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
Wine of the Week
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
Cataclysm Wine Co. 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $16
Five years ago, the Seattle-based Ackley Beverage Group made a splash in the Pacific Northwest wine industry with its investment in the Marchesi family's organic-driven Montinore Estate west of Portland. They followed that with the purchase of what it has rebranded as Tidalstar Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton and the launch of Landlines Estates, a luxury brand that involves … [Read more...] about Cataclysm Wine Co. 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $16
Eleven Winery 2019 “The Deputy” Mourvèdre, Washington, $45
Bainbridge Island cyclist-turned-winemaker Matt Albee has made Mourvèdre from renowned Elephant Mountain Vineyard in the Yakima Valley a focus of his portfolio. This young effort — it's not yet released — proves that he’s riding on the right path, producing the top example in the judging. There’s ample fruit on the nose with hints of blackcurrant and cassis joined by complex … [Read more...] about Eleven Winery 2019 “The Deputy” Mourvèdre, Washington, $45
Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2019 Hefeabzug Estate Selection Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley, $26
Stephen Reustle, the guru of Grüner in the United States and the first to plant the popular Austrian varietal here commercially, has done it again competition. This time, it's with his estate Hefeabzug, an Austrian reference for surlie aging. Lime, lemon, grapefruit and white pepper aromas waft from the glass. Lime dominates its fellow citrus fruit on the palate, where the … [Read more...] about Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2019 Hefeabzug Estate Selection Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley, $26