No one can question Fiona Mak’s touch and vision for rosé, and the sommelier-turned-winemaker — a product of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program — works with Pinot Gris from venerable Gamache Vineyard in the White Bluffs for her Summer series. It’s a charming expression of the grape, offering tropical and floral aromas alongside rosewater, tangerine and facial … [Read more...] about SMAK Wines 2021 Summer Rosé, Columbia Valley $20
walla walla wine
Julia’s Dazzle 2021 Rosé, Columbia Valley, $18
Best Buy! During the past decade, winemaker Gilles Nicault has methodically nudged up the production while also gradually making it more snappy. For example, the 2013 vintage of Julia’s Dazzle carried nearly 9 grams of residual sugar. This latest release has no perceptible sweetness at a scant 3 grams (0.3%). As a result, it might be the best resemblance to those rosés from … [Read more...] about Julia’s Dazzle 2021 Rosé, Columbia Valley, $18
SMAK Wines 2020 Summer Rosé, Columbia Valley $18
Best Buy! Fiona Mak’s rosé house — inspired in part by her trips to the French Riviera — relies on Pinot Gris for her “Summer” program, so she submitted her two most recent vintages. Both merited gold. Here, its theme of starfruit and cantaloupe creates an appealing sense of fleshiness on the midpalate that’s whisked away with a racy burst of blood orange, lemon zest and … [Read more...] about SMAK Wines 2020 Summer Rosé, Columbia Valley $18
Match Maker sidebar: Walla Walla Steak Co. 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese, Walla Walla Valley, $56
French Canadians weren’t the only wine lovers who put down roots in the Walla Walla Valley during the 19th century. Immigrants from Italy and their descendants also have played critical roles in the formation of the region’s wine industry. The Locati family has been farming in the region for generations, and their diversification — beyond the famous sweet onions they helped … [Read more...] about Match Maker sidebar: Walla Walla Steak Co. 2018 Wagon Wrench Vineyard Sangiovese, Walla Walla Valley, $56
Match Maker sidebar: Yellowhawk Wines nonvintage Rosé Sparkling Wine, Columbia Valley, $38
George-Anne Robertson’s path is that of a renaissance woman, having reinvented herself a time or two after growing up on the prairies of Saskatchewan. She’s been a mountain biker sponsored by Cannondale and a student of fashion at Parsons — The New School of Design in Greenwich Village, wanting to be the 21st century’s Claire McCardell. She raised two children, piloted the … [Read more...] about Match Maker sidebar: Yellowhawk Wines nonvintage Rosé Sparkling Wine, Columbia Valley, $38