Joe Dobbes creates 11 styles of Pinot Noir under his eponymous brand, based in Dundee, Ore., and this marks his 10th vintage of working with Quailhurst Vineyard. The Ladd Hill site, planted by his friend, Dr. Marvin Hausman, was the first vineyard designate under Dobbes Family Estate. His latest unfiltered release from Quailhurst brings aromas of a dark chocolate cordial cherry … [Read more...] about Dobbes Family Estate 2013 Quailhurst Vineyard Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains, $65
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2014 Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $22
Stephen Cary continues to produce superb work with the flagship wine for Yamhill Valley Vineyards, the oldest winery in the McMinnville American Viticultural Area. Selections from Sept. 23 through Oct. 14 were made at 24. 9 Brix, and the vintage allowed for him to hang 3.2 tons per acre. In the end, the blend spent 10 months within just 8% new French oak, affording aromas of … [Read more...] about Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2014 Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $22
Durant Vineyards 2015 Ava Lucia Pinot Noir Rosé, Dundee Hills, $25
The Durant family has sold fruit from its Red Ridge farm for decades to a number of talented Oregon winemakers, and they work with renowned Joe Dobbes in the valley below their Dundee Hills estate for this pink. Harvest of the 9-year-old Pommard clones, cropped at 3 tons per acres, came Sept. 24 at 23.8 Brix. Dobbes turned those berries into a rosé of light cranberry in color … [Read more...] about Durant Vineyards 2015 Ava Lucia Pinot Noir Rosé, Dundee Hills, $25
Tamarack Cellars 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy! Here’s an example of Walla Walla winery that’s serious about Chardonnay, and founding winemaker Ron Coleman makes sure his impression is approachable in structure and price. Grapes from six vineyards - Lewis and Olsen Brothers in the Yakima Valley, Bacchus, Sagemoor and Gamache in the Columbia Basin, and Alderbanks in the Walla Walla Valley - were fermented mostly in … [Read more...] about Tamarack Cellars 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $15
Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Proprietor’s Cuvée Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $65
Kit Singh’s latest version of a Left Bank Bordeaux blend ranks right alongside the best efforts of the Woodinville dentist’s young winemaking career. It began in some of Washington’s top vineyards - Ambassador and Quintessence on Red Mountain, Upland on Snipes Mountain, Dineen in the Rattlesnake Hills and Stillwater Creek along the Royal Slope. He took a Meritage-style approach … [Read more...] about Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Proprietor’s Cuvée Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $65