Great Northwest Wine magazine Winter 2024 by Great Northwest Wine

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

GREAT NORTHWEST WINTER 2024

WINE

GREATNORTHWESTWINE.COM

24th annual Platinum Awards Grüner Veltliner, Carménère finish atop elite judging

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Welcome to

magazine

IN THIS ISSUE WINTER 2024 | VOL. 3, NO. 1

32 08 10 12 14 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 74

COVER STORY | by Eric Degerman

A 2022 Grüner Veltliner from Southern Oregon’s Stephen Reustle is the judging’s No. 1 wine.

A VINE START | by Eric Degerman

Blind judgings around the world help ID some of Northwest’s best wines.

THE WINE KNOWS | by Andy Perdue

Tour of Golan Heights Winery led to exploration of Northwest wine.

SWIRL, SNIFF & SIP | by Ken Robertson

Distinctive wines reflect a sense of place in Washington, Oregon.

ELLEN ON WINE | by Ellen Landis

Pinot Blanc gains ground in Oregon, British Columbia vineyards.

RISING STARS | by April Reddout

Ohio-grown Stephanie Cohen engineers her way to Col Solare.

THE WINES THAT MADE US | by Liz Moss-Woerman

A Cab by Kiona inspired Red Mountain winemaker Charlie Hoppes.

BEYOND THE 49TH PARALLEL | by Allison M. Markin

TIME Family of Wines transforms theatre into stage for Okanagan Valley.

TURNING THE TABLES | by Carl Giavanti

Wine writer Rebecca Murphy reflects on her time in the Pacific Northwest.

PUGET SOUND | by Dana Van Nest

Tasting rooms in Seattle transition from traditional approach to ‘experiences.’ GEM STATE REPORT | by Jim Thomssen It takes just 25.1% of a neighborhood to stymie a winery in some parts of Idaho.

GREAT NORTHWEST INVITATIONAL | by Eric Degerman

Oregon judging turns into a showcase for Bobby Richards of Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla.

TASTING RESULTS | by Eric Degerman, Sonnay Alvarez, Amberleigh Brownson and Sharon Jordan Sigillo Cellars Carménère receives 98 points as top red wine of 24th Platinum Awards.

IN MEMORIAM | by Eric Degerman

Washington vineyard owner Dick Shaw, Oregon icon Dick Erath among those we lost in 2023. PHOTOS ON LEFT Darrien McWatters, Christa-Lee McWatters and winemaker Lynzee Schatz form the foundation for TIME Family of Wines in Penticton, British Columbia. (Photo by Chris Stenberg / Courtesy of TIME Family of Wines Bobby Richards won 4 gold medals for Seven Hills Winery at the Invitational. The late Stacie and Russ Hamilton celebrate the 2015 opening of Richard Larsen’s office at the WSU Wine Science Center.

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GREAT NORTHWEST

W IN E

Since 1998, our team of journalists has set out to help identify award-winning wines from the Pacific Northwest and to share the stories of those behind them. We focus on those in the cellar and among the vines who work with fruit from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana. Our coverage includes those restaurateurs, merchants and ambassadors working to promote the Northwest as one of the wine world’s leading destinations. Along the way, we continue to pay homage to the historic figures responsible for our industry’s delicious past, present and future. CEO, Eric Degerman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com & CO-FOUNDER PUBLISHER Jerry Hug jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ken Robertson & COLUMNIST STAFF Richard Duval PHOTOGRAPHER COLUMNISTS

Ellen Landis Liz Moss-Woerman Andy Perdue April Reddout

CONTRIBUTORS

Carl Giavanti Jim Thomssen Allison M. Markin Dana Van Nest

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lisa L. Vogt Lisasdesignworks@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES Jerry Hug Jerry@GreatNorthwestWine.com (509) 947-9422 To subscribe: Subscriptions cost $40 per year for four issues per year. Mail check to the address below or subscribe securely at GreatNorthwestWine.com. Free weekly newsletter: Sign up for our free Great Northwest Wine of the Week email newsletter at GreatNorthwestWine.com Mailing address: Great Northwest Wine LLC 8524 W. Gage Blvd. A-244 Kennewick, WA 99336

COVER PHOTO

A Grüner Veltliner from Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards was awarded 99 points and a Carménère by Sigillo Cellars received 98 points from the Platinum Awards panel in October. (Photo by Richard Duval)

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COLUMN l A Vine Start

24th Platinum Awards lead to 230 delicious stories A

s someone who has followed, written and tasted some of the best that the Pacific Northwest wine industry has offered in the past 25 years, it is disappointing ERIC and occasionally DEGERMAN maddening to read some of the headlines written recently. • Alcohol is the devil, will kill you • Dry January • Consumers less interested in wine

• Wine at grocery store can’t be any good •O nly expensive wines are worth your money That’s why it is uplifting — albeit timeconsuming — to share the delicious news from our 24th annual Platinum Awards, which dominates the second half of this issue. The honors cover the board. One winner retails for $11; one goes for $200. In late October, there were 230 wines that our panel identified as worthy of a Platinum. That gave me 230 reviews/short stories to share about some of the best work done with grapes from the Pacific Northwest. Before that coverage, there’s a look back at some of our friends we lost in 2023. And something struck me during my conversation with winemaker Victor Palencia about one of his long-time bosses — the late Dick Shaw, a member of the Washington Wine Hall of Fame. Victor referenced the “gray skies” that circle portions of the Northwest wine industry, then he credited Shaw’s investment, vision and sacrifices that will continue to help area winemakers provide consumers some of the world’s best wines. “A great wave” is how Victor described it, and I appreciate his glass half-full attitude. My team and I at Great Northwest Wine have suffered a few setbacks in 2023, which explains why this issue that begins our third year of publishing has arrived during January rather than in time for Christmas. Thank you for your patience and your subscription, which is even more valued now after learning

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that we face at least a 10% increase in the cost to get our magazine to you each issue. Throughout its 24-year history, the Platinum Awards has helped consumers to learn about what’s most important — a delicious bottle of wine.

Our blind tastings that feature merchants, winemakers, educators and media have identified 2,624 wines as standouts since 2000. Each year, the list is far from definitive, and it’s not an open competition, but it’s a heckuva way to look back on the previous 12 months, identify some trends, confirm consistency among top producers and identify wineries/winemakers on the rise. On the other hand, the Platinum Awards doesn’t “discover” these top wines. Rather, it affirms, elevates and spotlights some of the top wines identified by other panels throughout the Northwest, coast to coast and around the world. This year, thanks to the diligence of Publisher Jerry Hug and the hospitality at Clover Island Inn in Kennewick, Wash., the Platinum Awards panel comfortably evaluated 726 entries — the second-most in the history of the judging. Each year, there are an almost endless number of storylines to emerge from the Platinum Awards. And here are a few: • No one produced more Platinumwinning wines (9) than Larry Harris of Bayernmoor Cellars in Stanwood, Wash., and he did it with Cab from Red Mountain, Chardonnay from the Gorge and literally home-grown Pinot Noir. • Maryhill Winery added to its lead with 111 career Platinums as winemaker Richard Batchelor won eight Platinums. They were spread out across seven varieties. Two were for Batchelor’s work with Grenache. • Gehringer Brothers in Oliver, British Columbia, became just the second winery to hit the century mark (102) with five Platinums in 2023. The race for the top would be closer if not for the pandemic and the closed border. • The No. 1 ranked wine was the Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2022 Estate Selection Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner from Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. It’s the third time he’s produced the best white, and second time using Grüner. (See Page 32).

• Carménère might have been the most delicious category with half of the 14 entries receiving a Platinum, four of those went Double Platinum — led by Sigillo Cellars, which finished as the No. 1 ranked red wine. • Working with winemaker Kendall Mix, Butch Milbrandt won at least one Platinum for each of the four brands within his Washington Wine Group portfolio — a total of five Platinums. Two of those were for the remarkably priced sparklers under the Lulu label, and all five fit within our Best Buy! category — $20 and less. • The Palencia name shows up nine times in the reviews because he produced Platinums for three brands — his own (3), Jones of Washington (5) and the new owners of Tucannon Cellars near Red Mountain. He’s now won 50 career Platinums among them. Our Platinum Awards have been responsible in myriad ways for the lion’s share of the $135,000 in scholarships that have been awarded in the past two decades by the Yakima Enological Society to those pursuing advanced education in our region’s wine industry. This year’s fundraising Platinum XXII Dinner by Y.E.S., is Saturday, April 20 at Yakima Country Club. Go to YakimaWine.org for tickets. Last year, the dinner contributed $14,500 in scholarships to students at Central Washington University, Walla Walla Community College, Washington State University, Yakima Valley College and British Columbia’s Okanagan College. Those who attend will get to taste a number of the wines that won a Platinum and talk with folks who made some of them. During the holidays, when anyone asked me how I would approach “Dry January,” I recommended the No. 1 Riesling from the 24th Platinum — the Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Dry Riesling. It turns out that wine also will be among those poured at the April 20 dinner. Eric Eric Degerman Degerman is the is the president, president, CEO CEO andand co-cofounder of Great Northwest Wine LLC. He can be reached at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com.

COLUMN l A Vine Start

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COLUMN l The Wine Knows

Wine tasting in a war zone F

or far too long since early October, all eyes have been on the tragically wartorn Middle East.

