DeLille founding winemaker Chris Upchurch toasted the 10th vintage of his eponymous vineyard in 2021, and while Cabernet Sauvignon is king on Red Mountain, his skill with Merlot off the 18-acre site that Dick Boushey manages for him should not go overlooked. While the CounterPart project off the Upchurch estate tends to leans Right Bank, he could have labeled the 2019 as a … [Read more...] about Upchurch Vineyard 2019 CounterPart Red Wine, Red Mountain, $50
Wine of the Week
Seven Hills Winery 2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $65
Founding winemaker Casey McClellan and his heir apparent, Bobby Richards, combined for a handful of vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings, and this marked their fifth vintage working together at Seven Hills. However, it was 30th expression of Cab from the vines Dr. James McClellan pioneered along Seven Hills Road in 1980. The time devoted to new French oak barrels, … [Read more...] about Seven Hills Winery 2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $65
Barrister Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley, $33
Two decades ago, winemaking attorneys Greg Lipsker and Michael White helped set the standard in Northwest for standalone bottlings of Cabernet Franc. (The 2003 Cabernet Franc won best of show at the 2005 NorthWest Wine Summit.) It's no coincidence that one of their early mentors was Walla Walla Vintners co-founder Myles Anderson, who taught a wine appreciation course at Gonzaga … [Read more...] about Barrister Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley, $33
Left Coast Estate 2020 White Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $24
Joe Wright's winemaking keyed Wine Press Northwest's selection of Left Coast Estate as the 2020 Oregon Winery of the Year. Later that year, he and the Pfaff family harvested the grapes from the Van Duzer Corridor property for this remarkable example of White Pinot Noir that earned a double gold medal at the 2021 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition. Pretty flowers and … [Read more...] about Left Coast Estate 2020 White Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $24
Abeja 2020 Chardonnay, Washington State $45
During her days at Columbia Crest, the responsibilities for Amy Alvarez-Wampfler included overseeing 10,000 barrels of Chardonnay. At Abeja, the graduate of Walla Walla Community College's winemaking school and her husband — fellow Ste. Michelle alum Dan Wampfler — team up to craft some of the Northwest's top examples of Chardonnay year after year. The latest example of their … [Read more...] about Abeja 2020 Chardonnay, Washington State $45