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
Cellardoor Winery 2021 The Buoy White Wine, American $18
Best Buy! Maine winemakers Aaron and Christina Peet helped learn their craft at Walla Walla Community College in 2007-08. During their time in the Northwest, they came to know the Yakima Valley is an ideal source for Chenin Blanc and Sèmillon — a blend that's been embraced in Argentina. Here, the Chenin comes from Willard Vineyard, same planting that’s at the core of L’Ecole N° … [Read more...] about Cellardoor Winery 2021 The Buoy White Wine, American $18
Chaberton Estate Winery 2023 Estate Siegerrebe, Fraser Valley $18.95
Best Buy! This early-ripening grape native to Germany thrives in maritime regions of the Pacific Northwest, and Fraser Valley winemaker Gary Zhygailo has used it to produce another charming wine. The graduate of Ukraine’s Odessa National Academy of Food Technologies blended it here with another German variety — Schönburger (15%), which is related to Pinot Noir. Aromas hit on … [Read more...] about Chaberton Estate Winery 2023 Estate Siegerrebe, Fraser Valley $18.95
Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $18.99
Best Buy! Vintage after vintage, Dusted Valley Vintners shines with its Yakima Valley Chardonnay program from the Olsen family, so it makes sense that their Boomtown line - which also pulls Chardonnay from the Yakima Valley - would over-deliver at this price point. The use of neutral oak allows the fruit profile to emerge on the aromas and on the palate, ranging from starfruit, … [Read more...] about Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $18.99