CASCADIA INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION | by Eric Degerman Idaho’s 3100 Cellars turns bubbles into best of show

Idaho bubblehouse

3100 Cellars tops 10th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

By Eric Degerman

RICHLAND, Wash. — When the 3100 Cellars 2017 Whitewater methode Champenoise won the Cascadia International Wine Competition sweepstakes by a landslide vote, it meant the judging panel had selected a wine from Idaho as best of show for the second straight year.

And for the first time in the event’s 10-year history, a bottle of bubbles burst through as the top wine of the tasting.

“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed 3100 Cellars 30 | greatnorthwestwine.com

winemaker/co-owner Hailey Minder. “Holy moly! It’s amazing to know that professionals in the industry appreciate your product — and that a little winery in Idaho is making really good sparkling wine.”

Among the judges at the Cascadia International was Colorado native Tim Donahue, the longtime director of winemaking for Walla Walla Community College’s Institute for Enology and Viticulture who resigned last year to launch Horse Thief Wine Consulting in the Walla Walla Valley. He’s been an advocate for sparkling wine production in the Pacific Northwest for more than a decade.

“I think it’s great that there’s a sparkling wine house in Idaho, but then I think there should be sparkling wine houses everywhere,” Donahue said with a laugh. “For years, everyone looked at me like I had a hole in my head. There’s so much work involved — especially if you are in a small setting where you don’t have all of the machinery — so to see someone do it so well is pretty cool.”

Hailey and her husband, Marshall, do all of the work by hand at 3100 Cellars, a 1,500-case project in the Snake River Valley that produces only sparkling wine in the style of Champagne. They learned about their best-of-show award while making the 9-hour drive back home from a Seattle fundraiser tied to celebrity chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen work in Ukraine.

Oregon winemaker Cushman wins 9 golds for Mt. Hood

Perhaps the most impressive storyline running throughout the 2022 Cascadia International was the string of gold medals crafted for Mt. Hood Winery by longtime Oregon winemaker Rich Cushman.

The Columbia Gorge producer in Hood River, Ore., amassed nine gold medals for the Bickford family, a performance that included the 2018 Barbera that won Best Red Wine, edging past another Mount Hood entry — the 2019 Estate Pinot Noir that was voted as the judging’s top Pinot Noir.

Mt. Hood’s 2018 Grenache received a double gold. The winery’s two other red wines to earn gold were the 2019 Syrah and the 2017 Summit Red — a Syrah-based blend grown the year after Mt. Hood received Oregon Winery of the Year from now-defunct Wine Press Northwest magazine. Cushman’s 2021 White Pinot Noir,

2021 Pinot Noir Rosé, 2021 Gewürztraminer and 2021 Riesling also earned gold medals.

A year ago at the Cascadia, wines by Cushman, who graduated from high school in Hood River, picked up seven gold medals across three brands.

Victor Palencia uses Spanish white to reach sweeps

Six years ago, Washington winemaker Victor Palencia was awarded best of show at the 2016 Cascadia for his 2015 Albariño.

This year, the graduate of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program nearly took top honors again at the Cascadia with one of his expressions with Albariño. Few Northwest winemakers have earned as many accolades from critics in blind judgings as Palencia, and he reached into fascinating Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley to produce the best white wine of the 2022 Cascadia International — the Palencia Wine Co. 2021 Albariño. It received a double gold medal and best of class along the way, and Palencia earned two other golds — a double gold for his 2019 Mourvèdre and gold for the 2019 Syrah under his reserve El Viñador tier. During that growing season, Wine Press Northwest announced Palencia Wine Co./Vino la Monarcha as the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year.

This was the second straight year that an Albariño reached the sweepstakes portion of the Cascadia, emblematic of the interest, appeal and success surrounding the bright white grape from the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula. And Evergreen Vineyard also served as the source for the Best Riesling of the 2022 Cascadia.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Wautoma Springs turns Syrah into best rosé of Cascadia

Washington State University grad Jessica Munnell used this spring’s Cascadia to add to her reputation as one of the Northwest’s top talents with rosé, reaching the sweepstakes with the Wautoma Springs 2021 Rosé crafted with Syrah and sold for $18.

Last year, her 2020 rosé received a Platinum Award after winning a gold at the 2021 Cascadia and double gold at the 2021 Great Northwest Invitational. And it was no surprise that her 2021 Sauvignon Blanc received a gold medal at the Cascadia. Her 2020 vintage was awarded best of class at the 2021 Cascadia.

The Richland High grad also serves as a consultant to winemaker Jim Divis at Lone Point Cellars, whose young estate program overlooking the Columbia River near Brewster, Wash., produced a 2019 Tempranillo that merited a double gold.

