Best Buy! A number of historic family-owned Columbia Valley wine companies allow employees to launch their own brand. Casu Wines is a new project of Andrew Kowalski and John Sandoval, employed in Prosser, Wash., by the Lawrence family and on the winemaking team helmed by award-winning Matías Kúsulas. For their debut rosé, Kowalski and Sandoval work with Merlot from … [Read more...] about Casu Wines 2021 Rosé of Merlot, Wahluke Slope, $18
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Beckstone Wine 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $20
Best Buy! Napa Valley visionary Bill Leigon continues his collaboration with Pacific Rim Winemakers in Richland, Wash., for Beckstone — a young value-driven brand that first earned our attention with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, the former J. Lohr marketing manager reaches into storied Horse Heaven Hills site Wallula Vineyard for Sauvignon Blanc, and veteran winemakers Tim … [Read more...] about Beckstone Wine 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $20
Battle Creek Cellars 2022 Unconditional Surrender Reserve Chardonnay, Oregon, $24.99
Willamette Valley winemaker Sarah Cabot crafts her wines in Dundee for Seattle-based Precept, pours them in Portland’s Pearl District and created this Chardonnay in a complex reserve style. The layered nose opens with butterscotch candy then peach preserves, green apple, lime and cotton candy. There’s just a lick of butterscotch on the entry, giving way to a rush of citrus … [Read more...] about Battle Creek Cellars 2022 Unconditional Surrender Reserve Chardonnay, Oregon, $24.99
Arenness Cellars 2020 Les Collines Vineyard su_m Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, $48
Portland winemaker Robert Bailey continues to focus his thoughtful gaze on Cabernet Sauvignon grown in storied sites east of the Cascades. Les Collines — a venerable site in the Blue Mountain foothills south of Walla Walla — fits that approach. This single lot of juice is both block and clone specific, Clone 8 from Block 45, and it spent two years in a neutral barrel. He … [Read more...] about Arenness Cellars 2020 Les Collines Vineyard su_m Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley, $48
Upper Bench Estate Winery 2022 Riesling, Naramata Bench $26
One of the more fascinating projects is the Pacific Northwest is led by the husband/wife team of Gavin and Shana Miller — an estate winery and creamery on the Naramata Bench in British Columbia. Gavin’s winemaking near Okanagan Lake led to the Best Riesling of the 2024 Cascadia International, a product of estate vines that benefited from the 2022 "Hail Mary" vintage - an … [Read more...] about Upper Bench Estate Winery 2022 Riesling, Naramata Bench $26