I have a particular interest in the region going back ANDY several decades, PERDUE and it makes me sad the birthplace of the world’s three major religions continues to be embroiled in conflict. The first time I set foot in the Old City of Jerusalem was during a vacation with my mom and grandma in 1980. I was immediately enthralled. Criss-crossed by history that virtually flowed from the stone walls and streets, my 16-year-old mind was filled with wonder as I contemplated the ancient feats that had occurred in the very place I now walked. Mom and I returned in the summer of 1982, spending two months traveling in Egypt and Israel. It was a particularly rough era in the Middle East. Egypt was on edge with the recent assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Israel was invading Lebanon literally as we were visiting. I remember sitting by the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel and watching fighter jets fly overhead toward Beirut on a bombing run. They would come back about 10 minutes later. As a teen witnessing a war that didn’t directly involve me, I somberly wondered how many families died and how many angry young people would become terrorists. There are so many aspects to that experience that strike you even more deeply as you get older. All I knew is I was hooked on the deep historical importance of the Middle East. When you stand in Jerusalem’s Old City, you get this feeling of being at the crossroads of Western civilization. You are also standing in the epicenter of the Arab-Israeli conflict. A couple years passed and I was off to college at Western Washington University in Bellingham. As I worked on my degree in journalism, I found there were enough political science and history classes to self-

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design a minor in Middle East Studies and Culture. My academic creativity was justified when I realized journalism professor Ted Stannard had taught for six years at American University in Cairo. We had many long conversations about all aspects of the Middle East. I read every book I could find, always dreaming of making my way back to the Holy Land. That time finally came 15 years later, after I got married. I talked my wife, also a journalist, into going on a two-week vacation in Israel and Jordan. We combined my longtime passion for the Middle East with my new-found passion for wine into the same trip. We started with several days in the Old City, then rented a car and headed north to visit a colleague’s sister in Tel Aviv. From there, we drove to Golan Heights Winery. Technically, we were traveling into occupied Syria because the region had been captured by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967. The region wasn’t annexed by the Israelis until 2014, so during our trip in 1997 this was officially a war zone. The Golan is a strategic position from which Syria would occasionally fire artillery shells toward Israeli settlements near the Sea of Galilee, while Israel’s Golani Brigade would occasionally “practice” their mortar fire in the opposite direction. During our overnight stay in a kibbutz, we thought the loud bangs were vineyard propane cannons meant to scare away birds from the ripening grapes. We were otherwise educated over the communal breakfast by a man who didn’t act as if he was joking with the naïve Americans. This column really is about wine, however, not international politics. In the late 1800s, Baron Rothschild brought France’s Bordeaux wine industry to the vineyards of Israel. Fast-forward to the late 1990s, and my flirtation with wine became a full-on relationship when I experienced Golan Heights Winery. We went on the full tour of the winery operations that ended with a flight of samples in the tasting room, which was all still new

and exciting to us. The winery had invested in educational displays that attractively explained the winemaking process, down to the reasons for differently shaped bottles. For the special twist that is Israel, the winemaker explained that all the wines were kosher, so he couldn’t touch the wines because he was Orthodox. Instead, he had a team of rabbis working for him. They would make the wine under his direction to keep it kosher. Overall, the facility was lovely; the people were nice, the information was interesting, and the wine was top-notch. We were sold on wine as a tourism experience. We were able to bring four bottles home from Israel — following side quests to Petra and Jericho. We still have the empty bottles as keepsakes and have since found Israeli wine, including Golan Heights’ Yarden label of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and a kosher Chardonnay, available via Esquin Wine & Spirits in Seattle. Another great wine from the Middle East is Chateau Musar — also available at Esquin — but visiting that winery in Lebanon will have to remain on my bucket list. Our experience and fond memories of Golan Heights Winery inspired us to start visiting wineries around the Pacific Northwest. A year later, I guest-authored a wine column for the Tri-City Herald — Bob Woehler was on vacation — and recounted my “extreme wine tasting adventure in occupied Syria.” That essentially launched my wine writing career. Andy Perdue, now semi-retired for medical reasons, was the founding editor of Great Northwest Wine and Wine Press Northwest, and the former wine columnist for the Seattle Times. He lives in the heart of Washington wineis country with CEO his wife, Eric Degerman the president, and coMelissa,oftheir too founder Greatdaughter, NorthwestNiranjana, Wine LLC.and He can many pets.at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com. be reached

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COLUMN l Swirl, Sniff & Sip

Specific sites lead to special wines M KEN ROBERTSON

icroclimate is one of those wine geek words that bounces around tasting rooms in the Pacific Northwest as readily as a ping-pong ball, sometimes with little real thought.

So, it set me to thinking: How many places in our region do I know of where there’s a vineyard where the climate produces truly unique fruit? I came up with a handful where I’ve tasted wines, both whites and reds, where just a short distance within an American Viticultural Area changes the climate enough to make each wine distinctive. A spot in Kiona Vineyards and Winery’s first vineyard where John Williams and Jim Holmes planted Chenin Blanc in 1976 — one year after they had established what would become Kiona Estate Vineyard for the Williams family. Most autumns, as wintry temperatures descend on Red Mountain, a pocket in the vineyard will catch the coldest air, freezing the late-hanging grapes sometime early in the morning well before dawn. The result is one of the Northwest’s finest ice wines on a rather consistent basis, made from a grape that holds its acidity even as sugar levels go higher as the fall proceeds. A Ste. Michelle Wine Estates vineyard that straddles the apex of the Horse Heaven Hills above Columbia Crest Winery near Paterson, Wash., and where the grapes reach down the north slope of the hills. Once fall arrives, a hilltop fog settles in almost every morning and slides down into the vineyard, coating the vines and ripe grapes with its mist, encouraging the growth of Botrytis cinerea, “the noble rot” that creates the distinctive character of Germany’s trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), or single berry select dessert wines. David Rosenthal, former head white winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle, told me the process under his supervision worked this way: Harvest crews would make multiple passes through this vineyard, choosing the most botrytis-affected clusters first, then the lesser affected, eventually ending up with three batches of grapes that all become desert wines, but the TBAs were considered the finest.

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“The aim was always to let everything that happens in the vineyard show,” he says. “At the end of the day, Mother Nature is going to win out.”

The former Lenné Estate vineyard near Yamhill, Ore. The site Steve and Karen Lutz chose for their 15.5-acre vineyard produced fascinatingly different Pinot Noir in its upper levels than from its lower levels, a change in elevation of 300 feet. The peavine marine sedimentary soils were largely the same, but the climate from the top to bottom vines of the north-facing rows made the wines distinctive of one another. The higher-elevation grapes produced more red-toned wines, to be expected with its cooler location; the lower produced darker-toned fruit, but also more complex, earthy aromas and flavors. They sold their vineyard in 2022 to a wine club member — Eugene Labunsky — and Jared Etzel, acclaimed winemaker at Domaine Roy & fils. Alexandria Nicole Cellars and Destiny Ridge Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills, just north of Highway 14 and Crow Butte Park along the Columbia River. In the spring 2022, winemaker/managing partner Jarrod Boyle asked me to serve as the “Rock Star” blender for ANC’s Rhône-inspired 2020 blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Among the most surprising discoveries for me came as I tasted, evaluated and discussed wine blending with Jarrod’s winemaker at the time, Reid Klei, was how different the two Syrahs were that went into the blend. One was from a site closer to the winery building, the other from a plot farther up the hill. In this case, soils also may have played a role, but the lower-level fruit showed darker black- and blue-toned berry and plum flavors, plus more pronounced, savory notes of leather and tobacco. The fruit from higher up the hill had some dark red tones of berries and plums and was a bit brighter. Each contributed striking complexity, with graphite-like aromas and textures developing with their combination. A few percent change in each, either way, and the sense of graphite often encountered in Horse Heaven Hills wines disappeared.

Chandler Reach Vineyard just north of Interstate 82 near the Yakitat Road exit between Benton City and Prosser, Wash. This 42-acre site has a truly unusual climate. Located on the lee side of the Horse Heaven Hills and north facing, some might think it would not offer enough sun to ripen late-maturing varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, but its location up against the hills and below a natural wind chute that directs Chinook-like winds toward the site seems to protect it from winter’s cold and spring frosts. As a result, though it doesn’t get as much sun as the Red Mountain AVA on a southwestfacing slope across the Yakima Valley, it does collect the late-day summer heat and has turned out to be a near-ideal site, says owner Len Parris. The north-facing site “has been a gift,” he says, and he named his Bordeaux-styled red blend Monte Regalo — “mountain’s gift” in Italian. Wine words: Fruit-forward, fruity Phrases similar to these two are often a primary way of describing Pacific Northwest wines, because many of them practically shout out such aromas and flavors. The first impression many wine sippers — whether novice or veteran — will take from our wines is that they smell and taste like fruit. A white or rosé wine often shows off aromas and flavors of lemon, lime, orange, melon, peach or apricot, for example. A red wine may display characters of red fruit such as strawberries, cherries or red currant or of black or blue fruit such as black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, plum, blueberry or black currant, with other elements such as spices, herbs and woody flavors and aromas. Many European wines, especially reds, are much more likely to lead off with aromas and flavors described as herbal, woody, leathery, even “bahnyahdy,” as a friend of mine from Australia has described it. Anyone’s perception of wine is subjective and may differ from yours. But that’s part of the fun of searching for and finding the right words to describe your wine experiences.

Ken Robertson, associate editor and columnist for Great Wineand coEric Degerman is theNorthwest president, CEO magazine, has Northwest been sipping founder of Great WineNorthwest LLC. He can andatwriting about them since 1976. bewines reached eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com.

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COLUMN l Ellen on Wine

Pinot Blanc earns attention in Oregon, British Columbia T ELLEN LANDIS

here are many delicious examples of Pinot Blanc that I’ve experienced in recent years, and I wish more of them came across my panels at the competitions I judge across the country.

Pinot Blanc, a common vitis vinifera variety, is often overlooked. It’s a white mutation of Pinot Noir, which helps explain why Oregon winemakers have achieved success with it. This decade has seen increased vineyard investment in Pinot Blanc in Oregon, which is now devoting slightly more acreage to the grape than British Columbia, a region where the variety has been researched and appreciated by winemakers and growers. Barbara Philip, Canada’s first female Master of Wine, wrote her thesis on Pinot Blanc and its place in the Okanagan Valley. My own interest in Pinot Blanc prompted me to look into some of the stylistic differences surrounding the grape within the Pacific Northwest and beyond. France As recently as 1988, there were nearly 4,000 acres of Pinot Blanc planted throughout France, and even though it is believed to have originated in Burgundy, not much acreage remains there. It also can be found in Champagne because Pinot Blanc is one of the grapes allowed in the Champagne Appellation Originale Contractualisée (AOC). Pinot Blanc has found a home in the Alsace. While it is not classified as one of the region’s four “noble” varieties — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat — according to Wines of Alsace, there is more acreage devoted to Pinot Blanc (21.5%) than even Riesling (20.9%). There are an estimated 3,000 acres of Pinot Blanc planted in Alsace, where it often is referred to as either Clevner or Kleven and blended with Auxerrois into a popular still wine. However, much of the Pinot Blanc in that region serves as the base for acclaimed Crémant d’Alsace sparkling wine. As a still

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wine, the profile of Pinot Blanc from Alsace leans to red apples and spice accents, a rounded texture. Occasionally, it sees some oak. Italy Pinot Blanc is known in Italy as Pinot Bianco and fares well in Trentino-Alto Adige, near the northern borders with Austria and Switzerland. There, it is crisp and vibrant, taking on thirst-quenching citrus, pear and apple flavors. The Friuli region, in the northeastern part of Italy, produces both still and sparkling Pinot Bianco. Here, this variety delivers an aroma of spring wildflowers and a palate of peaches, yellow apples, lemon/lime and flintiness. Tuscany, in central Italy, crafts Pinot Bianco wines that exhibit citrus blossom aromas, minerally tones, peaches and tropical fruit. When blended with Chardonnay and barrel-treated, the wine can show a creamier texture and oak nuances. Germany Known as Weissburgunder, this grape is grown in nearly every wine region of Germany, but it is perhaps most broadly rooted in southern sunny climates. Five years ago, there were reportedly about 14,000 acres of Pinot Blanc.