Road 8 along BC’s Golden Mile leads to 11 golds

A single dead-end road south of Oliver,

British Columbia, produced four best-of-class awards and 11 gold medals — four of those double gold — at this year’s Cascadia. All of them were grown amid the historic “heat dome” vintage of 2021.

On the north side of Road 8 in the Golden

Mile Bench Geographic Indication is Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, which burnished its reputation for producing gold medals by receiving six gold medals at the Cascadia. Each of them was for work with aromatic whites, and not one retails for more than $18 Canadian.

Since 1985, the combination of Walter, the winemaker, and his viticulturist brother,

Gordon — both educated in West Germany — have remained steadfast in their business model of estate-grown, fruit-forward wines offered at consumer-minded prices. Two of their wines were in the discussion for Best White as the double gold 2021 Private Reserve Pinot Gris and gold 2021 Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked

Chardonnay both were rated best of class.

On the south side of Road 8 is a winery with even deeper roots in the Northwest wine industry — Hester Creek Estate Winery. Its founder, Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 31

Joe Busnardo, established a few Italian varieties across the initial 76-acre planting in 1968. Both the 2021 Old Vine Trebbiano and 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc crafted by Okanagan Valley native Mark Hopley earned double gold, with the Pinot Blanc joining Hester Creek’s Pinot Gris-Viognier as best-of-class winners. It’s no surprise that Hopley’s 2021 Viognier went double gold, and the 2021 Sèmillon returned a gold medal.

The wine judged to be the best Syrah of the Cascadia also came from the Golden Mile Bench — the as-yet-unreleased Phantom Creek Estates 2019 Kobau Vineyard Syrah. The seven-barrel lot crafted along the Black Sage Bench showcases the winemaking of Francis Hutt and famed international consultant Philippe Melka. Hutt returned to his native New Zealand in 2021. In his place is Mark Beringer, a direct descendant of Beringer Vineyards founders and a native of the Napa Valley.

Smasne nurtures 2006 Port-style into Best Sweet

Yakima Valley winemaker Robert Smasne, who earned 17 Platinum Awards during the previous decade, returned to prominence at the 2022 Cascadia International with high-scoring entries in three categories.

His Smasne Cellars 2006 12 Year Barrel-Aged Port style earned best of class and went on to claim the award for the Best Sweet Wine of the judging. There was also a double gold in the category for red blends led by Cabernet Sauvignon for the 2016 Legendary Red Wine, and his Syrah-driven 2019 Don’t Even Ask Red Wine also received a double gold.

Idaho’s Telaya reaches into WA for Best Cab of Cascadia

Syrah from Idaho’s Snake River Valley continues to reveal itself as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most delicious wines. Last year, Telaya Wine Co., used its 2018 Syrah to capture Best of Show at the 2021 Cascadia. This spring, Earl and Carrie Sullivan’s 2019 vintage of Syrah from Sawtooth Vineyard was another next-level example, earning a double gold medal, receiving 95 points and earning a spot in the discussion for best of class.

However, the most decorated entry by Telaya exemplified the Sullivans’ desire to source from premier vineyards throughout the Northwest. As a result, their work from the 2019 vintage with Discovery Vineyard — a sought-after resource in the Horse Heaven Hills for some of Washington’s cult wineries — turned into a double gold medal, the award for Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the Cascadia and 94 points from the panel.

And the Sullivans’ cellar also serves as the production facility for 3100 Cellars, with Minder slowly having transitioned from employee to client since the launch of her sparkling wine program.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Idaho’s Indian Creek pulls down 5 golds

Mike McClure continues to produce some of the Northwest’s top wines for Indian Creek Winery southwest of Boise, and five achieved gold or beyond. McClure, who apprenticed under his late father-in-law — Bill Stowe — crafted best-of-class winners in the 2021 Grüner Veltliner and 2021 Viognier. McClure’s 2020 Reserve Caliche Pinot Noir from the Snake River Valley received a double gold, as did the 2019 Star Garnet Red Wine, a bargain at $17 and featuring Malbec. And his 2020 Chardonnay received a gold medal.

Snake River Valley winemaker Tim Harless continued his impressive run of acclaim with five gold medals from his University of Idaho-built studio in Caldwell. Vale Wine Company returned a double gold for the 2019 Syrah and a gold for the 2021 Rosé. There are also golds by Hat Ranch Winery’s flagship 2019 Hat Trick Red and 2019 Petit Verdot.

His assistant winemaker, Will Wetmore, whose Veer Wine Project is Great Northwest Wine’s 2022 Idaho Winery to Watch, picked

up another gold medal for sparkling wine produced in the Snake River Valley with his 2019 Maeve made with Muscat Ottonel.

James and Caitlin Holesinsky backed up their winery’s haul of gold medals from 2021 as the Idaho Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine. They started 2022 by meriting three gold medals for Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery in southern Idaho’s Hagerman Valley — two for distinctly different styles of Chardonnay. There were double gold medals for the 2021 Gertchen Vineyard Buhljolais Rosé of Syrah and 2020 Stainless Steel Chardonnay along with a gold for its 100% Oaked Chardonnay.

No one makes more wine in Idaho than Meredith Smith, and her work at Sawtooth Estate Winery – a pet project of Precept founding partner Dan Baty – returned a pair of double gold medals with the 2021 Classic Fly Dry Riesling and 2021 Classic Fly Viognier. Smith’s 2021 Panoramic Sauvignon Blanc for Ste. Chapelle gave her three gold medals for the Cascadia.

One of the Idaho wine industry’s pioneers — chef-turned-winemaker Steve Robertson – was behind the judging’s top expression of Cabernet Franc. The Hells Canyon Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc Reserve is the product of a bounce back vintage for the Snake River Valley, and it’s a remarkable effort with a late-ripening variety, and its food-friendly aspect begins with a stunningly low profile of 12.7% alcohol.

In the hills above Lewiston in the historic Lewis-Clark Valley, owner/winemaker Paul Sullivan proved that his Two Bad Labs Vineyard 2020 Sèmillon hasn’t lost its stride. Last fall, that wine went double gold at the Great Northwest Invitational. At the 2022 Cascadia, it was not only double gold, but also best of class and received 96 points — making it one of the highest-scoring white wines of the judging.

The maturity of the estate planting in Lewiston Orchards for Clearwater Canyon Cellars — the 2020 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — showed in the gold medal for the 2021 Umiker Vineyard Estate Rosé of Syrah.

Lake Chelan versatility showcased by Tsillan Cellars

Visionary vintner Dr. Bob Jankelson grew up on a farm in the foothills of the Cascades east of Kent, Wash., so he had a sense that the potential of Lake Chelan went beyond tree fruit. Jankelson’s investments in vineyards continue to prove him prescient as his winemakers and longtime vineyard manager Bal Flores produced four gold medals — including two best-of-class awards — all for wines grown across the estate above the south shore of the country’s third-deepest freshwater lake.

Tsillan Cellars’s top-performing wine at this year’s Cascadia International was the 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer, a bottling that showcased the efforts of winemakers Garrett Grubbs and Nic Stevens and was voted best of class after receiving a double gold and 93 points. They also merited a gold for the 2021 Estate Riesling in the dry Riesling group. Tsillan Cellars was selected Washington Winery of the Year in 2020 by the Great Northwest Wine team, an award that longtime talent Ray Sandidge helped Jankelson achieve. Sandidge is credited on the bottle for the 2019 Estate Reserve Malbec that earned best of class as well as the gold medal-winning 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

From across the lake came another impressive showing by winemaker Oscar Castillo, who brought home three gold medals for suave reds on behalf of Lake Chelan Winery in Manson. His 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon earned a double gold and 95 points.

Benson Vineyards Estate Winery also showed the versatility of its picturesque site above the north shore with the double gold for its 2021 Viognier and gold for the Cab-led 2018 Anthem red blend crafted by Jared McGuffin.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Ryan Patrick’s Redhead Red a golden, delicious bargain

Canadian winemaker Kendall Mix produced two of the competition’s most delicious bargains on behalf of Ryan Patrick Vineyards, receiving gold medals for the 2019 Rock Island Chardonnay ($21) and the Merlot-led 2018 Redhead Red ($15). He also won a double gold medal for RPV owner Butch Milbrandt with the 2019 Red Heaven Vineyard Reserve Syrah from Red Mountain.

Airfield Estates Winery in the Yakima Valley, led by Marcus Miller — one of Jankelson’s early winemakers — garnered three gold medals, including double gold awards for the Miller family’s nicely priced 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Sangiovese Rosé.

Southern Oregon continues to impress

Stephen Reustle generates more headlines for the historic Umpqua Valley via the awards for his wines in international competitions than perhaps any other Southern Oregon producer. This spring, it was the white program at the 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year that particularly turned the heads of judges at the Cascadia.

The Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc earned a double gold and best of class, and the U.S. pioneer of Grüner Veltliner also received a double gold for the 2021 Estate Selection bottling with the Austrian grape. The Reustle 2021 Viognier and Sèmillon-led blend called Matrix also were awarded gold medals.

Awen Winecraft, named as the 2021 Oregon Winery to Watch by the staff at Great Northwest Wine, in part because of its strength with Rhône varieties, continued its rise in the Rogue Valley with a trio of gold medals, led by a double for its 2018 Petite Sirah and gold for Grenache Blanc.

To the north in the Willamette Valley, Vino Vasai Wines/The Potter’s Vineyard, the 2022 Oregon Winery to Watch by Great Northwest Wine, received a double gold for 2018 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir crafted in the Chehalem Mountains by winemaker/pottery artist Bill Sanchez.

WA investments pay dividends for Maine winery

It makes sense for Cellardoor Winery to stage its Portland Wine Walk in Maine’s largest city, and owner Bettina Doulton — a trailblazing mutual fund manager — invests in some of the Pacific Northwest’s best grapes for wines that stand out in competitions across the country.

Her winemaker, Aaron Peet, who trained at Walla Walla Community College, turned that fruit into three gold medals at this year’s Cascadia. The Cascadia’s premier bottling of Petit Verdot came from the Miller family’s historic Airport Ranches in the Yakima Valley.

Cellardoor also earned a double gold for its 2017 Aurora, a Syrah-based blend that tapped into Shaw Vineyard on Red Mountain. And there was another gold for the 2018 Ned Said Red, which features Merlot from Boushey Vineyard, Cabernet Franc off Sagemoor Farm’s Weinbau Vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon from Shaw Vineyard fruit.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Precept winemakers account for 6 golds

Seattle-based Precept Wine earned a combined six gold medals via its myriad brands throughout the Northwest, led in Washington by a pair of double gold medals for Browne Family Vineyards.

John Freeman, in his third decade as winemaker at historic Waterbrook in the Walla Walla Valley, produced the Cascadia’s Best Merlot, an effort with Andrew Browne’s estate vineyards. And the 2019 Tribute Red Blend, the Left Bank-inspired flagship wine for the Precept CEO’s brand, also earned a double gold. Freeman’s 2020 Columbia Valley Chardonnay ranks among the competition’s best-priced

wines ($10.99) after winning a gold medal in the oaked category.

Horse Heaven Hills vintners shine with estate fruit

Coyote Canyon Winery in Prosser continues to showcase the excellence and diversity of the Andrews family plantings in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. Its 2019 Tempranillo was voted best of class and its reserve tier H/H Estates brand 2019 Michael Andrews Red – featuring Graciano – earned a double gold and best of class. Mike Andrews’ winemaker Justin Michaud, whose Sangiovese won best of show at the Seventh Annual Cascadia, thanks to a Super Tuscan-ish boost from estate Cab, also earned a gold medal for Coyote Canyon’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mercer Estates, which used its estate plantings in the Horse Heaven Hills to help it earn the Washington Winery of the Year in 2016, received a trio of gold medals, including one from Ashley Stephens’ first vintage as head winemaker with the 2021 Small Lot Viognier. The Washington State University product, hired for the Mercers in 2015 by Jessica Munnell, also worked alongside Jeremy Santo – now at Bookwalter – on the 2018 Robert Willis Reserve Malbec and 2018 Cavalie 7 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Second-generation Martinez & Martinez Winery, featuring some of the Horse Heaven Hills’ oldest plantings, earned best of class within a competitive field for its 2018 Dion Carlo Carménère. That wine is available next door from Coyote Canyon at the Winemakers Loft in Prosser.

Red Mountain turns golden with medal

The Williams family grows the grapes for a number of the Northwest top producers, and this year’s Cascadia International proved the next generation continues to craft some of the region’s best wines from their Red Mountain vines. Judges awarded Kiona Vineyards a trio of gold medals, led by the 2018 Estate Malbec and 2020 Estate Lemberger, which both achieved double gold medals. Third-generation winemaker Tyler Williams also earned a gold medal for his 2021 Rosé of Sangiovese.

Red Mountain producer Charlie Hoppes and his winemaker, Mitch Venohr, turned the Malbec-led Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Bona Vita Red Wine into a double gold and best of class award, a tribute to the late Stacie Hamilton, who passed away unexpectedly in October.

Aquilini USA portfolio results in several top wines

The remarkably diversified Aquilini family, whose holdings include ownership of the Vancouver Canucks franchise in the National Hockey League, first made headlines in the wine world in 2013 when they purchased more than 500 acres on Red Mountain in gobsmacking fashion at a land auction.

They’ve methodically planted vineyards across most of those holdings and recently began to rack up awards for wines made from those grapes.

The 10,000 Hours 2019 Red Blend off Red Mountain and woven by Joshua Maloney, predictably featured Cabernet Sauvignon and went on to earn best of class. The Be Human 2019 Merlot earned a double gold medal

Aquilini’s eponymous brand, headlined by famed Napa winemaker Philippe Melka with Maayan Koschitzky and Tyler Tennyson, earned a gold medal for its stylish 2021 Sauvignon Blanc that also serves as another example of Red Mountain’s seemingly inherent success with the white Bordeaux grape, and in most vintages, Sauvignon Blanc off Red Mountain is among the first grapes in the state to be harvested for still wine.

Melka’s deep résumé with Sauvignon Blanc in Napa served as the centerpiece of a recent Wine Enthusiast feature on the variety’s presence in California. In fact, Melka, the man behind the Long Shadows Vintners Pirouette program, produces a Sauvignon Blanc in the Napa Valley for a winery that sells it for $500 per bottle.

Liberty Lake scores hat trick with Red Mtn. fruit

Self-taught winemaker Mark Lathrop of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars struck gold with three 2019 red wines from Red Mountain, including a Cabernet Franc that went double gold and received 95 points from judges. Last fall, Lathrop received a record-setting seven top awards during the 22nd annual Platinum Awards, all with bottlings from the 2018 vintage, which prompted Great Northwest Wine magazine to name Liberty Lake as its 2022 Washington Winery to Watch.

Dr. Phillip Butterfield stepped away from decades of serving as a medical research scientist – which included posts at both the University of Washington and Washington State University in Spokane – to launch Winescape Winery on the South Hill of Spokane.

He proved to be a quick study as a winemaker, thanks in part of relationships with some of the state’s top vineyards. His 2017 Merlot from Sagemoor’s historic Bacchus Vineyard in the White Bluffs AVA received a gold medal in the Cascadia after receiving a gold medal in a comparative tasting staged by Great Northwest Wine magazine earlier in 2022. His youthful Marmot Incarnate, a blend featuring Syrah, also was given a gold medal.

Barrister Winery in downtown Spokane pulled from Summit View Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley and earned a double gold for its 2018 Malbec.

Storied producers in Woodinville reap rewards

DeLille Cellars in Woodinville, the reigning

Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Great

Northwest Wine, struck gold with two of the most-storied wines of its portfolio — the Right

Bank-inspired 2019 D2 Red Wine and stately 2019 Four Flags made with Cab from four top

Red Mountain sites, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun.

EFESTĒ, with tasting rooms in Woodinville and Seattle, showcased the work of winemaker

Mark Fiore and some first-class vineyards. The famed Riesling site in the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley that helped elevate Chateau Ste.

Michelle’s Eroica project also helped pave the way to the best-of-class award for the EFESTĒ

Evergreen Riesling. Fiore also went gold with the Big Papa Cabernet Sauvignon, which pulls from historic plantings such as Bacchus, Kiona,

Klipsun and Red Willow.

Another Woodinville winemaker, Brian

Carter, showed a masterful touch with his

Meritage-style 2016 Trentenaire ($50), a blend led remarkably by Petit Verdot that completely wowed the judging panel, earning a double gold and best-of-class acclaim.

While he might be more famous for his work in Washington with Cabernet Sauvignon,

Merlot and Chardonnay, University of Oregon grad Mike Januik also showed a deft touch at the Cascadia International with Rhône varieties. The Novelty Hill 2019 Oxbow Red Wine emerged from the competitive GSM category with the best-of-class award, and his 2020

Stillwater Creek Vineyard Viognier — grown at the Royal Slope landmark by Ed Kelly — also received a gold medal.

One of the first products of Washington State

University’s viticulture and enology program,

Tyler Farnsworth, would spend more than a decade in the cellar at JM Cellars prior to launching his Laterus Winery brand as a tenant in The

Vault at Maltby. Farnsworth received a pair of gold medals at the Cascadia for red blends – the

Cab-led 2019 Megalith from Red Mountain stars Quintessence and Shaw vineyards, and a 2019 GSM called The Hallows that includes

Syrah from Betz-owned Ancient Stones Vineyard in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.

Robert Delf’s well-timed releases at Northwest Cellars in Kirkland, Wash., led to a pair of gold medals, highlighted by his 2018 Madrigal, which received a double gold in the GSM category. Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse

Heaven Hills helped him to earn a gold with a 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer 2022 • Great Northwest Wine | 35

The winemaking team of Jared Whelchel and Brad Sherman at Michael Florentino Cellars combined for a pair of gold medals, winning for a 2014 Primitivo from the Wahluke Slope and 2020 Albariño from the Yakima Valley.

Seattle’s Nota Bene Cellars and winemaker Timothy Narby turned his relationship with Dineen Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills into one of the Cascadia’s top expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2017 bottling that received a double gold and 96 points.

A pair of golds for Washington Winery of the Year

Woodinville-trained Mark Bosso, whose winemaking has helped two brands earn awards in the past three years from the editorial staff of Great Northwest Wine, bottled two wines that turned into gold medals for Westport Winery Garden Resort at the 2022 Cascadia International.

