Planting trees is good work. So is making wine. Happy planet, happy humans. As a nod to Arbor Day this coming Friday, I found the perfect wine for you to enjoy: Auclair Winery 96 Cedars Washington State Red Mountain Red Wine. This wine is an homage to the exceptional grapes of Washington State (specifically the Red Mountain AVA) and to the trees that keep our Evergreen State verdant and beautiful.

I bought this delicious Bordeaux-style red blend a few years back at Costco for around $20/bottle. The 2016 vintage was comprised of 38% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Petit Verdot. A large part of the reason I bought it was I got the chance to taste it in the store, along with another Auclair wine they were pouring. I wish more stores did in-store tastings; it’s effective and leads to increased sales. My notes from the time declare, “Very, very good! Will buy again.”

Let’s have the winemaker share with us about this bargain bottle from the 2019 vintage:

The ultimate Arbor Day wine: Auclair Winery 96 Cedars Washington State Red Mountain

“This wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all grown on Red Mountain. The nose starts out with rich dark fruit, a floral element and some nice interesting spice notes. Allowing this wine to open up (and it does need time!) will bring depth and structure to complement the rich, dark fruit. The palate is rich, and full with dark plum, rich cherry, blackberry liquor, vanilla, and spice all show up for your enjoyment. The finish is dark, smooth and very, very long. This wine is structured and can be laid down for some time or you can enjoy it young in its youthful fruit forward stage.”

So why is this wine called 96 Cedars? For Earth Day 2007, Charlie and Debbie Auclair purchased 100 cedar saplings for planting on their property: “4 were planted at our home. 96 were designated for our mountain lot. Little did we know the work we had signed ourselves up for! This wine is dedicated to those trees and the work we put in that day planting them. Enjoy!”

My brief search on Costco.com leads me to believe they no longer carry it, but I could be wrong. Your local Costco warehouse might also prove otherwise.

You can sample 96 Cedars and other fantastic looking wines at Auclair Winery’s Woodinville tasting room by arranging an appointment here.

Your best bet is to purchase directly through Auclair Winery.

And purchase it you should! 🙂