Cougar Crest Estate Winery Walla Walla Syrah 3-Pack
$77.99 $̶1̶4̶6̶.̶0̶0̶ 47% off List Price
2007 Estate Grown Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
2007 Reserve Syrah, Cougar Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley
2007 Golden’s Legacy Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
CT links above

Winery website

The Husky in me is scowling...

ambergreen wrote:The Husky in me is scowling...

I know just how you feel. They do make awesome cab franc. Not familiar with their other wines. Surprised but happy to see CC on woot. I will be watching the discussion on this one.

Haven't had the 2007 but back in 2005 I had the 1998 reserve syrah at the Herb Farm and went out the next day to track down as much as I could find...Trying hard to find some money to jump on this one.

Rooting for this one having just moved to Walla2 last October. I can always take a spin down old Route 12 tomorrow, knock back a taste and report back. Please. Twist my arm.

As someone from CA who lived in Olympia for years I find it amusing that so far all the wooters are from CA.

Sadly we inhaled the Ty Canton Syrah two days after it arrived. I'm curious what others think.

I have been fond of Cougar Crest since I enjoyed their 2003 reserve Syrah a few years ago.

Coincidentally, I had the chance to try a bottle of the 2007 Golden’s Legacy Syrah just recently. To cut to the chase, it is excellent.

The bouquet was somewhat muted on opening at cellar temperature. With some time, subtle blackberry tones tempered with vanilla from just enough oak became apparent. Emphasis here on “subtle” as the approach is much more Northern Rhone than Aussie fruit-bomb. I would not call it truly old world, but by no means is it jammy. This wine has got finesse.

On the second day it really came into its own. The nose was stunning and the mouthfeel silky smooth. The finish was medium-long.

I am becoming a big Washington-state-o-phile with regard to reds lately and this Cougar Crest Syrah was no different.

A truly superb bottle of wine. Count me in..

Was able to sample the Estate Syrah a few days ago. Pnp: Berries and dark fruit on the nose although I didn't catch much on the initial flavor profile. Vacu-vin'ed and popped again after a day and it really opened up. Lots of plum. Not bold and big, but velvety smooth and easy to drink with a medium-ish finish that lingered just enough. Integrated very nicely. I loved this one on day two and will likely go in for at least one.

Kinda young for a Cougar

Hmmmm....crickets...

Some winery participation would certainly help but let me just say that the Golden's Legacy that I recently tasted is really, really good wine.

I am generally a cab drinker and have been underwhelmed by many syrahs in the not-to distant past.(Including Ty Caton, Tallulah etc...)

I have no connection to the winery.

Just trust me on this, this wine is a great value at the retail price. This is definitely one of the top 2 or 3 syrahs I have seen on Woot.

Happy to answer more questions....I am a BIG fan of this wine.

Sunday I was looking for something to pair with some grilled loin lamb chops with creamy polenta and roasted broccolini. Down to the cellar, and back up with a 2007 Cougar Cellars Reserve Syrah, Cougar Hills Vineyard which has been standing up for a few days. Just a little sediment had settled.
Popped the cork, which appears to be a composite cork. Bit of dark fruit and a tad of bottle funk on the nose. Took a small pour to get a feel for what was going on here. Nice semi-transparent ruby color all the way to the edge. Quick sip..first impression this is going to be on the elegant side of syrah(granted this is at cellar temp and open for all of 5 minutes). Decide to leave it in the bottle until dinner and check in on my glass in the mean time, and then I'll do a slow pour into a decanter.
So ended up following this through dinner and after, about 5 hours total. This is indeed a syrah on the elegant/lighter side. Little bit of funk blew off rapidly. Has a smooth entry, picking up some earth and complexity, touch of pepper, in the middle as the wine opened up. The flavors are kind of deceiving, kind of just creep up on you. End of the evening seemed to pick up a tad more weight. Medium finish. Good balance of fruit, acid, tannin. No heat.

Left only about a 3 ounce pour in the decanter, closed, overnight. Wasn't particulary fond of it last night, starting to pick up some prune/raisin in the nose and taste.
Nice wine that is drinking well right now imho. Tannins are resolved. I see that salmon is a suggested pairing, and that is probably spot on.

rlmanzo wrote:Hmmmm....crickets...

Some winery participation would certainly help but let me just say that the Golden's Legacy that I recently tasted is really, really good wine.

I am generally a cab drinker and have been underwhelmed by many syrahs in the not-to distant past.(Including Ty Caton, Tallulah etc...)

I have no connection to the winery.

Just trust me on this, this wine is a great value at the retail price. This is definitely one of the top 2 or 3 syrahs I have seen on Woot.

Happy to answer more questions....I am a BIG fan of this wine.

