23 years and counting for Platinum Awards

The Great Northwest Wine editorial team and the Pacific Northwest wine industry have come a long way since we created the Platinum Awards back in 2000.

These days, “Platinum” is a designation that gets tossed around by myriad competitions, but 23 years ago, we believed we were the first — and credit goes to event founder Andy Perdue for that. Alas, we were newspaper men and not in the business of trademarking.

A year ago, there were 191 wines judged to be worthy of Platinum out of 528 submissions, with 66 of those earning Double Platinum acclaim — which signifies the judges were in unanimous agreement. This year, there were 219 Platinum winners out of 679 entries, with 68 of those as Double Platinum.

The hope is to next year surpass the pre-pandemic record of 749 submissions in 2019. Regardless, this year’s increased participation of 151 from the previous judging is the largest influx from one year to the next in Platinum history — a reflection of the coordination by Publisher Jerry Hug.

• This is the third time that Stephen Reustle has produced either “The Best of the Best” or the Best White Wine of the Platinum.
• DeLille Cellars, our reigning Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, has earned a Platinum in each of the past three years for both its flagship D2 Red Wine and its stately Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain. 
• Dunham Cellars earned a Platinum for the third time in the past four years for its flagship Trutina Red Wine.
• Olympic Peninsula winemaker Don Corson reaffirmed his status as one of the Northwest’s top talents with Cabernet Sauvignon, earning a trio of Platinums for his reserve program, a showing that spanned three vintages and reached back to 2012. His 2018 reserve effort from Dionysus Vineyard along the White Bluffs finished as the No. 1 Cab of the tasting. Overall, he’s won seven Platinums for work with Bordeaux reds in the past three years. 
• Cardwell Hill Cellars, our editorial team’s 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year, received four Platinums — all for Pinot Noir, giving Dan Chapel a total of 16 for his career.
• King Estate Winery, our editorial team’s 2021 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, continued its remarkable run under winemaker Brent Stone. His team added four Platinums in 2022, giving them a total of 16 in the past four years.
• Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, the 2022 Washington Winery to Watch, used the prized Red Mountain red grapes to again impress judges with four Platinum winners from the 2019 vintage. Two of those were Double Platinums. Self-taught winemaker Mark Lathrop leaped onto the all-time Platinum leaderboard with 11 career Platinums — all in the past two years.
• Lake Chelan showpiece Mellisoni Vineyards also received four Platinums, two of them grown by Ed Kelly at Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope. Rob and Donna Mellison vaulted into a tie for No. 20 overall on the all-time Platinum scoreboard.
• Napa-based winemaker Chris Daniel of Chris Daniel Winery in Quincy, Wash., who produced “The Best of the Best” in 2021, continued his remarkable run with three Platinums, which gives his family a total of 11 in the past four years. 
• Christopher James Barnes of Chris James Cellars in Carlton, Ore. — our reigning Oregon Winery of the Year — added validation with three Platinums to match his output of last year.

Newcomers to the Platinum honor roll

Abeja (Walla Walla, Wash.), Appassionata by J. Christopher Wines (Newberg, Ore.), Arbor Crest Wine Cellars (Spokane, Wash.), Bayernmoor Cellars (Lake Stevens, Wash.), C.R. Sandidge Wines (Manson, Wash.), Chelan Ridge Winery/High Hawk Cellars (Manson, Wash.), Côtes de Ciel (Walla Walla), Del Rio Vineyards (Gold Hill, Ore.), EFESTĒ (Woodinville, Wash.), Four Feathers Wine Services (Prosser, Wash.), Golden Ridge Cellars (Walla Walla, Wash), Huston Vineyards (Caldwell, Idaho), Kerry Hill Winery (Wilder, Idaho), Lagrioth Winery (Manson, Wash.), Neher Family Wines (Milton-Freewater, Ore.), Öömrang, Inc. (Stanwood, Wash.), Parejas Cellars (Clarkston, Wash.), Pike Road Wines (McMinnville, Ore.), Southern Cross Winery (Richland, Wash.), TruthTeller Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.), Two Bad Labs Vineyard (Lewiston, Idaho), Whitman Hill Winery (Zillah, Wash.), Winescape (Spokane, Wash.)

Multiple winners during 2022 Platinum

Brian Carter Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. (7)
Cathedral Ridge Winery, Hood River, Ore. (7)
Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Lewiston, Idaho (7)
Thurston Wolfe Winery, Prosser, Wash. (7)
Westport Winery Garden Resort, Aberdeen, Wash. (7)
Reustle Prayer-Rock Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore. (5)
Tipsy Canyon Winery, Manson, Wash. (5)
Tsillan Cellars, Chelan, Wash. (5)

Those with four

Basalt Cellars, Camaraderie Cellars, Cardwell Hill Cellars, Chelan Ridge Winery/High Hawk Cellars, Coyote Canyon Winery/ H/H Estates, King Estate Winery, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, Mellisoni Vineyards, Palencia Wine Co., Winescape, Zerba Cellars

Those with three

Bluebird Hill Cellars, Chris Daniel Winery, Chris James Cellars, Hamilton Cellars, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Moon Curser Vineyards, Mt. Hood Winery, Spangler Vineyards, Spoiled Dog Winery, The Bunnell Family Cellar, Yakima Valley Vintners/Yakima Valley College

Those with two

Airfield Estates, Ambassador Wines of Washington, Bayernmoor Cellars, C.R. Sandidge Wines, Château NoElle Vineyards & Winery, Côtes de Ciel, Del Rio Vineyards, DeLille Cellars, Four Feathers Wine Services, Iris Vineyards, Lagana Cellars, Mercer Estates, Michael Florentino Cellars, Milbrandt Vineyards, Port Townsend Vineyards, Rolling Hills Vineyard, Siren Song Wines, Succession Wines, T2 Cellar, TruthTeller Winery, Watermill Winery

Those with 10+ career Platinum Awards after 2022

Cathedral Ridge Winery
Yakima Valley Vintners / Yakima Valley College
Château Faire Le Pont
Chris Daniel Winery
DeLille Cellars
Liberty Lake Wine Cellars
Mercer Estates
Puffin Brand