Another wildly successful Spanish-inspired experiment at Abacela, this one began in 2000 with a half-acre on the north side of a hill. Now, Albariño is the flagship white wine for Earl and Hilda Jones in Roseburg, Ore. Picked during the second and third weeks of autumn at 21 Brix, there’s no oak involved, allowing the grape to exude fanciful aromas of lemon meringue pie, papaya … [Read more...] about Abacela 2018 Estate Albariño, Umpqua Valley, $21
Outstanding
Mark Ryan Winery 2016 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $60
When Mark McNeilly started out at the turn of the century, Dead Horse was one of the two wines he opened with. He still views it as his flagship bottling. He maintains his long-standing relationship with Ciel du Cheval Vineyard here and includes Klipsun, Obelisco and young Quintessence. Luxurious barrel influences of cocoa powder, vanilla and toasted cherry wood are joined by … [Read more...] about Mark Ryan Winery 2016 Dead Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $60
Sawtooth Winery 2018 Classic Fly Series Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley, $18
Idaho excels with many varieties and styles of wine, and Riesling has been the constant. When she took over at Ste. Chapelle in 2016, Meredith Smith became the state's leading producer of Riesling, and she still shows the flair with it now that she's in charge of both Ste. Chapelle and Sawtooth. Skyline Vineyard, the breadbasket for many Gem State producers, is the birthplace … [Read more...] about Sawtooth Winery 2018 Classic Fly Series Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley, $18
4 Cellars by Little Big Town 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $20
There were no wine sightings on their video for Pontoon, but American country quartet of Little Big Town has enjoyed its relationship with Walla Walla winemaker John Freeman under their 4 Cellars brand for Precept Wine. He makes two styles of Cab for the group, and this is a crowd-pleaser that also brings some complexity. Black cherry, plum and chocolate aromas pick up some … [Read more...] about 4 Cellars by Little Big Town 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $20
L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Syrah, Columbia Valley, $25
Marty Clubb and his team had the luxury of pulling in hand-harvested grapes from vineyards such as Sagemoor’s Bacchus, StoneTree and Candy Mountain as well as Summit View and Seven Hills in the Walla Walla Valley. They racked these largely neutral oak barrels four times during the course of 18 months, and the bench trials led to a blend of Syrah (77%), Grenache (21%) and … [Read more...] about L’Ecole No. 41 2017 Syrah, Columbia Valley, $25