for nearly three years of aging in our underground caves. An additional twenty months of bottle aging before release ahs allowed this 2015 vintage to gain complexity in the aroma and soften the firm tannins in the finish.

• Cases produced: 384
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 21, 2018

Winemaker notes: Ripe black cherry fruit is followed by classic notes of cassis and cedar; the finish is pleasing, with soft tannins and balanced flavors.

2015 Syrah Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

After a warm and dry 2015 growing season at Les Collines, our Estate Vineyard, our Syrah grapes ripened with abundant deep fruit and savory character. This vintage shows an aroma of blackberries, blueberries, cedar and thyme that is rounded out with a hint of smoky oak. Ripe fruit and a full body on the palate finishes with balanced acidity.

After hand picking and sorting, we fermented the gently crushed grapes along with a small percentage of stems in open-topped oak and stainless steel tanks before pressing into new French oak barrels. Extended barrel and bottle aging before release has softened the tannins in the finish.

• Cases produced: 218
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 21, 2018

Winemaker notes: Dense dark fruit and spicy oak aromas in the nose; a balanced acidity is followed by a full, lingering finish.

2016 Tempranillo Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

A large and juicy grape, Tempranillo ripens with abundant berry fruit flavors. In 2016 we fermented the hand-picked grapes in one small open-topped tank for seven days before pressing into small French oak barrels.

Our gentle handling of the fruit has produced Tempranillo that has intense red fruit characters in the aroma, layered with spicy oak and full, soft tannins on the finish.

• Cases produced: 122
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, French oak
• Bottling date: June 13, 2019

Winemaker notes: This vintage shows plenty of jammy raspberry and red currants in the aroma; strawberries and a hint of sandalwood carries through in the bright, juicy finish.

2016 Malbec Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our 2016 Malbec is an inky, full-bodied wine with ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit aromas, complemented by notes of cedar and vanilla. We picked the grapes for this wine from Block 5 in our Estate Les Collines Vineyard on September 23, 2016.

After hand sorting, we fermented the crushed grapes in two small open-topped French oak tanks. Seven days later, we pressed the new wine into small French oak barrels to finish fermentation. Extended barrel aging in our underground cellar has added a pleasing complexity to the aroma and allowed time for the generous tannins to soften to a full and lingering finish.

• Cases produced: 123
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 13, 2019

Winemaker notes: Dark berry fruit flavors with cedar and spice give an overall impression of richness and complexity. The dense fruit and firm tannins indicate a long aging potential.

2016 Merlot Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

The 2016 vintage Merlot with its refined and balanced finish shows pleasing armoas of raspberry jam and cherry fruit, complemented by a full body.

After fermenting the ripe grapes in one small, open-topped fermenter, we pressed into small French oak barrels for aging in our underground cellars. We bottled 105 cases in the summer of 2019 and allowed ten months of bottle age before release in March 2020.

• Cases produced: 105
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, French oak
• Bottling date: June 13, 2019

Winemaker notes: An abundance of raspberry and cherry fruit in the nose is followed by vanilla, caramel and toasted oak notes. It finished with ripe red fruit flavors on the palate.

2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our Cabernet grapes are grown in the highest block at our estate Les Collines Vineyard. Since our Cabernet is typically the last variety to ripen, we count on the careful management of these vines to ensure that we develop ripe fruit flavors before cold weather sets in. We picked our 2016 grapes at full ripeness on October 11.

We fermented the gently crushed grapes in three French oak open-topped tanks, and then pressed into small French oak barrels for nearly three years of aging in our underground caves.

The resulting wine shows a classic aroma of dark cherries, blackberries, cassis, cedar and mint. The fruit character follows through on the finish, which still shows a bit of the tannins that predict a long aging potential.

• Cases produced: 340
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 13, 2019

Winemaker notes: Black cherry fruit is followed by classic notes of cassis and cedar; the finish has good acidity and a hint of espresso.

2016 Syrah Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our 2016 growing season started early, with warmer than average days in March and April. We hand picked our ripe Syrah grapes on September 14, two weeks earlier than our typical harvest date. This vintage produced an inky wine, with a pleasing aroma of blackberries, raspberries and plums and a hint of smoky oak. It has full body with plenty of jammy fruit flavors, followed by a well balanced, savory finish.

