It makes sense that one of the Northwest’s most famous sites for Pinot Noir helped Austrailian winemaker Heather Perkin, the Campbell family and Pike Road Wines to earn a rare double gold and one of the highest scores for any wine last fall at the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition. Until the Campbells created the Pike Road brand, fruit from Shea was dedicated to the … [Read more...] about Pike Road Wines 2021 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton $50
Day Wines 2022 Vin de Days Rouge, Willamette Valley $27
From her Day Camp facility near Dundee, Ore., Brianne Day creates this crowd-pleasing blend that’s primarily Pinot Noir with some of the flash that Pinot Meunier (8%) offers. The fanciful nose of raspberry, pomegranate and black pepper includes a bit of brown sugar and pork belly. Those are joined on the palate with a theme of bright cherry flavors that's easy to appreciate … [Read more...] about Day Wines 2022 Vin de Days Rouge, Willamette Valley $27
Convergence Zone Cellars 2021 Mistral Grenache, Red Mountain $33
Scott Greenberg’s touch with Rhône varieties from the 2021 vintage continues to be proven in regional competitions, and it starts with his investment in top-shelf grapes. Here it is the Holmes family’s historic Ciel du Cheval Vineyard near Red Mountain’s Sunset Road, a harvest of Grenache on Oct. 7. Its light, brickish color carries aromas of potpourri, pomegranate and orange … [Read more...] about Convergence Zone Cellars 2021 Mistral Grenache, Red Mountain $33
Pike Road Wines 2022 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $17
Best Buy! Despite the scale of this production, the Campbell family and Heather Perkin — their winemaker for Pike Road — rely on hand-harvesting across the dozen or so vineyards they source this Pinot Gris from. Those include Dr. Robert Matteri’s plantings in Yamhill-Carlton near Campbell-owned Mount Richmond. There’s no oak involved, allowing for Intense aromas of sweet … [Read more...] about Pike Road Wines 2022 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $17
Barrister Winery 2019 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $43
This vintage signaled the start of Tyler Walters’ second decade of winemaking in Spokane's Davenport Arts District alongside barristers Greg Lipsker and Michael White, and the effort with this higher-elevation site on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley is artful. Summit View, part of the famed SeVein project, is between Ferguson and Seven Hills Vineyard. There’s also … [Read more...] about Barrister Winery 2019 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $43