Best Buy! Launched by Washington wine entrepreneur Harry Alhadeff in the 1980s in the Yakima Valley, Apex Cellars is now part of Precept Wines in Seattle. The winery remains in the Yakima Valley, residing in the Vintners Village in Prosser. This Sauvignon Blanc is a frisky wine with aromas of sweet herbs, freshly mown grass and honeycomb. The palate is highlighted by bright … [Read more...] about Apex Cellars 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy
House Wine 2010 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
Best Buy! This creation of Walla Walla's Charles Smith that now is marketed and distributed by Precept Wines in Seattle continues to be a crowd favorite for its distinctively simple labels, straightforward and approachable flavors and price. This Chardonnay opens with a perfumy and floral nose that includes notes of lemon, pineapple, banana, lychee and a something that reminds … [Read more...] about House Wine 2010 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
Washington Hills 2011 Late Harvest Sweet Riesling, Washington, $10
One of the state's largest productions of late harvest Riesling, it's rather tasty and far from simple. Think of fruit cocktail aromas that also pick up apple blossom, apricot, peaches, lemon/lime, honeycomb and a whiff of petrol. Nearly all of those follow through to the flavors, as well as apple sauce, baking spice and wet stone. At 7% residual sugar and late acidity, it … [Read more...] about Washington Hills 2011 Late Harvest Sweet Riesling, Washington, $10
Lone Birch 2011 Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, $13
Airfield Estates in Prosser, Wash., already made some of the best value wines in the Northwest, and then the Miller clan created its second lower-priced label. The Millers cropped their Black Rock Creek vineyard to 5 tons per acre for a wine that opens with a nose of lemon zest, Asian pear, starfruit, white pepper and river rock. The approach to the palate is dry (0.6% residual … [Read more...] about Lone Birch 2011 Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, $13
Sun River Vintners 2008 Smasne Vineyard Gewürztraminer, Yakima Valley, $14
This new winery in Kennewick, Wash., produces vineyard-designate wines primarily from sites in the Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills. They take an unusual approach to Gewurztraminer in the New World by giving it some age, and there's a subtle hint of barrel, too. Aromas of apple sauce, cardamom, candy corn, cotton candy and grapefruit zest transition to flavors of baked … [Read more...] about Sun River Vintners 2008 Smasne Vineyard Gewürztraminer, Yakima Valley, $14