The historic Old West town of Jacksonville, Ore., now includes an upscale, wine-themed housing development — Stage Pass — that features several home lots with young vineyards. Homesite No. 2 comes with the single-acre vineyard named Boitano, and it’s now home to a Platinum-winning Pinot Noir. Chris Jiron of nearby DANCIN Vineyards sorted through the five clones for a … [Read more...] about Stage Pass Estate 2019 Boitano Reserva Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley $42
platinum awards
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2020 Zephyr Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel, Horse Heaven Hills $22.50
Wade Wolfe has won a dozen of his 39 career Platinums in just the past three years. For two of them, he’s used standalone bottlings of Zinfandel to add to that total. His relationship with this wind-blown site stretches back to the 1990s when he worked for The Hogue Cellars, and that knowledge is reflected here. It’s a black-fruited wine that picks up secondary notes of star … [Read more...] about Thurston Wolfe Winery 2020 Zephyr Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel, Horse Heaven Hills $22.50
Bayernmoor Cellars 2021 Bayernmoor Vineyard Clone 777 Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $50
A year ago, Texas native Larry Harris used a Cab from Red Mountain and a Chardonnay from the Columbia Gorge to earn his first two career Platinums. In 2023, six of his nine Platinums were for work with Pinot Noir, and this four-barrel estate effort with Dijon clone 777 is a stellar effort that captures the clone’s aromatic and attractive qualities. Silky sensations of black … [Read more...] about Bayernmoor Cellars 2021 Bayernmoor Vineyard Clone 777 Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $50
T2 Cellar 2019 Gamache Vineyard Malbec, White Bluffs $26
A decade ago, a Malbec grown at Gamache Vineyard went on to be the top-scoring wine of our year-end judging of gold medal winners, so it’s no surprise to see Seattle’s Todd Threlkeld (T2) use this Allan Brothers site to garner his fourth Platinum in the past three years. The SODO winemaker set these two barrels aside for three years, and it’s showing beautifully with notes of … [Read more...] about T2 Cellar 2019 Gamache Vineyard Malbec, White Bluffs $26
Maryhill Winery 2020 Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, Columbia Valley $48
This marks the fourth time in five vintages for Richard Batchelor achieving a Platinum for his Grenache program, a string that began with the 2016 growing season. Here’s a cherry bomb example that brings Bing cherries, sun-dried tomatoes and cherry pipe tobacco with pink watermelon juiciness as a trailing sensation. Grenache is one of the grapes most in demand by vintners, … [Read more...] about Maryhill Winery 2020 Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, Columbia Valley $48