To make this wine, we fermented the gently crushed grapes along with a small percentage of stems in small open-topped oak and stainless steel tanks before pressing into new French oak barrels. Extended barrel and bottle aging before release has softened the tannins in the finish.

• Cases produced: 193
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 33 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 13, 2019

Winemaker notes: Abundant dark fruit and spicy oak aromas; a balanced acidity is followed by a savory, lingering finish.

2017 Zinfandel Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

We picked the 2017 Zinfandel from Block 10 of our Estate Les Collines Vineyard on OCtober 17, our first Zinfandel production since 2014.

We fermented the freshly crushed grapes in a small open-topped fermenter and aged it in French oak barrels in our underground caves.

This vintage has an abundance of ripe cranberry and raspberry fruit with hints of fig and vanilla. Pleasing flavors of fruits and spice and a full body round out the nicely balanced finish.

• Cases produced: 112
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 31 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 18, 2020

Winemaker notes: A lively, full-bodied Zinfandel with raspberry, cherry and black pepper flavors, along with notes of vanilla and spice from the extended barrel aging.

2017 Malbec Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Malbec grapes are deeply colored and juicy, and the resulting wines from our Les Collines Vineyard have an intense core of dark fruit flavors reminiscent of blackberry cobbler.

After a week of primary fermentation in two small open-topped French oak tanks, we pressed the new wine into French oak barrels. We aged the wine in barrel for 31 months in our underground caves before bottling in the summer of 2020.

The extended barrel aging has added pleasing complexity to the aroma and allowed for the generous tannins to soften to a full and lingering finish.

• Cases produced: 98
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 31 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 18, 2020

Winemaker notes: Dark berry fruit flavors with cedar and spice give an overall impression of richness and complexity. The dense fruit, balanced acidity and firm tannins indicate a long aging potential.

2017 Merlot Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Merlot is always one of the first grapes to ripen for Garrison Creek; receiving our first grapes of the harvest is always cause for excitement and celebration. This 2017 vintage is a lovely wine, with bright cherry, strawberry and pomegranate fruit aromas, followed by a pleasing, balanced finish.

We fermented this Merlot in small open-topped fermenters before pressing the new wine into French oak barrels for aging in our underground cellars. After bottling, the wine aged for an additional ten months before release in March 2021.

• Cases produced: 124
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 30 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 18, 2020

Winemaker notes: Raspberry and cherry fruit in the aroma is followed by notes of vanilla, caramel and a hint of sage.

It finishes with a pleasing acidity and ripe red fruit flavors on the palate.

2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

The Cabernet grapes for Garrison Creek Cellars are grown at the highest elevation at Les Collines Vineyard. Typically, we see very small berries and low yields in this block, resulting in balanced wines with abundant fruit flavors. We picked our 2017 grapes at full ripeness on October 10th.

We fermented the gently crushed grapes in four small open-topped tanks, and then pressed into French oak barrels for 32 months of aging in our underground caves. The resulting wine shows a classic Cabernet aroma of herbs along with dark cherries, blackberries, cedar and nutmeg. The focused fruit character follows through on the palate, with softened tannins and a pleasant weight on the finish.

• Cases produced: 319
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 22, 2020

Winemaker notes: Black cherry and raspberry fruit is followed by notes of cassis and cedar; the finish has pleasing acidity and a hint of minerality.

2017 Syrah Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

The Syrah grapes are among the first to riped at Les Collines Vineyard. In 2017 we hand picked the ripe clusters early in the morning of October 3rd. The gently crushed grapes were then fermented with a small percentage of stems in three small open-topped oak and stainless steel tanks before being pressed into new French oak barrels.

The vintage produced an inky wine, with a pleasing aroma of blackberries, espresso, black pepper and a hint of toasty oak. It has a full body with jammy fruit flavors, followed by a well balanced, savory finish.

• Cases produced: 204
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 32 months, new French oak
• Bottling date: June 18, 2020

Winemaker notes: Abundant dark fruit and spicy oak aromas; a balanced acidity is followed by a full, lingering finish.