It is well suited to Baden — a warm region — where the wine presents a round mouthfeel while maintaining crispness with flavors of apple, pineapple, minerally tones and fresh-squeezed lemon. Weissburgunder in the Rheinhessen region is planted in sunshineblessed rolling hills. These wines showcase floral aromatics and a crisp palate of stone fruit, citrus elements, minerality and spice accents. In the Pfalz region, the flavor profile often captures spiced green apples, lemon tones and minerality. This region boasts the world’s largest wine festival, the Wurstmarkt. Austria Here, too, Pinot Blanc is called Weissburgunder, and sometimes Klevner. While not planted as widely as Grüner Veltliner, Austria has given the variety welldeserved attention. At times, it is blended with Chardonnay and sees oak. It is grown in multiple regions, including Burgenland and Thermenregion. Flavors of quince, vanilla, loquat, blanched almonds and pineapple are typically displayed.

Sumptuously sweet trockenbeerenauslese wines are crafted from botrytized Weissburgunder grapes in the Neusiedlersee region. North America On our continent, Pinot Blanc has a presence in California, Michigan, New York and the Pacific Northwest. Thirty years ago, it was rather prolific in the Golden State, with the University of California-Davis recording about 2,000 acres of Pinot Blanc in the ground. By 2014, that figure had fallen to 422 acres. The 2022 California Department of Food and Agriculture report has Pinot Blanc all the way down to 261 acres. That would mean last year Oregon became the largest producer of Pinot Blanc on the continent. The 2022 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report noted there were 300 acres planted for the 2022 vintage, reflecting a remarkable addition of 49 acres from the previous year. In the Willamette Valley, stone fruit, orchard fruit, and citrus come forward, with minerality a common thread. In British Columbia, the early history of Pinot Blanc in the Okanagan Valley is tied to acclaimed German researcher Helmut Becker, who made it part of his storied Becker Project from 1976 to 1984. There are now 242 acres of Pinot Blanc planted, making it the No. 6 white variety and accounting for about 5 percent of the province’s white grape harvest for the 2022 harvest. Those wines often showcase green apple notes with stone fruit, citrus and subtle herbs joining minerality. There are no figures regarding variety breakdown by acreage for Washington state’s Pinot Blanc. The resulting wines tend to show minerality with stone fruit, almonds and citrus notes. According to the Idaho Wine Commission, there are no sizable commercial plantings of Pinot Blanc. Quite global in scope, plantings of Pinot Blanc also are reported in other parts of Europe — Luxembourg, Uruguay, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria — the Mediterranean island of Malta, South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia.

COLUMN l Ellen on Wine

Here are some of the recent impressive examples of Pinot Blanc that I’ve evaluated from the Pacific Northwest: Left Coast Estate 2021 Left Bank Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $26: Expressive aromas of stone fruit and delicate florals rise from the glass. Broadening on the palate are layers of fresh sliced peaches, lemonlime, apricots, minerality and Marcona almonds. The texture is creamy; it is finely balanced, and orange accents shine on the long finish. WillaKenzie Estate 2021 Pinot Blanc, YamhillCarlton, $32: Richly textured with balancing acidity, this gem displays a lemon blossoms aroma. It’s buoyant on the palate as Meyer lemon, Asian pears, blanched almonds, hints of lemon herb tisane, minerality and a sprinkling of spice interlace. There’s a long and energetic finish. Château Ste. Michelle 2021 Flying M Farms Pinot Blanc, Yakima Valley $26: Scents of fresh-squeezed grapefruit pave the way for this sleek, mineral-driven Pinot Blanc. Brisk acidity supports juicy kiwi, blanched almonds, crushed lemon thyme and fresh white peaches, which light up the palate. It stays crisp and clean through the long, citrus-scented finish. Hester Creek Estate Winery 2022 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, $19.99: From the Golden Mile Bench, the British Columbia wine industry’s first subgeographical indication, comes this nicely aromatic bright wine. Flavors of Granny Smith apples, juicy nectarines, a twist of lemon and faint herbaceousness flows harmoniously across the palate. It’s wellbalanced with a lingering finish. Willamette Valley Vineyards 2022 Pinot Blanc, Tualatin Hills, $30: The lovely apple blossom aromatics lead to a succulent blast of vivid flavors. Yellow apples, nectarines, lemon drops, summer melon and minerally notes commingle with tingling acidity. The texture is heavenly, and the honeysuckletinged finish is uplifting. Ellen Landis is a certified sommelier, journalist and wine judge based in St.Petersburg, Florida.

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COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

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Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 17

COLUMN l Rising Stars

Stephanie Cohen shines atop Red Mountain at Col Solare B ENTON CITY, Wash. — Stephanie Cohen knew in eighth grade that her career would be tied to fermentation.

She remembers thinking during a APRIL tour of a Belgian REDDOUT brewery that the brewing process was “the coolest thing.” It led to thoughts of becoming a winemaker and starting down the path that’s taken her near the top of Red Mountain. That vision as a teen growing up in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, her focus as a college student and a series of work experiences prepared her to become the head winemaker at Col Solare Winery, the premier luxury brand in the Washington state portfolio of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Her credentials include a chemical engineering degree from the University of Michigan, and she believes the ability to solve problems makes engineers ideal candidates for commercial winemaking, especially when the stakes are high. “During harvest, everything is out of your control,” she says. “Anything can and will go wrong. Being able to think on your feet and do things differently is essential.” Coincidentally, this is the second Rising Star profile on a Red Mountain winemaker with a degree in chemical engineering. The first was Ellie Zeron of Elk Haven Winery and Zeron Vineyards. And it’s noteworthy that Col Solare’s first winemaker on Red Mountain — Marcus Notaro — was an engineering graduate from the University of Washington. The unpredictable, stressful and long harvest of the 2022 vintage served as another example of the mettle required, she says. “Yields were high, and we were playing Tetris, finding room in the cellar to accommodate all the fruit without sacrificing quality,” Stephanie remembers easily. After college, she followed the harvest seasons around the world, taking enology

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Stephanie Cohen moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2018 when she worked in the cellar at renowned Pinot Noir producer Lemelson Vineyards in Carlton, Ore. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHANIE COHEN

positions in Napa, New Zealand, Australia and Oregon before joining the red winemaking team at Columbia Crest led at the time by Reid Klei and Katie Nelson. She considers them both mentors, and Nelson is now vice president of winemaking for Chateau Ste. Michelle. In May 2020, Stephanie moved within Ste. Michelle Wine Estates to take the enologist position at Col Solare. She was promoted to head winemaker in June 2022. Col Solare remains a partnership between SMWE and Italy’s iconic Antinori family — 26 generations as vintners. Piero Antinori is the president. The CEO is Renzo Cotarella, who oversees winemaking. And Stephanie’s ties to the Antinori family seem to have come full circle. Her first visit to an Antinori property was in Italy with her parents when she was 8. Now, she regularly collaborates with Cotarella.

Stephanie’s father began collecting bottles from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars during the 1980s, and they became special occasion wines, always served on Thanksgiving. Those wines would become a talking point during an interview with Notaro, now the head winemaker at Stag’s Leap but who played a role in Ste. Michelle’s decision to bring Stephanie to Col Solare. The Antinori family purchased Stag’s Leap from SMWE in 2023. She’s nostalgic and thoughtful when talking about her harvest experiences around the world, and she remains fascinated by how other countries approach the winemaking process, not only in technique, but also with the culture surrounding harvest. “In other parts of the world, harvest is more of a celebration, and everyone is into it and excited,” she says. “Everyone works and breathes it. More conversations are about wine; everyone is interested and focused on sharing this thing they have in common.”

COLUMN l Rising Stars She also enjoys the camaraderie within the industry and how collaborative a casual drink after work can become when you run into fellow harvest workers. They have a few talking points when it comes to the 2023 vintage.

With notes of better living and better hearing

“Everything ripened phenologically,” she says. “We didn’t have to wait for sugar. Both pH and TA are in check. Tannin quality is very nice. The wines are really big, but there is still a creaminess and an elegance.” Next year, she looks forward to Col Solare’s release of the 2022 vintage wines, and the resulting 6,000-case production signals her first wines as the head winemaker. The flagship bottling — the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon — blends in Cabernet Franc (9%), and 100% of the fruit for that 3,500-case lot was sourced from neighboring Quintessence Vineyard. Col Solare has often used Quintessence as a part of its program, but this is the first year 100% of their fruit was used because large blocks of Col Solare’s vineyard required replanting as a result of leaf roll virus. However, Stephanie’s experience with the “excellent” fruit from clones 2, 33 and 169 at Quintessence has her looking forward to working with those same clones grown at Col Solare. As a winemaker, Stephanie landed at an ideal spot on Red Mountain because her favorite varietals to work with are Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah. She says she’s enjoying the challenges surrounding Cabernet Franc with its tendency for clusters to ripen unevenly, potential intensity of tannins and the work required to control the grape’s herbaceous profile. As a consumer, she misses the accessibility to Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and some of the gems she found in Napa and Australia. She appreciates sparkling wines, Chenin Blanc and Albariño because they are light and fresh. They also provide a contrast to red wines, which always send her into the work mode of analyzing and evaluating. She’s also reluctant to say what the next phase of Red Mountain will bring. “It’s hard to predict, because unlike Napa, there is no singular overlapping style,” Stephanie says. “It’s a plus for wineries on Red Mountain to have unique styles and business models, and it’s exciting to see the

results of Quintessence fruit that goes to so many producers. Ten different vintners who purchase that fruit will create 10 different styles of wine.” When I asked her what career advice she would give to her 14-year-old self, she laughed and recalled being so focused on getting a fulltime job right out of college. It turns out the advice she needed then is the same she offers to interns when they start at a new place.

“Realize you know a lot, but become a sponge and use the time to learn everything you can,” she says. “Learn from every experience, and it will pay off.” April Reddout is a professional wine judge and hospitality consultant who was then the guest services manager for Col Solare on Red Mountain. She can be reached at ReddoutWine.com.

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 19

COLUMN l The Wines That Made Us

Charlie Hoppes and a 1980s Kiona Cab T “ LIZ MOSS-WOERMAN

he Charlie Hoppes we all know now, the one who soared through the ranks at Château Ste. Michelle, who started Fidélitas, the Wine Boss … was nearly Boeingengineer Charlie Hoppes.

