Walla Walla winemaker Brett Isenhower shines here with three Syrah clones from a trio of Washington vineyards - Sara Lee off Wallula Vineyard (58%), 877 from Olsen Ranch (34%) and Phelps from Dutchman Vineyard, a higher elevation site in the Yakima Valley. Sweet aromas of blackberry and dark plum include lavender and anise with cured meat notes. There’s are blackberry and plum … [Read more...] about Isenhower Cellars 2013 River Beauty Syrah, Columbia Valley, $34
Washington
Lone Birch Winery 2015 Rosé, Yakima Valley, $12
Best Buy! The Miller family of Airfield Estates acclaim grows more than 20 grape varieties across its 950-acre vineyard near Prosser, Wash., and four of those varieties are blended for this serious and dry rosé. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese from the warmest vintage on record make for fruity aromas of strawberry-rhubarb compote, watermelon, raspberry and … [Read more...] about Lone Birch Winery 2015 Rosé, Yakima Valley, $12
Lauren Ashton Cellars 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $25
Puget Sound dentist Kit Singh and his wife, Riinu, named their winery to honor their children Ashley Lauren and Ashton Troy, and this bottling of Chardonnay from Harker Vineyard marks the sixth commercial vintage for their Woodinville brand. Only a small selction of their lot spent time in new French oak, and the partial malolactic fermentation builds a rounded midpalate. … [Read more...] about Lauren Ashton Cellars 2014 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $25
Canoe Ridge Vineyard 2013 Reserve Cherry Street, Horse Heaven Hills, $25
One of Walla Walla’s most layered brands is Canoe Ridge Vineyard, which is named after the storied estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Seattle-based Precept Wine now owns the winery and the planting, and winemaker Bill Murray also brought in fruit from two other Precept sites - The Benches and Canyon Vineyard Ranch - for this atypical blend of Syrah (49%), Merlot (38%), … [Read more...] about Canoe Ridge Vineyard 2013 Reserve Cherry Street, Horse Heaven Hills, $25
Chester-Kidder 2012 Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $50
The recognized inaugural vintage of Walla Walla’s star-studded Long Shadows Vintners goes down as 2003, but this label actually marks the beginning of the Allen Shoup’s project. The first vintage of Chester-Kidder - named for his grandfather, Charles Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder - was 2002, and that blend led with Merlot. A decade later, that Bordeaux variety … [Read more...] about Chester-Kidder 2012 Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $50