Best Buy! Columbia Basin winemaker Steven Sealock offers a wide variety of award-winning Riesling, and this is one of his sweeter ones. It comes packed with lovely orange blossom and tropical aromas that hint at papaya and mango as well as white peach and Honeycrisp apple. There’s a match of that fruit on the palate, backed by a beautiful balance of acidity to address the … [Read more...] about Pacific Rim Winemakers 2014 Sweet Riesling, Columbia Valley, $11
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House Wine 2014 Fish House Sauvignon Blanc, American, $10
Best Buy! The Original House Wine brand launched by iconoclast Charles Smith continues make noise in the marketplace thanks to Hal Landvoigt and Seattle’s Precept Wine, and there’s a great deal to enjoy in this Sauvignon Blanc beyond the bargain price. A crack of the screwcap — or push of the bag-in-the-box button — brings aromas of Granny Smith apple, Key Lime, lime peel, … [Read more...] about House Wine 2014 Fish House Sauvignon Blanc, American, $10
Sagelands Vineyard 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $10
Best Buy! Waterbrook assistant winemaker Mike Prout, a product of Walla Walla Community College’s vaunted wine program, took the helm on the Sagelands’ brand starting with this vintage, and he’s quickly hit his stride with this remarkable Chardonnay — regardless of the price. It opens with aromas of butterscotch, Honeycrisp apple, Asian pear, fresh starfruit and intriguing oak … [Read more...] about Sagelands Vineyard 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $10
Jones of Washington 2014 Estate Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope, $15
Best Buy! Columbia Basin winemaker Victor Palencia favors Hungarian oak for much of his white wine program, and it’s a tradition he’s established with the estate Chardonnay program for the Jones family. The deft touch with oak allows him to build complexity without creating much in the way of barrel tones, and this latest vintage hints at banana, rosewater, Pim’s Orange … [Read more...] about Jones of Washington 2014 Estate Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope, $15
Ste. Chapelle 2014 Special Harvest Riesling, Snake River Valley, $10
Best Buy! Idaho’s largest winery celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2015, and longtime winemaker Maurine Johnson has worked at the tribute to La Sainte Chapelle in Paris for most of its history. Her latest expression of this off-dry style Riesling opens with aromas of gravel dust, Gala apple, beeswax and Scotch Magic Tape. It takes on lovely flavors of a late harvest with sweet … [Read more...] about Ste. Chapelle 2014 Special Harvest Riesling, Snake River Valley, $10