Andrew Will Red Bordeaux Blend Two Blondes 2009

Winery: Andrew Will

Region: Washington State

Washington state is a fascinating region when it comes to American wine production, with the majority of their produce coming out of the desert-like eastern half of the state. This expansive region has a unique climate produced by the rain shadow of the Cascade mountain range, and here we find over ninety-nine percent of the state's vineyards which hold a wide range of classic grape varietals including Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and others. Today, there are over forty thousand acres in Washington under vine, and the industry of the state is going from strength to strength due to the increasing popularity of the wines which are produced here. Over six hundred wineries in the state take advantage of the well irrigated vineyards which flourish there, and these numbers are expected to grow quickly over the next decade.

Country: United States

For three hundred years now, the United States has been leading the New World in wine production, both in regards to quantity and quality. Wine is actually produced in all fifty states across the country, with California leading the way by an enormous margin. Indeed, as much as eighty-nine percent of all wines to come out of the United States are produced in California, where the fertile soils and sloping mountain sides, coupled with the long, hot summers provide ideal conditions for producing high quality, European style red, white and rosé wines. With over a million acres of the country under vine, the United States sits comfortably as the fourth largest wine producer in the world, where imported grape varietals from all over the Old World are processed using a successful blend of traditional and contemporary techniques.

Appellation: Walla Walla

Washington State's Columbia Valley is one of the United States' largest and most productive wine regions, and within the Valley itself we find the beautiful sub-region of Walla Walla, home to many of the country's finest red wines. The sub-region is a relatively small one, and a relatively young one, having only been producing wines for a century or so. However, the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines to come out of Walla Walla has caught the attention of the global wine drinking community in recent years, and this has prompted expansion and overall improvement within Walla Walla, resulting in some truly spectacular wines which are the very essence of the region. Walla Walla benefits hugely from the hot weather and arid soils which typify the region, and which help the fine grape varietals which thrive there reach full ripeness each year.