A singular moment, and

wine, set this in motion —

thus changing the landscape of one of Washington’s most prestigious American Viticultural Areas and its well-

A Plane Boss, at best. He majored in economics, with a minor in accounting at Eastern Washington University, determined to become a Charlie Hoppes you’d trust with your money, but at that time one who wasn’t terribly concerned with your Merlot. In college, when he’d come home to the Yakima Valley for a weekend, he’d pick up a local wine made by a California guy named Rob Griffin. “I don’t know if he knows — but some of those wines he was making in the late ‘70s for Preston made me think about doing this. There was one called something like ‘Desert Gold,’ I think. For who I was and my palate, I thought that was awesome.” Living in Seattle post-college, the ease of access to good restaurants with great wine lists started to stir some interest. On weekends, he and his wife would head over to her parents’ house in Pasco, where he dabbled in the production of home wine. Back on the westside, berry wine would have to do. “I liked the whole process, and I spoke with a few people in the industry, and they said they could use any trained people they could get,” he says, at that time still a Boeing employee, but not for long. “I quit my job. I visited Davis, I liked it — my wife was fully supportive. If I was going to do it, that was the time to do it, we hadn’t started our family yet. So, I enrolled in ’85.” University of California-Davis, at the time, was the most storied winemaking program in the nation. “If you can get accepted and get through it, it’s a pretty big deal,” he says. He spent harvests at historic Buena Vista

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known premium brands.”

Charlie Hoppes

RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

Winery in Sonoma, and R.H. Phillips in Yolo County, honing the craft. Growing up, his parents’ dinner table was often laden with a hock of German Riesling, and in a roundabout way, German Riesling brought him back to Washington. The story of his trajectory is reminiscent of the big reveal in a detective movie, when a fringe character stumbles upon the singular obsession of the protagonist: a wall of haphazardly written sticky notes, long lens photos and piece of yarn held with thumbtacks, stringing it all together… which is to say one nearly needs appendices with the detailed history of Washington wine to make sense of it all. Like many industries, wine sees a fair amount of changing hands as the years rattle along — but there are a few people who rise above the changing of the guards. One of them is Charles Hoppes. He began his Washington wine career as an assistant winemaker in Mattawa to Mike Januik (now of Novelty Hill/Januik) at Langguth (the history of which is a whole different story but, suffice it to say, rife with Germans and Riesling), which was technically then Snoqualmie, until it was Stimson Lane which later became Ste Michelle Wine Estates. And the original Langguth planted Weinbau Vineyard, with Sagemoor, which is now Allan Brothers Fruit but still also Sagemoor.

From Langguth/Snoqualmie, Charlie went to Waterbrook, years before it was Precept, but he was not there for long. He went back to the westside to take a white winemaking job with Mike Januik again, this time at Château Ste. Michelle proper. By ’93, he became the head red winemaker for Château Ste. Michelle, and helped open their Canoe Ridge facility. He calls his time with Ste. Michelle invaluable — but after the 1998 vintage, it was time for a change. “I think you come to a crossroads, and you’re either going to be a corporate winemaker, and you’re going to do it for 30 years and then retire,” he says. “I just never had that thought in mind. I had an entrepreneurial bug. I needed to do something on my own.” After stepping out from the umbrella of the state’s largest brand, Charlie helped Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla get its start, before beginning his own label in 2000. Much like the logo he has become synonymous with, the work and relationships Charlie honed through his start in the industry would come back full circle in the creation of Fidélitas. “I was able to piecemeal together enough grapes to make 400 cases for that first vintage, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, from Weinbau Vineyard,” he says. More than 20 years later, Fidélitas is a thriving brand, with a significant wine club and two successful tasting rooms. One is on Red Mountain. The other is in a brand-

new spot on the former Red Hook campus in Woodinville, a significant upgrade from its previous home just down the road in the Hollywood Schoolhouse District.

Eat. Stay. Relax

Just Minutes Away From Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village

A singular moment, and wine, set this in motion — thus changing the landscape of one of Washington’s most prestigious American Viticultural Areas and its well-known premium brands. In the late ‘80s, while still working for Langguth/Snoqualmie, Charlie had the opportunity to pour at Kiona Vineyards during the Williams family’s fun-filled Lemberger Days. “I remember the day exactly,” Charlie says. “It was June 11th, 1989. My wife was very pregnant, and I was pouring wine, but I went downstairs with John Williams and Scott. They said I should try some Cabernet while I was there.” That taste, a Cabernet from Kiona’s estate vineyard on Red Mountain, never left him. In it he saw a glimpse of what could be, what might be, if he could get there. “I thought, ‘Oh my God! I’ve got to do this someday. This is amazing!’ ” As for that journey back to the mountain, he says, “It took me a while.” Since its inception, Fidélitas has narrowed much of its focus to its home — the tasting room built in 2007 on Red Mountain and the vineyards surrounding it. Charlie is the Wine Boss; but also owns his WineBoss production facility in Richland where he makes the wine or consults on dozens of brands in the Northwest.



Charlie and the WineBoss facility have helped many small wineries of Washington get their start, or exist at all, so many so that the word count cap precludes them from being listed here, but it would an egregious omission to not at least allude to the impact his ‘pay-it-forward’ attitude has made in the industry. “I’ll probably always make wine, as long as I’m alive,” he says, thinking for a moment. “Maybe. Until they’re rolling me in there in a wheelchair, at least.” Liz Moss-Woerman is the director of hospitality and direct-to-consumer manager at Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash. She represents the third generation of her family to be a part of the Washington state wine industry.

 (509) 586-0541 www.cloverislandinn.com 435 Clover Island Drive, Kennewick, WA 99336 Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 21

FEATURE l Beyond the 49th Parallel

TIME Family of Wines evolves with Christa-Lee McWatters BY ALLISON M. MARKIN

ENTICTON, British Columbia — A new vision for the TIME Family of Wines began seven years ago when a derelict multiplex movie theatre in downtown Penticton needed a new purpose. The ‘Penmar’ was long past its prime for film aficionados, yet it was in a prime space for an urban wine and culinary destination. Enter Harry McWatters, the visionary pioneer behind Sumac Ridge near Summerland — British Columbia’s first estate winery and the first in the province to have a winery restaurant. But just as wine evolves and time waits for no one, the McWatters mantle has firmly shifted to Christa-Lee McWatters. Harry, her father, passed away in 2019 and Sumac Ridge — after ownership changes over a number of years — recently closed. Now, the McWatters legacy and passion for wine carries on with a refreshing look forward. And the TIME Family of Wines now has four siblings: the McWatters Collection, Chronos, Evolve Cellars and TIME. “We are elevating the tasting experience,” explained Christa-Lee during a chat inside the recently rebranded downtown Penticton winery, now almost completely unrecognizable to anyone who may have gone to the movies here years ago. What remains? For those who sat in the small theatre to take in an art-house film, the slightly sloped floor may bring back memories. Now this space is its own work of art. Elevated tables and a comfortably luxurious velvet banquette make for a seated experience at the Chronos Tasting Room. “At one point we considered theatre chairs or church pews,” says Christa-Lee. “We can still accommodate walk-ins, but reservations are recommended.” The same goes for the newly renovated restaurant and cocktail bar, OROLO, in the main area of the winery. It is aptly named for horology, the study of time. OROLO has touches of wood and gold throughout,

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menus that respect local ingredients, farmers and producers. Perhaps most notable is the addition of dry-agers for premium steaks. “We’re a house that serves steak, not a steakhouse,” she says. “We offer plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.”

OROLO is the sensory destination in downtown Penticton, British Columbia, for Chronos, Evolve Cellars, the McWatters Collection and TIME. PHOTO BY BEST EVER GUIDE / COURTESY OF TIME FAMILY OF WINES

OROLO’s approach to beef is unique to the South Okanagan, right down to care and raising of the product itself in nearby Summerland. The culinary team oversees three TIME locations — OROLO, the pairings offered as part of the Chronos Tasting Room experience and the food pairings at the District Wine Village in Oliver. The stunning Wine Village near Oliver is home to a number of beverage producers, including TIME, where guests can reserve a portfolio tasting and explore other tasting rooms in one location. Before joining TIME, Morrison was the head chef of Moxies in Calgary and previously worked with the JOEY restaurant group in both Calgary and Ottawa and contributed to the opening of several locations. Another winery location is expected to join the family in the spring of 2024, as Evolve moves near the village of Naramata. Already known for its Effervescence line of sparkling wines, the focus here, explained Christa-Lee, will be sparklers and “traditional bubbles.” Sparkling wine has long been a passion of the McWatters family, going back to the wellknown Steller’s Jay Brut at Sumac Ridge, so it was not a surprise that the Chronos nonvintage Brut by winemaker Lynzee Schatz was voted the best sparkling wine at this year’s 11th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition in Richland, Wash. Less than two months later, the Chronos Brut also won Best Sparkling at the All-Canadian Wine Championships in Ontario. In October, both the Chronos NV Brut and The McWatters Collection 2017 Brut earned

double gold medals at the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition in Hood River, Ore. The Chronos was rated 95 points, and The McWatters 2017 bubbles received a 94-point score. Schatz’s 2021 Pinot Gris under the Chronos label was given a gold medal and 93 points. With all that success surrounding sparkling wine, it makes sense that TIME has added a Sabre School Tasting to its lineup of experiences. Guests will learn about the history of sparkling wine and the proper technique for sabering. A sommelier-approved sabre will be available to purchase in the Chronos room as a unique souvenir. Not daring enough to try sabering? Book an educational Wineology session and “geek out” in the cellar while learning about Schatz and her team’s approach to winemaking. Her first job in the wine industry came at the age of 18, labeling sparkling wine at eclectic and acclaimed Summerhill Pyramid Winery. The history surrounding Harry McWatters prompted one Canadian writer to call him “The Robert Mondavi of British Columbia.” He was instrumental in creating the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) throughout Canada, elevating wine standards across the country and helped establish several other key associations across the British Columbia wine spectrum. TIME Family of Wines remains a family affair. The 2023 harvest will be the fourth for Ron and Shelley Mayert as owners. Each grew up in a farming family in the province, Ron with orchards in Summerland. Their acquisition of the company was less than a year after Harry’s death and during the height of the pandemic. They recently hired George James, a certified public accountant,

as president. His résumé includes executive positions at Phantom Creek and Black Hills, and he also serves as treasurer for the BC Wine Grape Council. Christa-Lee continues to innovate and oversee the evolution. Her sister, Darrien McWatters, serves as operations manager, also having had a hand in the wine business for decades.

OROLO, Chronos and the District Wine Village. And the strong exchange rate aside, why come to the Okanagan? “Because it’s spectacular,” Christa-Lee says.

