It’s been a decade since Dean and Heather Neff built their vinification facility on the south shore of Lake Chelan and established this vineyard adjacent to their tasting room. Defiance is a year younger than their first two estate plantings near Pateros, Wash., and it’s dedicated to their prized bottlings of Rhône varieties. Dean pulls some of his Syrah from here, while Heather relies on Defiance for her Viognier program. The warm vintage and stainless-steel fermentation allowed for fascinating and complex aromas of ambrosia salad and Circus Peanut candy along with butter and herbs. There’s richness of apricot and nectarine on the entry, followed by more butter on a midpalate which transitions to a bright finish of starfruit and lime juice. Their highly allocated wines are available through Seattle-area wine merchants and their winery, but they also ship to a handful of states.
Rating: Recommended
Production: 413 cases
Alcohol: 13.4%
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