2018 Malbec Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

The Malbec grapes that are grown at our estate vineyard are deeply colored and juicy, and the resulting wines have an intense core of dark fruit flavors reminiscent of blackberry cobbler.

In 2018, we crushed our freshly picked Malbec into two small open-topped French oak tanks for primary fermentation. After pressing the new wine into oak barrels, we allowed this vintage to age for 35 months in our underground caves before bottling in the summer of 2021. The extended barrel aging added pleasing complexity to the aroma and allowed for the generous tannins to soften to a full and lingering finish.

• Cases produced: 123
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 35 months, French oak
• Bottling date:August 24, 2021

Winemaker notes: Dark cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with hints of espresso and chocolate give an overall impression of richness and complexity. The dense fruit, balanced acidity and firm tannins indicate a long aging potential.

2018 Zinfandel Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

We picked the 2017 Zinfandel from Block 10 of our Estate Vineyard, Les Collines, on September 18, several weeks earlier than usual due to warm summer temperatures.

We fermented the gently crushed grapes in a small stainless steel tank before aging the wine in French oak barrels in our underground caves.

This vintage shows an abundance of ripe cranberry and raspberry fruit aromas; the fresh red fruit characters follow through on the bright, balanced finish.

• Cases produced: 107
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 35 months, French oak
• Bottling date:August 24, 2021

Winemaker notes: A lively, fresh Zinfandel with abundant strawberry and raspberry flavors, as well as subtle notes of spice from the extended barrel aging.

2018 Merlot Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

The 2018 growing season was warm and dry, allowing us to pick the Merlot fruit at full flavor and ripeness on September 24th.

After fermenting the crushed grapes in two small, open-topped fermenters, we pressed into French oak barrels for aging in our underground cellars. This vintage highlights the warm growing season, with dark, ripe fruit flavors and a full, well-balanced finish.

We bottled the wine in late summer of 2021 and allowed six months of bottle age before release in March 2022.

• Cases produced: 150
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Barrel aging: 35 months, French oak
• Bottling date:August 24, 2021

Winemaker notes: An abundance of cranberry, cherry and red plum fruit in the nose is followed by spicy vanilla, cinnamon and black licorice notes. It finishes with balanced acidity and ripe red fruit flavors on the palate.

2018 Syrah - block 43 Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our block 43 Syrah is the first of its style made by Garrison Creek Cellars. The excellent Syrah grown at Les Collines lends itself to a variety of winemaking methods.

The fruit from block 43 at the southern end of the vineyard was picked early, conserving its naturally high acidity and resulting in a lower alcohol level. Whole cluster fermentation added herbal notes and depth to the wine. The warm and dry 2018 vintage benefited from bountiful sunshine and a long growing season to develop full flavors, and cooler weather near harvest preserved the natural acid of the fruit.

• Cases produced: 76
• Vineyard: Les Collines block 43
• Barrel aging: 21 months, 2^nd use French oak
• Bottling date: June 18, 2020

Winemaker notes: Delicate aromas of red fruit, lavender, violets, and thyme on the nose with savory undertones of briny olive and prosciutto. Blueberry, raspberry and strawberry flavors at midpalate are followed by subtle notes of anise, finishing with vanilla and spice box.

2019 Syrah - block 43 Walla Walla Valley

Tasting notes

Our Block 43 Syrah is the second wine of its style made by Garrison Creek Cellars. The cool spring and mild summer of the 2019 growing season as well as the early picking date of September 12th were ideal for maintaining fresh fruit flavors and natural acidity. Two thirds of this lot was fermented in whole clusters, allowing the stems to infuse the wine with herbal notes and tannin.

Having aged this wine in concrete and 2nd use French oak has added minimal flavor impact, bringing the terroir of Les Collines Vineyard and vibrant red fruit qualities to the forefront.

• Cases produced: 100
• Vineyard: Les Collines
• Blend: 100% Syrah, 66% whole cluster
• Barrel aging: 13 months Nomblot Concrete egg, 10 months 2^nd use French Oak
• Bottling date:September 6, 2021

Winemaker notes: Upon opening, river rock and violet on the nose.

With decanting, blueberry, red raspberry, orange peel and Herbes de Provence accompany a finish of coffee and subtle notes of spice box.