This past summer was the first with the border fully open to U.S. wine lovers since the McWattters and Mayerts launched

Allison M. Markin is a contributor to Castanet Media, the driving force behind @okanagantaste and @bcwinetourism on Twitter and Instagram, and principal of AllSheWrote.ca. She resides in Penticton, British Columbia.

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TROTHE - Alderdale, WA MERCER ESTATES - Prosser, WA

Located in the heart of Washington’s Wine Country T - (509) 837-6822 FIND U S O N I NS TA GRA M @ m t s t a t e s www.mtstates.com

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Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 23

FEATURE l Q&A

Turning the Tables on Rebecca Murphy BY CARL GIAVANTI

ebecca Murphy’s rise within the U.S. wine industry began by becoming the first female wine steward in Texas and included launching The Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, which was immediately recognized as one of the country’s most important and evolved into the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. As a writer, Murphy, who grew up in the Lone Star State, has contributed over the decades to The Dallas Morning News as well as Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines. She’s also written for The Oxford Rebecca Murphy Companion to PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXSOM Wine and the sixth edition of The World Atlas of Wine. Now, she writes for Wine Review Online. She can be contacted via email at murphymarton@att.net.

How did you come to wine and wine writing?

It came about by happenstance. First, in 1968, I accompanied my Army husband to Thailand, where he was aide to the commanding general of all troops in Thailand. In that capacity we were exposed to VIP visitors from the military, politics and entertainment, and I came to learn about, through frequent exposure, fine wines and food. Then, in 1973, I was back in Dallas working as a cocktail waitress at an upscale restaurant when the sommelier left to take another job. I was able to talk my way into becoming his replacement. Little did I know that I would become the first female sommelier in the state of Texas. That job led me to further educate myself about wine and advance to become the food and beverage director for a Dallas restaurant group where I put on wine events. Some of those events allowed me to meet members of the Dallas press, and I complained about the lack of coverage about

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wine in the Dallas region. They essentially dared me to do something about it by providing me with a job as a wine writer for the Dallas Morning News.

Share the origins of the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and its evolution. Because of my roles as a sommelier, then wine writer, I was invited to judge wine competitions. My first was in 1981 at what is now the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. It showed me how a good wine competition could be run, and it illustrated how a competition could heighten local interest in wine. I was determined to do the same for the Texas market by founding the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition in 1984, focusing on American wines. As the competition grew, I turned it into the Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition in 1999. After organizing and running the competition for 32 years, I sold it in 2017 to James Tidwell, Master Sommelier. I still work on the competition, which is now the TEXSOM International Wine Awards.

How were you involved in wine when you were living in the Pacific Northwest? Moving from San Francisco to Portland in 1997 was not my choice. Rather, my husband’s work took us there. We found a beautiful, relaxed environment a short distance from a wide array of exciting wine regions. During the following 20 years, when we lived in Portland, and then Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit wineries, enjoy the vinous and culinary treats, and write about nearly all of the wine regions of Oregon and Washington. My husband and I were so taken with Walla Walla that we bought property there. In addition, we developed firm friendships with many in the Northwest wine community. Among them was Joel Butler, Master of Wine, with whom we regularly tasted wine. There were our annual visits to the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville. I also fondly remember speaking at one of the Taste Washington events.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I taught English to Thai police cadets at the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Sam Phran.

Tell us about some of your philanthropic efforts?

It’s been important to me for years, beginning with my founding of the Dallas Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier in 1983. The mission of the Dames is to support women who want to pursue a career in food, wine or hospitality through grants and mentoring. I have remained active with that organization to the present, having also been involved with the Seattle chapter. While living in Portland, I was a board member of the Portland Farmers Market, where I organized weekly cooking demonstrations by local chefs. I am also a master gardener. We maintain our title by providing regular gardening services at public gardens.

What’s the state and value of wine competitions?

Who have you mentored that you are most proud of?

What’s your favorite wine region in the world?

Since there are so many competitions, wineries should choose those they believe will best appreciate their wines. For organizers, there are now software programs that help in the organization and logistics of a competition. In the early 2000s, I worked with a database expert, Will Goldring, and we created Enofile Online, which today is used by most competitions in the U.S.

When Andrea Immer-Robinson (a Master Sommelier and celebrity chef) and I are together, she tells everyone that I am the reason she chose to work with wine.

Lanzarote in the Canary Islands is wonderful. It’s amazing how such a stark environment can produce such wonderful wines. Carl Giavanti is in his 14th year of working with West Coast wineries as a public/media relations consultant. His background includes technology sales, digital marketing, project management and public relations for more than 25 years. His website is CarlGiavantiConsulting.com.

FEATURE l Q&A

By Dana Van Nest

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 25

FEATURE l Tasting Rooms

Puget Sound tasting rooms offer experiences with wine “We’re not selling A “ wine,” Beveridge says. DANA VAN NEST new customers to visit.

cross the Puget Sound region, wineries are rethinking the traditional tasting room model. They are adding new locations, expanded hours and special events to both meet current customer demand and to entice

Tinte Cellars opened its new Georgetown tasting room during the first wave of the pandemic. The owners, Tim Gamble and Teresa Spellman Gamble, wanted a fun and creative space to host food and wine pairings, trivia nights, and community events, as their Woodinville location, a fully functional winery, has limited area for entertainment. “The traditional model is pretty much gone,” says Cameron Mason, general manager of Tinte Cellars. “People want experiences. They want to come in, spend time and hang out.” This new ethos is echoed by wineries across the Puget Sound region. Wineries are carefully choosing new neighborhoods for expansion that have regular traffic and may or may not be wine-only destinations as well as including more extensive food options. “The view of wine is changing, and we need to keep up with the new generation,” says Kim Harris, who owns Bayernmoor Cellars with her winemaking husband, Larry. “We need to reach, match and exceed their expectations or they won’t stay interested.” Mason points out, “We gotta give [patrons] a reason to come out. In the city, at 7 p.m., people are like, ‘I just really want to enjoy some wine with my friends.’ ” Tinte’s Georgetown location was chosen because of its funky neighborhood vibe and up-and-coming craft beverage scene, which can support a venue that stays open until 8 or 9 p.m. Tasting flights are not as appealing as they used to be, says Mason, especially to new and younger customers — an audience whom the wine industry is struggling to attract.

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“We’re selling an experience.”

Paul Beveridge, owner of Seattle’s oldest urban winery, Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery, concurs. “Young people don’t want to drink what their parents drink,” he says. This is one reason Wilridge offers so many varietals, including Zweigelt, Sagrantino, Touriga Naçional and Nebbiolo. Beveridge grows each of those on his estate in the Naches Heights American Viticultural Area west of Yakima, and they provide him something to share, in addition to other Northwest classics that he also produces. Wilridge is seeking approval to create cocktails at its Madrona location, which has been operating as a pop-up on most Fridays and Saturdays. Beveridge also is considering bringing pies to Madrona because the menu of sweet and savory pies has proven to be extremely popular at his Woodinville tasting room. Neighbors often stop by for a glass on their way to dinner. “We’re not selling wine,” Beveridge says. “We’re selling an experience.” Beveridge was a founding partner in the Wines of Washington Tasting Room in the Pike Place Market. The partners intended the venue to be a tasting room, and while they do sell flights and bottles, it functions more as a wine bar. “We believe in giving people what they want,” Beveridge says, noting that this model has been working for 20 years and remains popular.

says Ali Boyle, co-owner and namesake of the winery. Opening just before COVID-19, their original idea was to offer glass pours of their wine, and then perhaps add other wines, but with the pandemic going on, they stuck with their brands. “We were hoping to reach out to locals and provide a little Cheers-like area to gather,” she says. It is working. Locals regularly stop in for a glass as well as wandering tourists seeking respite in a wine bar. Audacity serves as a location for Seattle-area Alexandria Nicole wine club members to pick up their allotments and for member events. They also work with tour companies to bring visitors to the wine bar and introduce their brands. Adding to the attraction are the $8 glass pours, a stunning price for award-winning wines in downtown Seattle. “It’s important to be affordable,” Boyle says. “That’s part of our core values. We want to be able to afford to drink our wines at our locations and be sure our team can afford them.” She adds, “By and large, it’s about building community. That’s what it’s really all about, right? Relationships.” Along with conviviality, brand and product education are an expected component of a tasting room experience. Harris has been a customer where the attendant drops off wine pours, an info sheet and walks away. That’s not what she wants for Bayernmoor Cellars. “Fantastic customer service” is the focus, Harris says. Their staff, which includes a chef, are all full-time employees with benefits. They expect to meet the level of interest that each visitor arrives with, and then expand and educate based on that. “It’s about creating a sense of connection and community with the people in your tasting room,” Harris says.

Nestled in a jewel box of a space across from the recently expanded Seattle Convention Center is Audacity Wine Bar, which exclusively offers Alexandria Nicole Cellars wines and small bites.

At their Woodin Creek location, Bayernmoor offers specifically curated food to enhance and add to the wine experience. She concedes it’s a “tricky line” between being a tasting room, a wine bar or a restaurant.

“We wanted to do something different,”

“We’re focused on wine first. Food follows

and flows from that,” she says. “Restaurants do it the other way around.” At the Tinte Cellars location in Georgetown, “We’re a wine bar vibe with tasting room service,” Mason says. He promises that at their urban venue you’ll still get the education that you would at the Woodinville winery.

FEATURE l Article Name

2020 2021 2021 Estate Pinot Noir Carménère Whidbey Sunset

2021 Malbec

This evolution takes the tried-and-true basics of welcoming customer service and wine education to a new level that responds to the desires of today’s audience. And guests are allowed to relax because these wine bars want to avoid a “hurry along” mentality to hospitality. While this approach can result in a longer lead time to sell bottles and sign up club members, it also builds trust, comfort and community in a way that a retail-first focus does not. Dana Van Nest is a Seattle-based communications strategist and contributor to several regional publications. She judges several wine competitions and is a chief judge for the Great Northwest Invitational and the Cascadia International. Her website is DanaVanNest.com.

Extraordinary hand-crafted wines from the heart of Puget Sound. Winner of 19 Platinum Awards over the past 7 years.

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 27

GEM STATE REPORT

Headline Idaho winegrowers continue uphill battle along Eagle Foothills BY JIM THOMSSEN

AGLE, Idaho — Expertise, passion, talent and agritourism don’t always line up with a community’s land-use policy.

Hailey Minder and her family planted Finca Besada Vineyard in the Eagle Foothills, but their estate winery is burdened by restrictions created by neighbors. RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

The debate within Idaho’s Eagle Foothills American Viticultural Area revolving around farming, wine production, consumer engagement and property rights serves as an example of how cultural confusion can stifle an expanding agricultural sector of a local economy.

More burdensome, however, is a Prohibition-era restriction in Ada County called “The 75% Rule.”