Underwhelmed by the Tallulah? That stuff was redonkulous QPR. Very bold and juicy, so not everyone's cup of tea, so I guess I understand.

This one is just priced a tad out of my comfort zone on an unknown. Plus I am trying to cut back on my spending.

North316 wrote:Underwhelmed by the Tallulah? That stuff was redonkulous QPR. Very bold and juicy, so not everyone's cup of tea, so I guess I understand.

This one is just priced a tad out of my comfort zone on an unknown. Plus I am trying to cut back on my spending.

I agree with North.

ambergreen wrote:The Husky in me is scowling...

But a Husky does enjoy a good deal, right?

rlmanzo wrote:I have been fond of Cougar Crest since I enjoyed their 2003 reserve Syrah a few years ago.

Coincidentally, I had the chance to try a bottle of the 2007 Golden’s Legacy Syrah just recently. To cut to the chase, it is excellent.

The bouquet was somewhat muted on opening at cellar temperature. With some time, subtle blackberry tones tempered with vanilla from just enough oak became apparent. Emphasis here on “subtle” as the approach is much more Northern Rhone than Aussie fruit-bomb. I would not call it truly old world, but by no means is it jammy. This wine has got finesse.

On the second day it really came into its own. The nose was stunning and the mouthfeel silky smooth. The finish was medium-long.

I am becoming a big Washington-state-o-phile with regard to reds lately and this Cougar Crest Syrah was no different.

A truly superb bottle of wine. Count me in..

Certainly agree with you that the style we favor is balanced and subtle with our estate Syrahs.

Wish I could justify this one. Seems like a solid deal on a style of Syrah I tend to like.

rlmanzo wrote:Hmmmm....crickets...

Some winery participation would certainly help but let me just say that the Golden's Legacy that I recently tasted is really, really good wine.

I am generally a cab drinker and have been underwhelmed by many syrahs in the not-to distant past.(Including Ty Caton, Tallulah etc...)

I have no connection to the winery.

Just trust me on this, this wine is a great value at the retail price. This is definitely one of the top 2 or 3 syrahs I have seen on Woot.

Happy to answer more questions....I am a BIG fan of this wine.

What's not to like about velvety smooth Syrah? If you don't eat steak for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner we hope you can find a good food pairing for our rich Syrahs.

North316 wrote:Underwhelmed by the Tallulah? That stuff was redonkulous QPR. Very bold and juicy, so not everyone's cup of tea, so I guess I understand.

This one is just priced a tad out of my comfort zone on an unknown. Plus I am trying to cut back on my spending.

Trust your fellow Wooters on this one, you can't go wrong on a deal this good for quality Walla Walla estate Syrah.

kylemittskus wrote:I agree with North.

I did not mean to imply that the Tallulah was bad. I had 9 bottles of it and did not dislike it.....for my palate however it does not belong in the pantheon of "great" syrahs.(it was enjoyable, pleasant, tasty, good QPR etc, etc..)

The Cougar Crest on the other hand, (again to my palate) is a much more remarkable wine. Well worth the money IMHO.

Cougar Crest is not the same winery of 15 years ago - much bigger production. But their high end Syrah's are still very honest to the region and treatment of fruit.

Walla Walla Syrah is best typified by cool stone fruits, minerality, and earth. These are nothing like CA Syrahs, which usually come across fruitier and sometimes sweet. Someone mentioned the Ty Caton - Walla Walla is twice as dark, twice as "cool" in taste, and shows less obvious alcohol. Very much like a well-balanced Northern Rhone without excessive funk.

The two higher end bottles here in particular are nicely elegant on the mouthfeel, I would agree with "smooth".

This is a can't-miss Woot offering. Buy 2 or 3 and don't look back. It'll be one of your best purchases of the year.

ThunderThighs wrote:

Careful. That's my quaffing arm. O-KAY...if I have to...

I'll also try to get them to check in here.

I also wanted to add some thoughts on the vineyards. Cougar Crest has a couple vineyards in the Southwest part of Walla Walla, on the Oregon side, near Seven Hills. This area is known as "The Rocks" for very obvious reasons, and produces some of the most earthy, fragrant wines in the entire country. Cayuse, Reynvaan, Seven Hills, McClellan, Windrow is nearby. This is partly the source for the standard Syrah, and I believe entirely the source for the Reserve Syrah. Cougar Hills Vineyard is very close to Seven Hills.

The Golden's Legacy vineyard is further east on the other side of Milton-Freewater, not too far from Spofford Station I believe. Again, incredible terroir, rich rich rich.

It's not a huge secret, most of the best vineyards in Walla Walla are on the Oregon side. And The Rocks are in early stages of their own sub-AVA called "The Rocks of Milton-Freewater" - it's that unique and special.

