Jones of Washington earned the 2012 Washington Winery of the Year award from Wine Press Northwest magazine thanks in large part to the winemaking by Victor Palencia with fruit off the Wahluke Slope. His talents prompted the two-decade publication to name Palencia Wine Company as its 2019 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, and he's garnered several gold medals for this Petit … [Read more...] about Palencia Wine Co. 2016 El Viñador Petit Verdot, Wahluke Slope $40
Outstanding
Hester Creek Estate Winery 2020 Sèmillon, Okanagan Valley $19.99
One of the British Columbia wine industry's most historic properties, Hester Creek planted these Sèmillon vines in 1997 along what's now known as the Golden Mile Bench south of Oliver. With that in mind, they've dedicated this white Bordeaux to its Storied Series program and Mark Hopley's snapshot of the Sept. 24 harvest from a warm vintage in the Okanagan Valley showcases the … [Read more...] about Hester Creek Estate Winery 2020 Sèmillon, Okanagan Valley $19.99
SuLei Cellars 2019 Albariño, Yakima Valley $22
Crawford Vineyard has become a prized site throughout the Northwest for Albariño, and this grape native to the Iberian Peninsula continues to reward winemakers with gold medals. This spring, it emerged from the Cascadia International Wine Competition with a best-of-class award and Best White Wine honors. Tanya Woodley, an alum of Walla Walla Community College's program, … [Read more...] about SuLei Cellars 2019 Albariño, Yakima Valley $22
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2018 Umiker Estate Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Selway, Lewis-Clark Valley $45
The Selway River tumbles at the Montana/Idaho border and later meets the Clearwater River, down the hills from Coco & Karl Umiker's century farm in the Lewiston Orchards. Coco's approach to this is Meritage in style, and while her 2017 led with Carménère from Washington's famed Phinney Hill, here it is all from the Umiker estate, so there's a special sense of pride in this … [Read more...] about Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2018 Umiker Estate Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Selway, Lewis-Clark Valley $45
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2020 Optimum Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, $16.99
Some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest white wines appear annually when Gordon and Walter Gehringer release their stable of reliable Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Auxerrois. This year's Cascadia — a three-day tasting — was only a few hours old when the brothers Pinot Gris program had already won two gold medals. The 2020 Optimum appropriately sports that name with … [Read more...] about Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2020 Optimum Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, $16.99