For Idaho native Hailey Minder, the decorated winemaker behind 3100 Cellars, the struggle has received media attention in and around Boise. And yet somehow, she can still smile when sharing her story.

In order to sell alcohol in unincorporated Ada County, a winery is required to have written permission from 75% of the property owners within 1,000 feet of the estate.

“What else can you do but persevere?” she says, “but it’s been tough not to cry at times.” In 2017, Hailey, her husband Marshall, and her parents planted Chardonnay, Syrah and the Mediterranean variety Malvasia Bianca on a sagebrush site. Finca Besada Vineyard — kissed farm in Spanish — overlooks Homer Road in unincorporated Ada County. She has been using some of this fruit to craft her award-winning sparkling wines. In 2022, one of her entries won best of show at the Cascadia International Wine Competition in Washington state. Their early methode Champenoise production was done in shared space at the Telaya Wine Company facility in Garden City. As both brands prospered, it became apparent that 3100 Cellars would need to move into the sleek, contemporary shop/home that’s flanked by Finca Besada. Early in 2021, the family prepared its application for two conditional-use permits (CUP). One was for the winery. The other was for an “event center,” which was the county definition of a location that sold alcohol in a tasting room environment. “We applied for the event center license so we could host our fall and spring release parties on the property,” Hailey says. “Wineries are allowed to have 12 events per year with up to 50 people.”

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The limitations agreed to by 3100 Cellars include restricting the winery to being open five days each week and limits of 10 guests per day on weekdays and 30 guests per day on weekends. Minder and her family also were required to install light-reducing shades on the glass roll-up doors of the production facility in order to block out light during harvest. (The Minders have not been given guidelines on the level of lumens they need to block).

That means not all of the 3100 Cellars club members can attend. “Instead of granting us normal winery operations, they limited it further — to only two events per year with less than 50 people,” she points out. While agriculture and agricultural production are protected by Idaho’s Right to Farm Act (statutes 22-4501 and 22-4502), the sale of alcohol was not specifically mentioned in those statutes. The Minders’ applications also included a master site plan that encompassed all of their proposed operations. Their application was submitted in fall 2021 and approved by the Ada County planning and zoning authority. However, that decision was appealed by a group calling itself “Friends of Eagle.” According to its website, the mission is “to protect the rural characteristics of Eagle.” (The listed address for the group is within a strip mall.) After two public hearings and several concessions by 3100 Cellars, county commissioners approved all the pertinent permits.

In essence, it only takes 25.1% of the neighbors to squash the winery operation — even after the time and expense of the CUP process and public hearings. The Minders fell short of 75% approval. However, in June, the Ada County commissioners decided to approve the 3100 Cellars liquor license. Commissioners factored in the litany of restrictions placed on the Minders, which go beyond those put in place by the planning and zoning department. The good news is that starting this past fall, 3100 Cellars has been allowed to sell wine “by appointment only” after an excruciating and expensive process that spanned more than three vintages. Along the way — in part because of the uncertainty surrounding her own retail business — Hailey began to craft bubbles for clients such as Kerry Hill Winery in order to grow her 3100 Cellars business because of the restrictions on the number of customers visiting her family’s Homer Road facility. Hurdles remain at Rolling Hills Little more than a mile to the east of 3100 Cellars is the estate planting for Mark and Lori Pasculli of Rolling Hills Vineyard — Great Northwest Wine’s 2023 Idaho Winery to Watch. They purchased a neglected Cabernet Franc vineyard in 2016 and with some help from their children have rehabilitated those vines, added Syrah and Tempranillo and built a beautiful and bucolic home.

The Pasculli family of Rolling HIlls Vineyard have dropped plans for events at their vineyard because of opposition from neighbors.

GEM STATE REPORT 3 Horse Ranch invests again in Gem Co. Just a few miles north of Eagle, 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards recently completed extensive improvements to its venue. And the owners, Gary and Martha Cunningham, had no planning and zoning issues because the 75% Rule doesn’t exist in Gem County.

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The Cunninghams’ new winery and restaurant epitomize a rural wine experience in the Eagle Foothills AVA. And it’s worth noting Martha Cunningham spearheaded the petition to the federal government that established the AVA in 2015. ‘Walk a mile in their shoes’

Mark returned to agriculture after successful careers as a CPA, attorney and entrepreneur so he takes a business-like approach to the land-use issues that have created confusion and frustration. “It’s a clear lack of definitions and poor wording in the Ada County Comprehensive Plan,” he says, pointing to page 42 of that plan. The county shall “continue to support the agricultural industry and preservation of agricultural land in rural, unincorporated parts of Ada County” and also “ensure non-agricultural development does not restrict adjacent agricultural operations.” Ada County’s plan mentions wineries and tasting rooms as singular entities in one section, and yet says if alcohol is sold, the use must be permitted as an “event center.” The original plan by the Pascullis was to open a tasting room on the estate property just north of Homer Road, but the land-use debate and the pandemic made it an easy decision to open a tasting room in Garden City just off Chinden Boulevard in a recently vacated space. Their success in that Boise suburb prompted the Pasculli family to remove its application for a permit to allow a wine tasting room on their estate. However, the climate created by “Friends of Eagle” also was a factor. As it stands, Ada County continues to yield to a small yet vocal group of anti-change advocates while neglecting the declared intent written into the county’s comprehensive plan. “Until the process and definitions are clearer, it’s not worth the time, money and aggravation to go through the existing process,” Pasculli says. As a result, the family shifted its focus to growing their Rolling Hills Vineyard brand in Garden City and moving into a larger production facility — likely in nearby Canyon County.

Those decisions don’t mean Mark Pasculli is throwing in the towel. To support his operation and those of his winegrape growing neighbors across the street at One Stone Hill Vineyard and his winemaking friends along Homer Road, he is directing his efforts to find a legislative solution. The goal is to align the definitions of wineries and tasting rooms with Idaho’s “Right to Farm” statutes and dovetail with Ada County’s land-use laws. Dude DeWalt pins its hopes on Star Dude DeWalt Cellars had an approved permit to operate a winery and tasting room off Highway 16 just to the west of 3100 Cellars and Rolling Hills.

The Minders, the Pascullis and the Bucherts all faced the same small group that opposed their plans to do exactly what the Ada County comprehensive plan encourages. In each case, the families stated, attempts were made to share with their neighbors the dreams they have for their vineyard, demonstrate how a small winery operates and envision what the extent of the changes would be. There would be no smoke stacks, heavy equipment noise, rock concerts or fleets of tractor-trailers clogging the roads. “I hope that if I’m ever in a situation where someone else’s business and livelihood impacts me that I will take the time to walk a mile in their shoes,” Hailey Minder says. “Get to know them and their project before leaping to judgment.”

Trae and Johnna Buchert aimed to expand their tasting room and build a wine storage facility. However, they, too, ran into “Friends of Eagle” and the 75% Rule.

Mark Pasculli simply wants to streamline the process and amend the county land-use plan so that his children and his wine grape-growing neighbors can live out their dreams.

Meanwhile, as public hearings regarding the Bucherts’ plans grew contentious, the city of Star annexed land across the highway from Dude DeWalt.

As for the Bucherts, they feel fortunate to find partners in Star’s city hall who were willing to listen, learn and adapt to the business of wine in the 21st century rather than back in the 1920s.

This presented the Bucherts with an opportunity. Johnna Buchert reached out to planning and zoning officials in Star, and in June 2023, the city annexed the property that’s home to Dude DeWalt.

This type of respect, resilience, resourcefulness and forward-thinking is rather typical of the folks producing wine in Idaho today. It doesn’t matter if it is an early frost, a hard freeze or a small group that wants to stand in the way of agritourism and a family business. Idaho winemakers will continue to find a way to take what nature gives them and craft worldclass wines.

Most of the original conditions of the Ada County C.U.P. were retained in the agreement with the City of Star, but changes were made regarding the timing of improvements and placement of the new structures. “They welcomed us into the process, and we worked collaboratively with City Hall to craft an agreement that allows us to operate a viable small business in the community that is consistent with their vision for the future,” Johnna Buchert said.

Retired banker Jim Thomssen now is known as The Idaho Wine Ambassador. The Minnesota native earned a business degree at the University of Puget Sound with the help of professor/wine economist Mike Veseth prior to moving to the Snake River Valley in 1994.

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Seven Hills Winery uses Carménère from Walla Walla Valley to win Great Northwest Invite BY ERIC DEGERMAN

OOD RIVER, Ore. — Even though Bobby Richards of storied Seven Hills Winery grew up in the Willamette Valley, his passion as a Walla Walla Valley winemaker is Merlot. Turns out he’s got a flair for Carménère, too, using the lesser-known Bordeaux grape to win best of show at the 11th annual Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition — a judging staged this fall for West Coast wine buyers and sommeliers at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa in Hood River, Ore. “This is a great introductory wine, a party wine to take somewhere,” Richards says. “It’s got very expressive aromatics and a velvety mouth texture that’s not overpowering, which Cab can be sometimes. “I enjoy it with brisket, tacos, hamburgers, grilled chicken and with Marionberry sauces,” he adds. “I love Marionberry — but out this way, one might find huckleberries more often.” As the best red wine of the judging, the Seven Hills Winery 2021 Carménère ($50), a product of two vineyards near MiltonFreewater, meant that four of the five wines to reach the sweepstakes were grown in the state of Oregon. Pike Road Wines, the young Willamette Valley project of historic Elk Cove Vineyards, proved that its Pinot Gris program remains among the best in the Pacific Northwest. The 2022 Pinot Gris ($17) by Heather Perkin came close to matching the results of its bottling from the 2016 vintage, which walked off with best-of-show honors at The Invite in 2017 The Bryn Mawr Vineyards nonvintage Brut Rosé ($35) by Rachel Rose in the Eola-Amity Hills rose to the top of the sparkling wine category. The Fullerton family’s Three Otter label posted an impressive performance with its 2022 Rosé ($22) by making its way into the

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sweepstakes with a double gold medal and best-of-class award. This year’s Great Northwest Invitational also helped raise the profile of Matías Kúsulas, the Chilean-born winemaker responsible for seven gold medals across three brands. That showing included a sweepstakes entry when the Gård Vintners 2021 Lawrence Estate Riesling Ice Wine attained Best Sweet Wine status after a double gold in the preliminary round. The remarkable showing by Kúsulas included four gold medals for Gård, a white wine (2021 Estate Franc Blanc), rosé (2022 Lawrence Estate Grand Klasse Rosé) and sparkling (2021 Lawrence Estate Skål). His collaboration with chef/restaurateur Michael Ruhland called Valo Cellars won two gold medals. Their 2020 Conner Lee Vineyard Right Bank Red Wine won a best-of-class honor, and the 2020 Conner Lee Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay. Those wines are poured and sold in Vancouver, Wash., at the tony waterfront development, and a new tasting room upriver in Bingen. Kúsulas also owns Massalto Wines, and his 2020 Interstellar Mourvèdre won a gold medal, is poured at his own tasting room along the Vancouver waterfront.

Washington state: Bayernmoor Cellars with 6 golds The Invite also served as an impressive stage for Bayernmoor Cellars and Larry Harris, a Washington winemaker who amassed six gold medals for work with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

gold medals — a showing that spanned red, white and rosé. Three of those were double gold medals, going to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and best-of-class Albariño from buzz worthy Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. All five received at least 94 points, and aside from the Albariño ($26), they are priced at $18 or less, which includes his storied Rosé of Sangiovese ($14). Maryhill Winery and longtime winemaker Richard Batchelor came away with four gold medals, including added acclaim for two of its most nicely priced programs. The Winemaker’s Red ($19), a Cab-led blend that’s become the flagship wine for owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold, added a best-of-class award. Their storied Zinfandel program under their “Classic” tier, received a double gold, making it a remarkable value at $21. For Seven Hills, Richards selected four bottlings to enter into The Invite, and he went 4-for-4 when it came to grabbing a gold medal — or better. And he chose to present judges with four wines designed for wine club and/ or limited to the tasting room. Each showcases work with Bordeaux varieties — the 2020 Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, the Left Bank-inspired 2021 Pentad and 2022 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.

Four of those six were for Pinot Noir, including a pair from his vineyard near the Puget Sound town of Stanwood. Two of his Pinot Noirs were awarded double gold medals. There were two golds for wines from historic Celilo Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge, including a Chardonnay. And Red Mountain stalwart Klipsun Vineyard helped Harris earn the gold for his Cab.

Long Shadows Vintners and its director of winemaking, Gilles Nicault, had two wines vying for the Best Red Wine award — the 2019 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2019 Pirouette Red Wine. Feather, which features the longtime collaboration with famed Napa Valley producer Randy Dunn, was voted the Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the competition. The Pirouette, a Cab-based blend with another Napa stalwart in Philippe Melka, led the way in the Red Meritage-inspired category. Another gold medal went to arguably the most famous recruit by the late Allen Shoup — Michel Rolland — for the 2019 Pedestal Merlot.

Rob Griffin, “the dean of Washington winemakers,” collaborated with his winemaking daughter Megan Hughes and longtime associate winemaker Mickey French on five high-scoring

The Airfield Estates tandem of thirdgeneration winegrower Marcus Miller and his winemaker, Travis Maple, combined for three gold medals, including a best-of-class

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The sweepstakes for the 2023 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition featured the Bryn Mawr Vineyards nonvintage Brut Rosé, the Seven Hills Winery 2021 Carménère, the Gård Vintners 2021 Lawrence Estate Riesling Ice Wine, the Pike Road Wines 2022 Pinot Gris and the Three Otters 2022 Rosé by Fullerton Wines. The judging was staged at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa in Hood River, Ore., for the 11th consecutive year.

Syrah under the Wapato Point Cellars tier and the Lake Chelan Winery 2020 Tempranillo. Wautoma Springs owner/winemaker Jessica Munnell, an alumna of Washington State University and the University of Ste. Michelle, earned praise and gold medals for her Syrahled 2022 Rosé ($19) and the 2021 Fork + Spoon Cabernet Franc from the Prosser brand’s namesake vineyard near historic Cold Creek. Sagemoor Estates, one of the Northwest’s most stately plantings, produced the top Merlot of the judging with the 2021 Weinbau Vineyard Estate that’s credited to Chris Peterson, the Woodinville winemaker behind Avennia and Passing Time.

Oregon: Silverback, Cardwell Hill emerge for Pinot Noir

award for its flagship wine — the 10,000-case production of 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from the Yakima Valley. Woodinville producer Terry Wells pays tribute to the late Thoroughbred racehorse LOVE THAT RED with his brand, and Wells emerged from The Invite with a trifecta of gold medals, each for a red wine from the 2017 vintage. The Seattle Slew Cabernet Sauvignon returned a double gold medal, followed by the Maiden Race Malbec and Stakes Race Syrah. Sparkman Cellars in Woodinville, led by founder Christian Sparkman and winemaker Lin Scott, also earned gold medals for a white wine (2022 Kindred Chardonnay), a rosé (2022 This Old Porch Rosé) and red — 2021 Wilderness Red Blend. Dr. Bob Jankelson, the Lake Chelan pioneering producer, and his winemaker for Tsillan Cellars, Garrett Grubbs, were awarded three gold medals for red wine from the 2021 vintage. Two of those were for Merlot and Syrah from Jankelson’s estate above the south shore. The third came via Petite Sirah from Red Mountain grown on the Williams family’s Heart of the Hill Vineyard. Burnt Bridge Cellars recently announced that it will close its downtown Vancouver tasting room in July 2026 and cease production with the 2023 vintage. Its winemaker, Ben Stuart, who is launching his own brand, came through with a pair of gold medals from the 2019 vintage, including a Super Tuscaninspired red.

Lisa Callan has gold medals won at The Invite to post at her tasting rooms in Woodinville and Chelan, thanks to the 2020 Sangiovese and 2019 Quintessence Cabernet Sauvignon — a living tribute to the late Dick Shaw, who established the Red Mountain vineyard. Caprio Cellars vintner Dennis Murphy used estate grapes from his Walla Walla Valley vineyards to pick up two gold medals, highlighted by his 2022 Sauvignon Blanc/ Sèmillon blend that earned best of class and a double gold medal. Pepper Bridge Winery, which the Hayden Homes CEO is a partner in, won a gold medal for the 2021 Estate Vineyards Merlot. Timothy Armstrong of Walla Walla-based Armstrong Family Winery won best of show at the 2020 Invite with a Syrah from Discovery Vineyard. His 2020 Fronk — a standalone Cabernet Franc from acclaimed Dineen Vineyard in the Yakima Valley — put Armstrong Family Winery in the running for Best Red after it earned a double gold medal and best of class. L’Ecole No. 41 in Lowden scored gold medals with two of its largest production wines from the 2020 vintage — the Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Columbia Valley Merlot. When combined, those two bottlings represent more than 10% of the 40-year-old winery’s entire production. Oscar Castillo in Manson produced two gold medals from Chelan Valley fruit — the Kludt Family Wines 2020 Cougar Ridge Reserve

Predictably, the Willamette Valley also produced the Best Pinot Noir of the judging. However, it was young Silverback Wines by Charles Herrold that used its 2019 Uptown Pinot Noir to win the category, earning a double gold in the early round of judging. Silverback also delighted the panel with its youthful 2022 Ridge Runner Gamay Noir, achieving best-of-class honors for that wine, too. Grower/winemaker Dan Chapel’s Cardwell Hill Cellars — named the 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine — was a four-time winner in the Pinot Noir category at The Invite. Leading the way was the 2021 Fenders Blue, a $28 bottle that achieved 95 points The Campbell family of Elk Cove Vineyards acclaim and longtime associate winemaker Heather Perkin continue to produce some of the Northwest’s top values under their Pike Road Wines brand. Not only did they nearly win best of show for the second time in seven years for the Pike Road Pinot Gris — Perkin’s bottling from the 2021 vintage won best of class — but she also turned heads with vineyard designate Pinot Noir from historic Shea Vineyard, earning a double gold medal with the critically acclaimed 2021 vintage. And her 2021 Chardonnay achieved gold. Each has been featured in the downtown McMinnville tasting room that replaced the original retail space in downtown Carlton. Bluebird Hill Cellars in the Willamette Valley wowed judges three times. Two of those were double golds for high-scoring Pinot Noir, and the judging’s Best Syrah was the Shay family’s 2019 reserve effort from the Columbia Valley.

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Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards tops Platinum BY ERIC DEGERMAN

Stephen Reustle garnered the top honor in the 24th Annual Platinum Competition.

year ago, Stephen Reustle won a trio of Platinums Awards for Grüner Veltliner, as both the 2021 Green Lizard and the 2021 Hefeabzug earned Double Platinums and received 97 and 96 points, respectively, followed by the 2020 Hefeabzug.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REUSTLE-PRAYER ROCK VINEYARD

Acclaim and gold medals for his interpretations of the Austrian grape he grows in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley are consistently achieved across the country, which explains why 22 of the 55 career Platinum Awards that Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards have won have been for Grüner Veltliner. Indeed, grün, which translates to green in English, has been golden for Reustle. During this year’s 24th annual Platinum, it was the 2022 Hefeabzug — an expression crafted with part of the fermented wine spending time on spent yeast — that came out

ahead. In fact, the panel went nearly all the way, giving it 99 points, and making it the No. 1 wine of the three-day judging at the Clover Island Inn overlooking the Columbia River in Kennewick, Wash. Clinton Hoiland, a regular panelist at the Platinum Awards, handles sales for Idaho Wine Merchant. When he’s not managing those accounts, Hoiland operates his Twisted Vine Wine Tours throughout the Lewis-Clark Valley. Much of his life is spent evaluating dozens of wines on a weekly basis. And yet, the 2022 Hefeabzug almost knocked his socks off. “Lifting up that glass and smelling the delightfully delicate aroma of orange blossom wafting up from the glass? My toes curled,” he remembers. “Grüner has always been a varietal that has spoken to me. It has the potential to be wonderfully complex, similar to a red wine if it is treated correctly.”