Check out the vineyards on this map: Seven Hills selected for reference. http://goo.gl/maps/xKyBJ

neilfindswine wrote:...yeah this one was a pleasant reminder of how good Washington Syrah can be. Even the lowly Estate is smokin' right now. Bold, yet refined; solid Syrah. The Reserve and Golden's Legacy take it up a notch and then another notch. All three are co-femented with a little Viognier ala Côte-Rôtie.

Thanks for visiting today Cougar Crest; and for offering up these solid examples of Walla Walla Syrah.

If you like good Syrah, you will love these *(I am a shill).

"I am a shill"

Nicely done!

Cougar Crest - I really want to buy your stuff and I know the NH state wine licensing process is a pain - but please consider adding us in the future!

Meanwhile - anyone nearby willing to consider a wootleg?

kagayaki1 wrote:Cougar Crest is not the same winery of 15 years ago - much bigger production. But their high end Syrah's are still very honest to the region and treatment of fruit.

Walla Walla Syrah is best typified by cool stone fruits, minerality, and earth. These are nothing like CA Syrahs, which usually come across fruitier and sometimes sweet. Someone mentioned the Ty Caton - this is twice as dark, twice as "cool" in taste, and shows less obvious alcohol. Very much like a well-balanced Northern Rhone without excessive funk.

The two higher end bottles here in particular are nicely elegant on the mouthfeel, I would agree with "smooth".

This is a can't-miss Woot offering. Buy 2 or 3 and don't look back. It'll be one of your best purchases of the year.

This post did it for me. In for one.

kagayaki1 wrote:I also wanted to add some thoughts on the vineyards. Cougar Crest has a couple vineyards in the Southwest part of Walla Walla, on the Oregon side, near Seven Hills. This area is known as "The Rocks" for very obvious reasons, and produces some of the most earthy, fragrant wines in the entire country. Cayuse, Reynvaan, Seven Hills, McClellan, Windrow is nearby. This is partly the source for the standard Syrah, and I believe entirely the source for the Reserve Syrah. Cougar Hills Vineyard is very close to Seven Hils.

The Golden's Legacy vineyard is further east on the other side of Milton-Freewater, not too far from Spofford Station I believe. Again, incredible terroir, rich rich rich.

It's not a huge secret, most of the best vineyards in Walla Walla are on the Oregon side. And The Rocks are in early stages of their own sub-AVA called "The Rocks of Milton-Freewater" - it's that unique and special.

Check out the vineyards on this map: Seven Hills selected for reference. http://goo.gl/maps/xKyBJ

Your info on the vineyards is spot-on. Golden's Legacy vineyard actually surrounds the winemaker's home and was producing terroir-driven wines over 80 years ago from these rocky riverbed soils.

kagayaki1 wrote:Cougar Crest is not the same winery of 15 years ago - much bigger production. But their high end Syrah's are still very honest to the region and treatment of fruit.

Walla Walla Syrah is best typified by cool stone fruits, minerality, and earth. These are nothing like CA Syrahs, which usually come across fruitier and sometimes sweet. Someone mentioned the Ty Caton - this is twice as dark, twice as "cool" in taste, and shows less obvious alcohol. Very much like a well-balanced Northern Rhone without excessive funk.

The two higher end bottles here in particular are nicely elegant on the mouthfeel, I would agree with "smooth".

This is a can't-miss Woot offering. Buy 2 or 3 and don't look back. It'll be one of your best purchases of the year.

Great analysis of the Walla Walla style. This 2007 vintage of single vineyard Syrahs will amaze and astound any of your friends who are not conversant with the Walla Walla secret.

I really want this because I love cool climate syrahs, but $30/bottle is a lot shopping blind. I'm out, assuming I don't wonder back here after drinking tonight.

kagayaki1 wrote:I also wanted to add some thoughts on the vineyards. Cougar Crest has a couple vineyards in the Southwest part of Walla Walla, on the Oregon side, near Seven Hills. This area is known as "The Rocks" for very obvious reasons, and produces some of the most earthy, fragrant wines in the entire country. Cayuse, Reynvaan, Seven Hills, McClellan, Windrow is nearby. This is partly the source for the standard Syrah, and I believe entirely the source for the Reserve Syrah. Cougar Hills Vineyard is very close to Seven Hills.

The Golden's Legacy vineyard is further east on the other side of Milton-Freewater, not too far from Spofford Station I believe. Again, incredible terroir, rich rich rich.

It's not a huge secret, most of the best vineyards in Walla Walla are on the Oregon side. And The Rocks are in early stages of their own sub-AVA called "The Rocks of Milton-Freewater" - it's that unique and special.

