Best Buy! Some of the best Sauvignon Blanc produced in Washington state hails from the Horse Heaven Hills, and the Mercer family reaches into its 525-acre Princeton Vineyard for its first HHH release of this white Bordeaux grape. The nose hints at ripe Golden Delicious apple, baked pear with cinnamon and a touch of toffee. Inside, the fluid is fruit-forward brisk with Asian … [Read more...] about Mercer Estates 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills, $13
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Tamarack Cellars 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy! Here’s an example of Walla Walla winery that’s serious about Chardonnay, and founding winemaker Ron Coleman makes sure his impression is approachable in structure and price. Grapes from six vineyards - Lewis and Olsen Brothers in the Yakima Valley, Bacchus, Sagemoor and Gamache in the Columbia Basin, and Alderbanks in the Walla Walla Valley - were fermented mostly in … [Read more...] about Tamarack Cellars 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $15
Pacific Rim Winemakers 2014 Organic Vin de Glacière Riesling, Columbia Valley, $14
Best Buy! Riesling zealot Nicolas Quillé grew up in France’s Rhône Valley and raised with an appreciation for Alsace. Among his dozen or so expressions of Riesling is this dessert, made in an ice wine style but with a cryogenic approach. Organic berries from iconic Wallula Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills were plucked at at 22.5 Brix, then frozen and pressed into … [Read more...] about Pacific Rim Winemakers 2014 Organic Vin de Glacière Riesling, Columbia Valley, $14
Drumheller Wines 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
Best Buy! Tim Jones heads up this young Ste. Michelle Wine Estates program, and this example of Chardonnay shows opulence and richness from start to finish. Most of this fruit comes from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills, and the fermentation process features 10 months of barrel aging. That helped produce aromas of toasty oak and butter with grilled peach, vanilla bean and … [Read more...] about Drumheller Wines 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12
L’Ecole No. 41 2015 Old Vines Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy! A generation ago, Chenin Blanc was a variety that produced cherished wines along the West Coast. Fortunately, Marty Clubb has remained an ardent champion of this grape native to the Loire Valley, and he continues to secure contracts with four venerable vineyards in the Yakima Valley. Phil Church, Rothrock, Upland and Willard Farms each contribute to this bottling … [Read more...] about L’Ecole No. 41 2015 Old Vines Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley, $15