Best Buy! It makes sense that the success each year of the Long Shadows Vintners program with rosé of Pinot Gris — Julia's Dazzle — could translate to the Nine Hats Pinot Gris. Of the 10 bottlings by Nine Hats, four of them are produced with white varieties — and two of them are Pinot Gris. This is a classic Washington example of Pinot Gris in its tropical and rich approach of … [Read more...] about Nine Hats Winery 2018 Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, $14
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Wine By Joe 2019 Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $14
Best Buy! Oregon native Joe Dobbes has loved this unappreciated white grape native to the Burgundy region of France for two decades, and his work under his nicely priced Wine By Joe brand has been getting attention from some of the wine world’s biggest pundits going back to 2006. For years, Dobbes pulled from Seabreeze Estate Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor for Pinot Blanc. … [Read more...] about Wine By Joe 2019 Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $14
Camas Prairie Winery 2018 Huckleberry Mead, Idaho, $15
Best Buy! A decade ago, Jeremy Ritter purchased this historic brand in the college town of Moscow, Idaho. Five years ago, he moved about 30 miles east into the St. Joe National Forest town of Bovill while continuing a tradition of award-winning honey wine. Made from huckleberries and honey and nothing else, this mead pours into the glass a pink-hued-amber. The nose is exactly … [Read more...] about Camas Prairie Winery 2018 Huckleberry Mead, Idaho, $15
Melrose Estate 2015 Vin du Fermier Pinot Noir, Oregon $16
Best Buy! One of Southern Oregon's largest family owned vineyards, Melrose Vineyards produces some of the state's most approachable and nicely priced wines, and the Parkers' "Farmers Wine" — Vin du Fermier — from the historically warm 2015 vintage presents a riper style of Pinot Noir. Dark purple tones of plum juice and blueberry bring some earthiness and a touch of maturity … [Read more...] about Melrose Estate 2015 Vin du Fermier Pinot Noir, Oregon $16
Cameron Hughes 2017 Lot 631 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $12
Best Buy! On his home page, Cameron Hughes rolls out a decent imitation of the cult Paso Wine Man video series, and the Hopland, Calif., negoçiant offers a solid expression of Oregon Pinot Gris. This bright approach is all stainless with four months of lees contact, and while the bottle doesn't indicate the fruit was farmed Biodynamically, Hughes's hint that his partners on … [Read more...] about Cameron Hughes 2017 Lot 631 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $12