For the third time in four years, Rob and Donna Mellison have received a Platinum for their Cabernet Sauvignon program, and the secret sauce is the vineyard managed by Ed Kelly for the Alberg family. This four-barrel bottling offers notes of dark purple fruit, smoky bramble in moist earth and browned butter, supported by well-managed tannins and a delicious finish of pepper and … [Read more...] about Mellisoni Vineyards 2020 Stillwater Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Royal Slope $75
platinum awards
Chris Daniel Winery 2018 Petite Sirah, Columbia Valley $32
This Columbia Basin winery that’s a short drive from the Gorge Amphitheater has earned a second Platinum for the same bottling — a third time for this boisterous Rhône grape. He’s built his history with the variety via Jerry Milbrandt’s Northridge Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, where achieving ripeness is virtually guaranteed. The nose brings hints of black cherry, bergamot, … [Read more...] about Chris Daniel Winery 2018 Petite Sirah, Columbia Valley $32
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2020 The Wine Project, Idaho 60%, Washington 40% $32
The diminutive Coco Umiker goes Petit/ Petite heavy with her latest Wine Project, earning her second Platinum in three years for the blend. This formula of Petit Verdot (43%) and Petite Sirah (30%), followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (11%), Carménère, Cabernet Franc (5%) and Malbec is a collection from the three vineyards in Washington she works with and those near her Lewiston, … [Read more...] about Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2020 The Wine Project, Idaho 60%, Washington 40% $32
Maryhill Winery 2021 Classic Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley $21
It’s a natural that New Zealand native Richard Batchelor produces one of the Pacific Northwest’s most delicious examples of Sauvignon Blanc, and he relies on Tudor Hills fruit in the Yakima Valley to get there. Enticing aromas of fresh-sliced pineapple, passion fruit and plumeria pour into a palate that is an explosive burst of kiwi, starfruit and hula berry, joined by charming … [Read more...] about Maryhill Winery 2021 Classic Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley $21
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, McMinnville $35
The Burger family celebrated in 2023 the 40th anniversary of their historic project in Yamhill County near McMinnville, Ore., and that milestone came on the heels of Denis Burger being honored by the International Federation of Wine Brotherhoods — a group that includes Susan Sokol Blosser and the late Allen Shoup. Winemaker Ariel Eberle earned the family a Platinum for this … [Read more...] about Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, McMinnville $35