Kitsap Peninsula chiropractor Brian Petersen knows how to massage the tannins in his red Bordeaux program at Mosquito Fleet Winery, and his latest Petit Verdot might be his best example to date. A 22-month barrel program in 30% new French oak develops toasty aromas of nutmeg and clove with dusty black cherry and Aussie-style black licorice. There’s a massive delivery of black … [Read more...] about Mosquito Fleet Winery 2013 Petit Verdot, Horse Heaven Hills, $32
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Patterson Cellars 2015 Late Harvest Roussanne, Yakima Valley, $23
Few folks in the Pacific Northwest take the time to understand how to produce a dessert wine from Roussanne, but John Patterson - one of the busiest winemakers in Woodinville - has a delectable track record with a sticky version of this white Rhône grape. He pulls it from Willard Farms near Prosser, and his cool fermentation allowed him to capture aromas and flavors of toffee, … [Read more...] about Patterson Cellars 2015 Late Harvest Roussanne, Yakima Valley, $23
Coyote Canyon Winery 2013 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Primitivo, Horse Heaven Hills, 25
Justin Michaud was new to Horse Heaven Hills fruit, Mike Andrews’ vineyard and Primitivo as a variety, but the Washington State University grad has proven to be a quick study. This bottle began Sept. 20 at harvest, and Michaud found Merlot (11%) to be a ready partner with this Croatian grape. Its intense cherry aroma includes strawberry jam, malt and fresh-cut hay, which leads … [Read more...] about Coyote Canyon Winery 2013 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Primitivo, Horse Heaven Hills, 25
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2015 Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $20
The story begins with the sandy soils that make up Tinhorn Creek's estate Diamondback Vineyard on British Columbia’s Black Sage Bench, but harvest spanned a month to create four separate lots. There were hand-picked lots that were split up between steel and wood fermentations. There also were machine-harvested lots that underwent the same fermentation, albeit both of the French … [Read more...] about Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2015 Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $20
Nine Hats 2015 Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $20
Nine of the planet’s most famous vintners are part of the renowned Long Shadows Vintners project in Walla Walla, and they work with some of the Columbia Valley’s top vineyards. There’s not room for all of that juice under Long Shadows brand, so founder Allen Shoup and director of winemaking, Gilles Nicault, use select lots for their Nine Hats brand. Three out of the past four … [Read more...] about Nine Hats 2015 Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $20