Best Buy! A longtime member of the team at Waterbrook in Walla Walla, Cesar Cuellar's responsibilities for Precept Wine include overseeing the winemaking for this consumer-focused label with a lineage that began in 1984 and includes Staton Hills in the Yakima Valley. Two large plantings within 20 minutes of each other — Goose Ridge and Canyon Vineyard Ranch — contribute to the … [Read more...] about Sagelands Vineyard 2018 Dark Shadow Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $12
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Lone Birch Wines 2019 Estate Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, $12
Best Buy! The Miller family has 830 acres of estate fruit along the Roza in Washington's Yakima Valley, making it one of the largest vineyards in the Pacific Northwest and the source for some of the region's most deliciously price wines available. While their example of Pinot Gris offers hints of tropicality, its foundation is built around tones of stone fruit, starting with a … [Read more...] about Lone Birch Wines 2019 Estate Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, $12
Airfield Estates 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, $15
Best Buy! The Miller family and their winemaker, Travis Maple, employ a yeast strain derived from Sauvignon Blanc berries in New Zealand to ferment these Airfield Ranch grapes over the course of four weeks at a temperature in the low 60s. Maple's team then aged the wine on its lees for two months, stirring the lots twice. By Dec. 1, they had it all in the bottle. It's no … [Read more...] about Airfield Estates 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, $15
Waterbrook Winery 2018 Syrah, Columbia Valley $15
Best Buy! For the second straight vintage, John Freeman's team in Walla Walla has earned our top rating for this incredibly priced Syrah from Mirage Vineyard (52%) along the Columbia River north of Pasco, Wash., and famed Klipsun Vineyard (34%) on Red Mountain and Browne Estate Vineyard (14%) in the Walla Walla Valley. This bottling spent nine months in a program of 20% new … [Read more...] about Waterbrook Winery 2018 Syrah, Columbia Valley $15
Battle Creek Cellars 2018 Unconditional Pinot Noir, Oregon, $18
One of the wines that Sarah Cabot, Precept's winemaker in the Willamette Valley, takes the most pride in is her entry-level Unconditional Pinot Noir. Traditionally, she pulls it significantly from Battle Creek Vineyard. This time, it accounted for 25% of the blend, trailing Waldo Hills Vineyard (30%) and Sunshine Mountain Vineyard (30%) while gaining help from Yamhill Valley … [Read more...] about Battle Creek Cellars 2018 Unconditional Pinot Noir, Oregon, $18