The Roberts family now contracts almost exclusively with Yakima Valley grower Joe Hattrup for its grapes, and his highly decorated Elephant Mountain Vineyard site in the Rattlesnake Hills produced a gold medal for the Westport Winery 2019 Mermaid Merlot. (The Westport campus is home to the International Mermaid Museum, which attracted 83,000 visitors in 2021.) Bosso developed experience working with Rattlesnake Hills sites during his time at Orenda Winery – the 2020 Washington Winery to Watch. He’s also proven to be a quick study with Westport’s imaginative and popular nongrape program, earning a gold medal for the Peaches on the Beaches blend of Riesling and peach.

West Coast restaurateur JD Nolan collaborates with the Mercer family for Horse Heaven Hills grapes and the Hedges family for Red Mountain fruit. He scored a gold medal with each. The Schooler Nolan 2019 Malbec from the Horse Heaven Hills earned a double gold and the Schooler Nolan 2018 Red Mountain Cab garnered gold. Both are available at the Fat Olives Restaurant in Richland, Wash.

The Seal family’s Sigillo Cellars project in the Snoqualmie Valley can pour two gold medals from the Cascadia at tasting rooms on both sides of the Cascades. Their 2019 Tempranillo earned a double gold, a 96-point rating, and was pulled from the Wahluke Slope — a twohour drive from their satellite tasting room in Chelan. And look for their 2019 Malbec, a gold medal winner, at their downtown Snoqualmie headquarters.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Cascadia judges reward Maryhill’s diversity

Maryhill Winery & Bistro — the 2015 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year — strung gold medals across three of its portfolios as judges decorated the 2019 Zinfandel under the Classic tier, a 2020 Grüner Veltliner off Bloxom Vineyard within the Proprietor’s Reserve program and the 2019 Klipsun Vineyard Syrah from its Vineyard Series. No winery has won more in the 22-year history of the Platinum Awards, and each of those wines now qualifies for that judging this fall.

With his tasting room in downtown Richland just a stone’s throw from the Columbia River, Longship Cellars winemaker Kyle Welch can pour a pair of gold-medal winners – led by the 2019 Wise Man Cabernet Sauvignon that went double gold.

Wit Cellars, the 2017 Washington Winery to Watch, continues to bring a string of gold medals into its new tasting room in Prosser’s Vintners Village – taking over the Gamache Vintners location on Cabernet Court. And it’s easy to remember one of the top wines produced by Flint Nelson and Cat Warwick – the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Elephant Mountain Vineyard that won a gold medal. The 2019 Syrah from another Yakima Valley site –

historic Boushey Vineyards, co-fermented with Viognier – went double gold and pulled down 95 points from judges.

Lopez Island Vineyards winemaker Brent Charnley, the first winegrower to achieve certified organic status from Washington state officials, used his maritime planting to produce a gold medal for aromatic Siegerrebe. He earned another gold medal for the Malbec he ferries back to the Puget Sound from Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.

Walla Walla Valley winemaker Gary Kagels charted a pair of gold medals for his partners at Plumb Cellars — their 2018 GSM and 2018 Estate Sangiovese, pulled from their JK II Vineyard near Northstar and Pepper Bridge wineries.

Richard Funk of Saviah Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley entered his young 2020 The Jack Red Wine, an $18 Merlot-heavy blend that was given a double gold medal, best of class and 95 points. Last fall, the 2019 vintage of that $18 bottle earned a Platinum Award.

Bontorin’s Midas touch at Volcanic Hills leads to 4 golds

The Gidda family’s Volcanic Hills Estate Winery in West Kelowna, overlooking Okanagan Lake, continues to benefit from working

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

with acclaimed winemaker Daniel Bontorin, whose résumé includes elevating Le Vieux Pin on the Black Sage Bench to its selection as 2008 British Columbia Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest.

Four gold medals across four classic varieties were awarded to Volcanic Hills, a showing led by a double gold medal — a rare achievement at the Cascadia by a British Columbia producer — for its 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2017 Reserve Chardonnay garnered gold in the oaked Chardonnay group; there was a gold for the 2017 Merlot and their club-only Gidda Family Estate 2021 Pinot Gris also pulled down a gold medal.

On the other side the province, Maan Farms Estate Winery in the Fraser Valley turned raspberries into a pair of gold medals, an effort highlighted by their 2020 Strawberry Raspberry Blend that returned a double gold and went on to earn best-of-class designation. Founded in 1977, the family grows its berries in Abbottsford, two miles north of the border crossing at Sumas, Wash.

Gorgeous whites turn gold for Wyse-owned Wild Goose

ish Columbia wine industry, prompted an eventual change in ownership at the Okanagan Falls producer known for its world-class white program.

Last summer, the Wyse family of Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, seeking to complement its stellar lineup of buzzworthy red wines from the Black Sage Bench, purchased Wild Goose out of receivership after a doomed purchase back in 2019 by a now-defunct Vancouver developer.

