More Spanish grapes - red and wine - are finding a worthy home in Southern Oregon. Belle Fiore, a property reminiscent of something on the Siliverado Trail, is pursuing this Rueda variety in a crisp style under its Belle Esprit label. Verdejo makes up a tiny portion of the Kerwins' 31-acre vineyard, and this lot was harvested on Oct. 2 from these 6-year-old vines. Fascinating … [Read more...] about Belle Espirt 2015 Estate Verdejo, Rogue Valley, $29
Oregon
Bells Up Winery 2015 Summit View Vineyard Firebird Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $36
French horn musician Dave Specter has focused his young Willamette Valley boutique winery on Pinot Noir, but he's been slowly refining his Syrah program using Walla Walla Valley fruit. His work here with Summit View Vineyard, planted by the respected Tom Waliser, is stellar. The Milton-Freewater, Ore., site that's adjacent to Seven Hills Vineyard and part of the SeVein … [Read more...] about Bells Up Winery 2015 Summit View Vineyard Firebird Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $36
Knudsen Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $55
It's ironic that proprietor Page Knudsen Cowles, who grew up in the Northwest and now lives in Minneapolis, hired a graduate of the University of Minnesota to make her family's wines in the Willamette Valley. And yet, it was a natural move to go with Nate Klostermann of Argyle Winery, the right-hand man for renowned Rollin Soles who had worked with storied Knudsen fruit for … [Read more...] about Knudsen Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $55
Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $19
The winemaking team of Adam Campbell and Heather Perkin combined to produce the top two Pinot Gris in the 2017 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition, including the Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris. Much of the hand-harvested clusters were taken from the Campbell family’s original planting, which they populated with Pinot Gris starting in 1985. It resulted in a bounty … [Read more...] about Elk Cove Vineyards 2016 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $19
Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards 2015 Winemaker’s Reserve Tempranillo, Umpqua Valley, $39
As much as Stephen Reustle is praised for his groundbreaking work in the U.S. with Grüner Veltliner, he's actually got more Tempranillo in the ground across his 200-acre estate near Roseburg, Ore., than any other variety. He began planting those 6 acres of vines in 2002 at his Romancing Rock Vineyard. He grew his Tempranillo reserve program by 25 percent for the 2015 vintage, … [Read more...] about Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards 2015 Winemaker’s Reserve Tempranillo, Umpqua Valley, $39