Few could have gotten into the vineyards that helped Michael Ruhland and Matías Kúsulas to achieve immediate acclaim for their young Valo project. Conner Lee, a comparatively cooler site near the Columbia Basin town of Othello, Wash., was planted in 1980 under the auspices of the late Walter Clore, and this bottling represents the vineyard’s second vintage under the ownership … [Read more...] about Valo 2020 Conner Lee Vineyard Right Bank, Columbia Valley, $50
Washington
Dineen Vineyards 2021 Estate Vintner’s Blend Red Wine, Yakima Valley $25
This second-generation vineyard in the upper reaches of the Yakima Valley north of Zillah is one of the early adopters of the Sustainable WA program, and the 2021 vintage brought a different set of challenges via the "heat dome" event in late June when the Dineen family as the temperature in the vines reached 112. Their charming Bordeaux-driven blend of Malbec (21%), Cabernet … [Read more...] about Dineen Vineyards 2021 Estate Vintner’s Blend Red Wine, Yakima Valley $25
Barrister Winery 2019 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $43
This vintage signaled the start of Tyler Walters’ second decade of winemaking in Spokane's Davenport Arts District alongside barristers Greg Lipsker and Michael White, and the effort with this higher-elevation site on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley is artful. Summit View, part of the famed SeVein project, is between Ferguson and Seven Hills Vineyard. There’s also … [Read more...] about Barrister Winery 2019 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley, $43
Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $18.99
Best Buy! Vintage after vintage, Dusted Valley Vintners shines with its Yakima Valley Chardonnay program from the Olsen family, so it makes sense that their Boomtown line - which also pulls Chardonnay from the Yakima Valley - would over-deliver at this price point. The use of neutral oak allows the fruit profile to emerge on the aromas and on the palate, ranging from starfruit, … [Read more...] about Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $18.99
Mosquito Fleet Winery 2020 S.G. Simpson Zinfandel, Rattlesnake Hills $50
History buff Brian Petersen uses his first bottling of Zinfandel to pay tribute to the Solomon Grout Simpson, a 115-foot sternwheeler that operated from Olympia to Shelton during the first quarter of the 20th century. The Kitsap Peninsula winemaker pulled the Zinfandel from historic Portteus Vineyard and blended Petite Sirah (6%) from Lonesome Spring Ranch ahead of a barrel … [Read more...] about Mosquito Fleet Winery 2020 S.G. Simpson Zinfandel, Rattlesnake Hills $50