Check out the vineyards on this map: Seven Hills selected for reference. http://goo.gl/maps/xKyBJ

so wait, this is actually Oregon juice?!?!

neilfindswine wrote:...yeah this one was a pleasant reminder of how good Washington Syrah can be. Even the lowly Estate is smokin' right now. Bold, yet refined; solid Syrah. The Reserve and Golden's Legacy take it up a notch and then another notch. All three are co-femented with a little Viognier ala Côte-Rôtie.

Thanks for visiting today Cougar Crest; and for offering up these solid examples of Walla Walla Syrah.

If you like good Syrah, you will love these *(I am a shill).

Why of why do I keep reading these fora? Just makes me want to spend money I shouldn't to fill up space I don't have.

eluofthenine wrote:so wait, this is actually Oregon juice?!?!

It is a little known fact that the majority of Walla Walla grapes are grown on the Oregon side of the valley

I'm a big fan of the Doyenne Signature Syrah and wonder if anyone knows how these compare in style.

Mission accomplished! The woot syrahs are no longer available at the winery in Walla2, but if the other syrahs I tried are any indication, they are velvet. I'd jump on these. Ted there said they were a favorite, and I don't doubt it.

Last Wooter to Woot: emccarl

Many factors converged to put me over the edge:
I Love good Washington Wines.
I Love good Washington Syrahs.
2007 Vintage should be tasting very good by now.
My Syrah stash is very low.

Actually, all things factored, you had me at "Twice as Dark!"

kagayaki1 wrote:Cougar Crest is not the same winery of 15 years ago - much bigger production. But their high end Syrah's are still very honest to the region and treatment of fruit.

Walla Walla Syrah is best typified by cool stone fruits, minerality, and earth. These are nothing like CA Syrahs, which usually come across fruitier and sometimes sweet. Someone mentioned the Ty Caton - Walla Walla is twice as dark, twice as "cool" in taste, and shows less obvious alcohol. Very much like a well-balanced Northern Rhone without excessive funk.

The two higher end bottles here in particular are nicely elegant on the mouthfeel, I would agree with "smooth".

This is a can't-miss Woot offering. Buy 2 or 3 and don't look back. It'll be one of your best purchases of the year.

arthurz wrote:I'm a big fan of the Doyenne Signature Syrah and wonder if anyone knows how these compare in style.

(Delille Cellars) Doyenne Signature Syrah sources fruit from Boushey (Yakima) and Grand Ciel (Red Mountain). Both vineyards are exceptionally managed and produce great fruit. Albeit expensive.

In my opinion, from tasting the 2008 Doyenne Signature recently: the Doyenne has more black tea and floral notes, with a much rounder, softer mouthfeel. It also has more alcohol, but it's in balance, so it adds to the lush mouthfeel (probably the glycerols). The color is just about as dark, but more red than violet.

I think you'll find the Cougar Crest to have more oak on the lower end, more purple color, and while the mouthfeel will not be quite as polished, it will have an aggressive, bold nose, more smoked meat notes backed by an unmistakeable cool rock minerality sense.

I personally like Syrah that shows extreme sense of place. Cougar Crest's higher end offerings do that. Put it this way: Doyenne is what I'd order at a business dinner, but Walla Walla Syrah is what I ordered in my head.

Also for anyone doing CA comparisons, this is the exact opposite of Paso Robles Syrah. Cougar Crest Syrah is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

kagayaki1 wrote:(Delille Cellars) Doyenne Signature Syrah sources fruit from Boushey (Yakima) and Grand Ciel (Red Mountain). Both vineyards are exceptionally managed and produce great fruit. Albeit expensive.

In my opinion, from tasting the 2008 Doyenne Signature recently: the Doyenne has more black tea and floral notes, with a much rounder, softer mouthfeel. It also has more alcohol, but it's in balance, so it adds to the lush mouthfeel (probably the glycerols). The color is just about as dark, but more red than violet.

I think you'll find the Cougar Crest to have more oak on the lower end, more purple color, and while the mouthfeel will not be quite as polished, it will have an aggressive, bold nose, more smoked meat notes backed by an unmistakeable cool rock minerality sense.

I personally like Syrah that shows extreme sense of place. Cougar Crest's higher end offerings do that. Put it this way: Doyenne is what I'd order at a business dinner, but Walla Walla Syrah is what I ordered in my head.

Also for anyone doing CA comparisons, this is the exact opposite of Paso Robles Syrah. Cougar Crest Syrah is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

You could be writing tasting notes for a living and do a better job than the critics!

kagayaki1 wrote:Also for anyone doing CA comparisons, this is the exact opposite of Paso Robles Syrah. Cougar Crest Syrah is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

I'm nearly in on the strength of this analogy alone.