Best Buy! Walla Walla winemaker John Freeman and his team spotlight Precept estate site Canyon Vineyard Ranch near Prosser, Wash., for this Pinot Gris that’s not shy of personality. The nose of Ambrosia Salad, honeydew melon, Mandarin orange and facial powder ushers in flavors of Asian pear, citrus and kiwi fruit. Pleasing tartness and pear skin tannin balance the residual … [Read more...] about Waterbrook Winery 2015 Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, $13
Bells Up Winery 2014 Titan Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $40
David Specter fled a career as a corporate tax attorney and recently launched his winery along Bell Road near Newberg, Ore., in an impressive Chehalem Mountain neighborhood that includes Medici, Privé and Zimri. This young Pinot Noir even includes a contribution from Medici’s 25-year-old own-rooted Pommard planting, and the unfiltered juice offers fanciful aromas of fruit punch … [Read more...] about Bells Up Winery 2014 Titan Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $40
Actor Kyle MacLachlan pursues bears, Walla Walla wine
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - You may know Kyle MacLachlan as Portlandia’s mayor or as Dune’s Paul Atreides, or perhaps as Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks or as Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City. You probably don’t know him as Pursued By Bear, but Pursued By Bear he is, in his alter ego’s role as an Eastern Washington winemaker. Not your average bear His flagship wine is called … [Read more...] about Actor Kyle MacLachlan pursues bears, Walla Walla wine
Maryhill Winery 2013 Proprietor’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $40
Maryhill Winery's Richard Batchelor crafted this sophisticated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from multiple vineyards, using Clifton Hill (30%), McKinley Springs (30%), Kiona (20%) and Eagle Ranch in this Proprietor's Reserve. The result is a seamless array of aromas and flavors showing off black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and black currants. It finishes with … [Read more...] about Maryhill Winery 2013 Proprietor’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $40
Kennedy Shah 2012 Artz Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain, $45
Woodinville's Woodhouse Wine Estates winemaker Jean-Claude Beck, a native of Alsace, brought in these grapes grown by the late Fred Artz on Red Mountain. The longtime former Klipsun Vineyard manager passed away in 2015, and this vineyard-designate Cab Franc serves as a wonderful living tribute, opening with red currant, fresh rosemary, brown sugar and California peppercorns. … [Read more...] about Kennedy Shah 2012 Artz Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain, $45