Confluence Winery

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There are surprise finds in Southwest Washington especially as you travel east on the Columbia Gorge. However, for this WineTrail trekker, discovering the wines of Confluence Winery was indeed a surprise. I did not see that coming.

Located in rural Clark County a good 20 minutes from Vancouver Confluence Winery derives its name from the confluence of rivers and the coming together of eastern Washington grapes and western Washington winemaking. However, as owners Jae and Greg Weber will tell you, the name reflects the confluence of friends meeting to share great wine.

Winemaker Norm Banks (with input from Walla Walla vintner Marie Eve Gilla of famed Forgeron Cellars) employs pre-fermentation cold maceration to extract colors and flavors from the grapes. The resulting wine is both softer and intense in color. The voluptuous mouth feel and fruit forward tastes had me wanting for more. In particular, the Confluence Equilibrium, a blend of merlot, cabernet and petit verdot, had me imagining a velvet hammer with its smooth texture and full-bodied finish. Perhaps the 20 months ageing in oak had something to do with it I offered to Norm to which he only smiled.

Confluence Winery’s setting with its cozy tasting room and outdoor seating area is wonderful by itself but equal to the task are the friendly staff inside led by co-owner Jae. Besides that, how often to wineries lay out a spread of gourmet cheeses and crackers? Not often. It’s just one of the nicer touches visitors experience at Confluence Winery.