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
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Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Proprietor’s Cuvée Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $65
Kit Singh’s latest version of a Left Bank Bordeaux blend ranks right alongside the best efforts of the Woodinville dentist’s young winemaking career. It began in some of Washington’s top vineyards - Ambassador and Quintessence on Red Mountain, Upland on Snipes Mountain, Dineen in the Rattlesnake Hills and Stillwater Creek along the Royal Slope. He took a Meritage-style approach … [Read more...] about Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Proprietor’s Cuvée Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $65
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
Jones of Washington 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, $17
Columbia Valley vintner Victor Palencia continues his string of success with Sauvignon Blanc, earning our top rating with successive vintages from one of Washington's top growing regions for aromatic whites, and doing so with a slightly off-dry panache. The inviting nose of dusty orchard fruit and lime peel includes gooseberry, spearmint, lavender, lilac and oyster crackers. … [Read more...] about Jones of Washington 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, $17
TeSòAria Vineyard & Winery 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Southern Oregon, $35
Vegan vintner John Olson bought this Roseburg, Ore., winery in 2008 and opened a Portland tasting room five years later. He crafts a wide variety of wines, and this Sauvignon Blanc is one of his best. Aromas of grass, green herbs and muskiness lead to flavors of crisp Granny Smith apple and fresh-cut herbs. Bright yet elegant acidity makes this a sure bet with shellfish, … [Read more...] about TeSòAria Vineyard & Winery 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, Southern Oregon, $35