Covey Run Quail Wines Are At Grocery Outlet

I’ve known about it for a few weeks. Dane and Jon at Grocery Outlet Kennewick tipped me off. I have to admit that my heart gave a little jump when I heard that a limited amount of Covey Run was going to be available on the shelves soon.

Covey Run, one of the wineries that I consider local to this region, is located in Prosser, Washington. The winery was started in 1982 by local families, and is still in operation today. Truly a pioneer brand for the Washington State wine industry.

Winemaker Kate Michaud, who has worked for several industry leaders such as Bonny Doon, and Canoe Ridge, came to Covey Run Winery in 2007. Since then she has become a substantial name in the Washington wine industry while making the famous Quail label wines at Covey.

As you already know, there are many reasons why wines go to Grocery Outlet. In this case, there were a couple of years where the vineyards produced more supply than there was demand. This drove prices down, and the supply remained until the next year’s crops were ready to go into the barrel and bottle. That means great deals to consumers!

The three bottles of Covey Run that I tried this week were the 2008 Fume Blanc, The 2006 Cabernet-Merlot blend, and the 2007 Merlot.

Fume Blanc is truly a beautiful wine. The 2006 is made with 100% Fume Blanc, this wine offers up a nose and palate of citrus right off the top. Lemongrass, herbs, and lemon-lime flavors mix in the glass to make a bright, crisp wine for drinking alone or with creamy dishes.

The 2006 Cabernet-Merlot shows dark ruby red in the glass. It is somewhat fruit forward, meaning that the nose and the palate show a wonderful bouquet of fresh fruit right from the start. The cherry, vanilla, and chocolate aromas and flavors make me want to just keep pouring more from the bottle. Great with a steak or all by itself!

The 2007 Merlot is also rich with fruit, but shows a great maturity in the glass. Plum and cherry meet the nose, and a rich dark ruby color lines the glass. The flavors are much more complex than expected. The fruit comes forward, followed by a rich smokey finish with long tannins.

The best part of these wines is not only their flavors, but also their price. I picked them up for $3.99 a bottle. I remember these vintages selling for up to $15 when they first came out, but at this price I might buy a case of each.