For the second straight vintage, veteran Walla Walla winemaker John Freeman has earned our top rating for the stately Petit Verdot bottled under the name of his boss - Precept Wine CEO Andrew Browne. The work, once again, starts at Canyon Vineyard Ranch near Prosser, Wash., followed by 22 months in a program dominated in new French oak. That combination yields a theme of inky … [Read more...] about Browne Family Vineyards 2013 Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley, $35
Washington
Jones of Washington 2015 Riesling, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, $10
Best Buy! Columbia Basin winemaker Victor Palencia makes more than 1 million cases of wine for his happy clients, but he also crafts relatively small lots of superb juice for his boss - Jones of Washington. The Quincy family’s 2 Gun Vineyard grows marvelous Riesling, and this serves as a quintessential Washington Riesling - led by tropical aromas with hints of Ambrosia Salad … [Read more...] about Jones of Washington 2015 Riesling, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, $10
Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Cuvée Mirabelle, Columbia Valley, $50
Kit Singh’s GSM-style bottling of Grenache (34%), Syrah (33%) and Mourvèdre (33%) from Ambassador and den Hoed vineyards serves as yet another example of his skilled use of barrel and blending at his Woodinville winery. There’s a greeting of blueberry jam on toast and black pepper in the nose, which leads to more of the same on the palate. The juicy profile of red currant and … [Read more...] about Lauren Ashton Cellars 2012 Cuvée Mirabelle, Columbia Valley, $50
VanArnam Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $36
Portland-area marketing executive Kent VanArnam continues to take his interest in grape growing and winemaking well beyond the hobby level, and his latest effort off his young vineyard near the Yakima Valley town of Zillah may well be his best. The harvest at 25.2 Brix and 20 months in French oak leads to suave aromas of black currant and elderberry with touches of tar, green … [Read more...] about VanArnam Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $36
Cairdeas Winery 2013 Tri Red Wine Blend, Yakima Valley, $36
This young Lake Chelan winery has excelled at GSM-style blends, and some bottlings have spanned multiple vintages. This is focused on the first of three consecutive hot vintages on the books for Washington, and the assemblage of Mourvèdre (42%), Syrah (28%) and Grenache takes in fruit from three vineyards - Meek (60%), Lonesome Spring Ranch (30%) and Dineen. The aromas are … [Read more...] about Cairdeas Winery 2013 Tri Red Wine Blend, Yakima Valley, $36