Best Buy! Argentina fútbol supporter/winemaker Juan Muñoz Oca and his team in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills strike a winning combination by pulling fruit primarily from the steamy Wahluke Slope, co-fermenting with Viognier (5%) for a week, then sending the juice into a barrel program of 35% French oak for 16 months. It makes for a fruity yet complex nose of blackberry jam, … [Read more...] about Columbia Crest 2013 Grand Estates Syrah, Columbia Valley, $12
Best Buy
Rocky Pond Winery 2013 Clos Chevalle Vineyard Glacial Treasure White Wine, Lake Chelan, $13
Best Buy! Longtime Washington winemaker Ron Bunnell works with the Dufenhorst family, which pulls from two estate vineyards, including this 1,600-foot elevation site on the south shore of Lake Chelan near Bear Mountain Ranch. Bunnell, who shines with red Rhône grapes under his own brand, creates a stunningly aromatic white that leads with Gewurztraminer (85%) and includes … [Read more...] about Rocky Pond Winery 2013 Clos Chevalle Vineyard Glacial Treasure White Wine, Lake Chelan, $13
Waterbrook Winery 2014 Malbec, Columbia Valley, $15
Best Buy! This vintage marked John Freeman’s 10th as Waterbrook’s head winemaker after taking over from founder Eric Rindal, and the Walla Walla winery continues to serve as a Pacific Northwest ambassador for this lesser-known red Bordeaux grape. One of the state’s most underrated sites — Doval on the Wahluke Slope — was combined with Art denHoed and Canyon Ranch vineyards, and … [Read more...] about Waterbrook Winery 2014 Malbec, Columbia Valley, $15
Lone Birch Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $13
Best Buy! Yakima Valley vintner/grower Marcus Miller continues to release stellar, consumer-friendly wines under his family’s second label, inspired by a 70-year-old birch tree that stands proudly within the 900-acre vineyard. It comes across with a lighter styled expression of Cab, opening with enticing aromas of cassis and blueberry backed by complex tones of vanilla, coffee … [Read more...] about Lone Birch Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $13
Columbia Crest 2012 Grand Estates Red Blend, Columbia Valley, $12
Best Buy! Syrah continues to make a comeback as a standalone varietal wine, but a growing number of winemakers in Washington state are putting it to great use as a blending component. Winemaker Juan Muñoz Oca and his team at Columbia Crest provide a superb example with this, a blend of Syrah (57%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) that also receives a healthy boost from Viognier … [Read more...] about Columbia Crest 2012 Grand Estates Red Blend, Columbia Valley, $12