The Kruger family’s touch with a late harvest Gewürztraminer from the 2019 vintage was apparent to Cascadia judges, resulting in a gold medal. And the ownership transition during the 2021 vintage paved the way to a gold medal and 93 points for the Sauvignon Blanc grown last year.

Next door to Wild Goose is Stag’s Hollow Winery, now owned by Eric Lui. His 2021 Tragically Vidal, one of the British Columbia wine industry’s most popular white wines and a delicious legacy from the 1970s and 1980s when the region was dominated by non-vinifera plantings, earned not only a double gold medal but was voted as the Best Hybrid of the 2022 Cascadia. Done just a touch off-dry, it’s a product of sommelier-turned-winemaker Keira LeFranc, who trained in New Zealand, and Stag Hollow’s two estate vineyards in Okanagan Falls.

‘You can’t fake’ what 3100 Cellars does in Idaho

For a growing number of folks, it was not a surprise to see 3100 Cellars — named for the 3,100 miles of whitewater in the state of Idaho — rise to the top of the Cascadia.

The 2016 Whitewater was spotlighted last fall within The Seattle Times’ special section on wine, and 3100 Cellars was named the Idaho Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest magazine in 2018.

Hailey Minder – rhymes with cinder – launched the brand with the 2014 vintage. She met Marshall four years earlier when he served as her family’s river guide during a float of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. While she was born and raised in Idaho, Hailey only entered the wine industry after exploring a career as a gradeschool teacher.

Thanks to an introduction by Walla Walla winemaker Sean Boyd, she got a job working the 2011 crush at Figgins Family Wine Estates. After that, she worked at Telaya Wine Co., near Boise, while studying viticulture and enology through Washington State University. In 2016, the Minders spent six weeks at British sparkling wine house Langham Wine Estate.

The Whitewater reflects some of that experience. It’s done in a blanc de blanc style with Chardonnay, aged 30 months on the lees.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Donahue said. “It has a super (yeasty) characteristic, really nice richness — it’s spot-on. It’s got good mousse stability, which shows when the mousse sits on top. And it was really obvious that it was traditional method. The balance was really nice. One of the biggest challenges with sparkling wine is nailing the dosage – getting your sugar/acid balance just right. And it had all of that. You could tell that it was really well-made and well-thought out.”

The fruit is from historic Bitner Vineyard on the Sunnyslope, but there are estate grapes on the horizon. Her parents bought 10 acres of land in the Eagle Foothills American Viticultural Area, where they established Finca Besada Vineyard with 4 acres of Chardonnay, 1 acre of Syrah and an acre of Malvasia Bianca.

While they recently were given approval to build a production facility on the family estate in Ada County, the Minders still face obstacles to fulfilling their dream of offering a complete wine country experience. At this point, it is unclear if they will be permitted to pour and sell their serious and stellar wines — including the Whitewater — amid their young vines in Eagle.

“You can’t fake what they are doing, and there are a lot of wineries out there that are obviously force-carbonating sparkling wine,” Donahue said. “You’ve got to do the bottle-ferment and you’ve got to lay it down, and it takes two to three years before you start to get the autolytic character, the layers and the great mousse from the yeast breakdown. It’s pretty obvious they didn’t cut any corners.”

PHOTOS BY RICHARD DUVAL/JYL BLACKWELL

Best of show / Best sparkling wine / double gold medal

3100 Cellars 2017 Whitewater, Snake River Valley $36.00

Best red wine / best of class / gold medal

Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Barbera, Columbia Valley $38.00

Best white wine / best of class / double gold medal

Palencia Wine Co. 2021 Albariño, Columbia Valley $22.00

Best sweet wine / best of class / gold medal

Smasne Cellars 2006 12 Year Barrel-Aged Port-style, Yakima Valley $60.00

Best rosé / gold medal

Wautoma Springs 2021 Rosé, Columbia Valley $18.00

Best Cabernet Sauvignon / double gold medal

Telaya Wine Co. 2019 Discovery Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $45.00

Best Merlot / double gold medal

Browne Family Vineyards 2019 Estate Merlot, Walla Walla Valley $60.00

Best Pinot Noir / double gold medal

Mt. Hood Winery 2019 Estate Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge $38.00

Best Pinot Gris / double gold medal

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2021 Private Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley $15.99

Best of class / double gold medal

Indian Creek Winery 2021 Grüner Veltliner, Snake River Valley $22.00 Two Bad Labs Vineyard/Tammany View Winery 2020 Sèmillon, Lewis-Clark Valley $20.00 Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Bona Vita Red Wine, Red Mountain $40.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, Golden Mile Bench $17.99 Maan Farms Estate Winery 2020 Strawberry Raspberry Blend Fruit Wine, Fraser Valley $20.00 Palencia Wine Co. 2019 Mourvèdre, Yakima Valley $26.00 H/H Estates 2019 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Reserve Michael Andrews Red, Horse Heaven Hills $49.00 Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Umpqua Valley $26.00 Saviah Cellars 2020 The Jack Red Wine, Columbia Valley $18.00 Stag’s Hollow Winery 2021 Tragically Vidal, Okanagan Valley $20.00 Brian Carter Cellars 2016 Trentenaire Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50.00 Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Gewürztraminer, Lake Chelan $24.00 Best Chardonnay / gold medal Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2021 Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay, Golden Mile Bench $14.99 Best Riesling / gold medal EFESTĒ 2021 Evergreen Riesling, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $24.00 Best Tempranillo / gold medal Coyote Canyon Winery 2019 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Tempranillo, Horse Heaven Hills $33.00

Best Syrah / gold medal

Phantom Creek Estates 2019 Kobau Vineyard Syrah, Golden Mile Bench $52.00

Best Cabernet Franc / gold medal

Hells Canyon Winery 2018 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Snake River Valley $35.00

Best Malbec / gold medal

Tsillan Cellars 2019 Reserve Malbec, Lake Chelan $52.00

Best Petit Verdot / gold medal

Cellardoor Winery 2018 Petit Verdot, American $25.00

Best Carménère / gold medal

Martinez & Martinez Winery 2018 Dion Carlo Carménère, Horse Heaven Hills $42.00

Best of class / gold medal

10,000 Hours 2019 Red Blend, Red Mountain $35.00 Novelty Hill 2019 Oxbow Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Gris-Viognier, Okanagan Valley $19.99 Indian Creek Winery 2021 Viognier, Snake River Valley $17.00 Roland Wines 2018 Sangiovese, Rattlesnake Hills $36.00

Double gold medal

Airfield Estates Winery 2021 Sangiovese Rosé, Yakima Valley, $18.00 Airfield Estates Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley $17.00 Awen Winecraft 2018 Petite Sirah, Rogue Valley $50.00 Barrister Winery 2018 Summit View Vineyard Malbec, Walla Walla Valley $37.00 Be Human 2019 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $17.00 Benson Vineyards Estate Winery 2021 Viognier, Lake Chelan $24.00 Browne Family Vineyards 2019 Tribute Red Blend, Columbia Valley, $33.99 Cellardoor Winery 2017 Aurora Red Wine, American $32.00 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Viognier, Okanagan Valley, $21.99 Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Old Vine Trebbiano, Golden Mile Bench, $23.99 Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery 2020 Stainless Steel Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $14.00 Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery 2021 Gertchen Vineyard Buhljolais Rosé of Syrah, Snake River Valley $14.00 Indian Creek Winery 2019 Star Garnet, Snake River Valley $17.00 Indian Creek Winery 2020 Reserve Caliche Pinot Noir, Snake River Valley $35.00 Kiona Vineyards 2018 Estate Bottled Malbec, Red Mountain, $40.00 Kiona Vineyards 2020 Estate Bottled Lemberger, Red Mountain, $18.00 Lake Chelan Winery 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $55.00 Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019 Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain $38.00 Lone Point Cellars 2019 Gran Reserva Tempranillo, Columbia Valley $38.00 Longship Cellars 2019 Wise Man Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $40.00 Mercer Estates Winery 2018 Robert Willis Reserve Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $55 Mercer Estates Winery 2021 Small Lot Viognier, Horse Heaven Hills $20.00 Mt. Hood Winery 2018 Grenache, Columbia Valley $38.00 Northwest Cellars 2018 Madrigal, Columbia Valley $28.00 Nota Bene Cellars 2017 Dineen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley $38.00 Reustle – Prayer Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $31.00 Ryan Patrick Vineyards 2019 Red Heaven Vineyard Reserve Syrah, Red Mountain $40.00 Sawtooth Estate Winery 2021 Classic Fly Series Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley $28.00 Sawtooth Estate Winery 2021 Classic Fly Series Viognier, Snake River Valley $24.00 Schooler Nolan Winery 2019 Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $15.00 Sigillo Cellars 2019 Tempranillo, Wahluke Slope $38.00 Smasne Cellars 2019 Don’t Even Ask Red Wine, Columbia Valley $32.00 Smasne Cellars 2016 Legendary Red Wine, Columbia Valley Telaya Wine Co. 2019 Syrah, Snake River Valley $37.00 Vale Wine Co. 2019 Syrah, Snake River Valley $31.00 Vino Vasai Wines 2018 The Potter’s Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountain, $58.00 Volcanic Hills Estate Winery 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley $45.99 Wit Cellars 2019 Syrah, Yakima Valley $45.00