24th annual Platinum Awards Grüner Veltliner, Carménère finish atop elite judging RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

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Considering that Reustle’s 2021 Green Lizard was voted Best White Wine at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the showing of his 2022 Hefeabzug at the 2023 Platinum might be viewed as an upset. Instead, Reustle views it as divine intervention. After all, he conducted the blending trials for his Grüner program from the 2022 vintage the same day his Green Lizard stood out during the white wine sweepstakes at the Chronicle. “The 2022 Hefeabzug is the quintessential Grüner Veltliner,” Reustle says. “It’s like it was right out of the Wachau in Austria,

leaning a bit more to the (medium-ripeness) federspiel style as opposed to the smaragd style (top ripeness) that the 2021 Green Lizard exhibits.” Florida-based sommelier/journalist Ellen Landis, perhaps the most well-traveled competition judge in the U.S., leads panels for the American Wine Society and other seminars around the country on the rise of Grüner Veltliner in North America. Her perception of the 2022 Hefeabzug was one of near-perfection. “A crisp, heavenly expression of Grüner Veltliner,” she said. “The captivating floral aromatic leads to starfruit, chamomile, citrusy accents, white pepper, hints of exotic tea and a thread of minerality, which dance on the palate with brilliant balancing acidity. It’s well-structured and intense while pure and elegant with a finish that keeps on delivering long after the last sip. Wow. It’s everything one could ask for in a Grüner Veltliner.” It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since Reustle sold a successful marketing agency on the East Coast and turned his sights toward winemaking. And in 2024, Reustle and his wife, Gloria, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their estate winery in Southern Oregon’s historic yet oftenoverlooked Umpqua Valley. They’ve won Platinum Awards with eight varieties, an honor roll that includes Syrah (12), Pinot Noir (7) and Tempranillo (5). This marks the fourth time a wine by the Reustles has been RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

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Awards with 99-point Grüner Veltliner either the Platinum Awards’ Best of the Best — No. 1 overall — or the Best White of the judging. Two years ago, it was the 2021 Estate Selection Sauvignon Blanc. In 2020, it was the 2018 Hefeabzug. In 2017, there was the Revelation & Sorek Bloc Grüner. The Reustles take a sense of delight and pride that other regions have begun to achieve success with Grüner Veltliner. This past year, SCORIA Vineyards in Idaho’s Snake River Valley won a double gold at the 2023 Cascadia International. That same wine by James Nederend was awarded a Double Platinum and 97 points. During the 2023 Great Northwest Invitational in Oregon, Williamson Vineyards received a double gold medal and Huston Vineyards a gold.

brilliantly crisp and textured nature of those produced in Austria. Only recently has Reustlegrown Grüner been produced as a methode Champenoise sparkling wine. It’s a project spearheaded by Reustle’s longtime associate winemaker, Wade Smith. That wine, called Addie’s Sparkles, is, in a way, a tribute to the Hefeabzug because it spends 12 months en tirage — bottle-aged on the lees. However, it’s obvious that Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards, the 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year for Wine Press Northwest, continues to consistently craft some of the country’s best wines — red or white.

“Grüner Veltliner likes a cool climate to thrive in, and Idaho does offer that, and welldrained soils as well,” Landis says. “Huston Vineyards was the first to grow this cultivar in Idaho and released Idaho’s first Grüner Veltliner in 2020.”

At the start of the year, panels at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle awarded gold medals to his 2021 Estate Winemaker’s Reserve Pinot Noir, 2021 Estate Selection Syrah and 2021 Estate Winemaker’s Reserve Syrah. Ten months later, that 2021 Selection Syrah was picked as best of class at the Sip Magazine judging in Seattle. And the 2022 Hefeabzug received a double gold, but not best of class.

Reustle’s work with Grüner at his Prayer Rock Vineyards has stayed true to the

To those results, one might playfully say, “Well, the judges don’t get them all right.”

For Hoiland, the 2022 Hefeabzug flavor profile reminds him of Ruby Red grapefruit, peach, apricot and pear — fruit-driven yet dry. “On the finish, the taste of raw honey pervades, but without being cloying or sweet,” he says. “This wine changes in the glass, as you would expect from a high-end wine. And when I enjoyed a bottle of it at a later date with a red-wine-only drinker, he loved it. “It’s a wine that everyone should make a priority to taste for themselves,” Hoiland adds. One evening after the 2023 harvest, Reustle sat down and revisited both his Chroniclewinning 2021 Estate Green Lizard and the 99-point 2022 Estate Hefeabzug. There’s the cliché that a winemaker will tell you the best wine they’ve made is the one they are trying to sell you. That’s not always the case — at least on this day. “The winner in the head-to-head tonight is the 2021 Green Lizard,” the U.S. Guru of Grüner said. “It tastes like a super-expensive Grand Cru Burgundy!”

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

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Best of the Best– BY ERIC DEGERMAN, SONNAY ALVAREZ, AMBERLEIGH BROWNSON AND SHARON JORDAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD DUVAL

Double Platinum • 99 points

Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2022 Estate Selection Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $34 Stephen Reustle’s expression of Grüner Veltliner that spends time on the lees — hefeabzug translates to yeast-aged — offers scents of sea breeze, crushed oyster shells, timothy hay and Mandarin orange peel, leading to a palate filled with a melange of citrus, slate and Granny Smith apple. Reustle’s success in the vineyard and the following for his program has paved the way for him to essentially double production of the Hefeabzug from the 2020 vintage. (533 cases, 13.1% alc.) Awards: Critics Challenge (best of class), Sunset International (gold), Cascadia International (gold) Double Platinum • 98 points

Sigillo Cellars 2020 Carménère, Wahluke Slope $40 The Seal family has earned five Platinum Awards in the past four years, each for a

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red wine. Here, they work with historic Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope for Carménère, and there’s some Cabernet Sauvignon for added texture. Aromas range from dried cherries and figs to mild baking spices, a hint of vanilla and a slice of bell pepper. On the palate, it’s plummy with a spice blend of black pepper, clove and anise, as well as the hint of bell and chili pepper that Carm lovers crave. Balanced acidity and medium-high tannins enliven the tongue and those spice and peppers flavors linger. (170 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), North Central Washington Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Double Platinum • 98 points

Barnard Griffin Winery 2022 Albariño, Columbia Valley $25 The father/daughter winemaking team of Rob Griffin and Megan Hughes have staked their claim to a sizable portion of the Crawford family’s popular Albariño grapes.

And the results from this Yakima Valley site are predictably stellar. This hints at white peach on the nose with trimmed carnation stems, leading to a refreshing and mineraldriven palate of lemon pith, banana peel, cantaloupe rind and a finish of wet stone. (463 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class/double gold) SIP Magazine Best of The Northwest (platinum) Double Platinum • 97 points

Benedetto Vineyards 2021 Shipman Vineyard Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley $28 The Fitzgerald and Marshall families began planting Shipman Vineyard in 2018, starting with 2 acres of Gamay Noir, and they have wisely worked with veteran winemaker Steve Anderson of nearby Eola Hills Wine Cellars to launch their brand. The Oregon State University grad captured the hearts of judges at the 2023 Platinum Awards with his remarkable effort showcasing this charming grape native to Beaujolais. Alluring fruit-driven aromas of Montmorency

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

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Double Platinum cherry, elderberry and pomegranate pick up secondary notes of baked bread, tobacco and black pepper. Lithesome is the structure as raspberry, dried fig, crushed walnut and Earl Grey tea combine for a lovely, fruity and mouth-watering finish. It all adds up to the first career Platinum for this winery west of Salem. (120 cases, 12% alc.) Award: Savor NW Wine Awards (gold) Double Platinum • 97 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2018 Le Coursier Bordeaux-Style Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $40 Five of Brian Carter’s 39 career Platinum Awards have been earned by this blend, which is named for the French term for steed and inspired by Right Bank Bordeaux. And this melange of Merlot (58%), Cabernet Sauvignon (21%), Cabernet Franc (14%), Malbec (4%) and Petit Verdot emerged as the top-rated red blend of the 2023 Platinum Awards. Solstice Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and StoneTree on the Wahluke Slope

How the Platinum is conducted Andy Perdue, co-founder of GreatNorthwestWine.com, created the Platinum in 2000 as a way to determine some of the best wines of the Pacific Northwest. The 23nd annual Platinum Awards took place Oct. 26-28 at the Clover Island Inn in Kennewick, Wash. To accomplish this each year, Great Northwest Wine tracks more than 50 professionally judged wine competitions worldwide. The goal is to compile a list of wines that won gold medals during the previous 12 months and were produced with fruit from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho or Montana. Late each summer, Publisher Jerry Hug begins contacting the wineries,

inviting them to enter those wines. The entries are categorized and judged blind over several days by three panels of experts who award wines with Platinum, Double Gold, Gold or no medal. A wine is awarded a medal based on how a majority of the judges voted. In the case when all of the judges on a panel deem the wine worthy of a Platinum, that wine is awarded a unanimous Double Platinum. Starting in 2021, the panel also was tasked with using the 100-point scale to arrive at a score for each Platinum winner. Based on each judge's rating and score, we are able to rank which wine or wines end up at the top — “The Best of the Best.”

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Double Platinum

form the foundation, and they combine for a classic and delicious drink of dark cherry compote, vanilla bean and muscovado sugar, joined by enjoyable tertiary hints of forest floor and roasted bell pepper. (443 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

youth. There’s dark red fruit, violet, star anise, smoked nutmeg and moist cedar, along with composted earth and brown buttered shiitakes. The plush and bright finish is reminiscent of cranberry sauce. (173 cases, 14.5%) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Cascadia International (gold), Savor NW (gold)

Double Platinum • 96 points

Double Platinum • 95 points

Mercer Bros. 2020 Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills $19.99

Chandler Reach Vineyards 2019 Chandler Reach Vineyard Estate Merlot, Yakima Valley $35

Best Buy! Ashley Stephens is the latest in a string of Washington State University graduates to lead the winemaking for Mercer Wine Estates, and this bottling for the family with five decades of growing in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills ranked as the No. 1 Merlot from the 2023 Platinum Awards. It also ranks among the best values of the judging. There’s a complex layering of black fruit, cocoa, sage and bell pepper as its textured structure includes crème anglaise with tangerine acidity, Red Delicious apple skin tannins and a pinch of green peppercorns. (1,008 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

Len Parris grew up in Richland, Wash., near Red Mountain and established his 40acre vineyard on a nearby bluff overlooking the Yakima River. Merlot is one of the six varieties he grows, and this bottling is among the Northwest’s most decorated examples. It’s fabulously balanced and flirty with perfectly ripe strawberries, a hint of candied ginger, baking spices and a solid blackberry finish. (336 cases, 14.1% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Double Platinum • 96 points

Spangler Vineyards 2019 Sundown Cabernet Franc, Southern Oregon $32 Patrick Spangler first won a Platinum for his Cabernet Franc program in 2006. This effort marks his sixth with Cab Franc, and its ranking as the top-scoring Cab Franc of the 2023 Platinum cements his reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest’s top talents with this sometimes-challenging variety. His traditional go-to-site has been Sundown Vineyard in the Medford suburbs, and this bottling is extraordinarily complex and balanced in its

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Double Platinum • 98 points

Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Dry Riesling, Lake Chelan $28 In 1999, when Dr. Bob Jankelson seriously considered wine grapes for his property above the south shore of Lake Chelan, one expert warned him only Riesling and Gewürztraminer would survive. A quarter of a century later, Tsillan Cellars has won 36 Platinum Awards. Five of those have been Riesling, including the highest-ranked Riesling of the tasting. Aromas of dried apricot, pineapple juice, starfruit and hibiscus transition to a peachy palate that includes lemon meringue and a slaty, riverbed finish. (380 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)

Double Platinum • 97 points

Koenig Vineyards NV Riesling Ice Wine, Snake River Valley $30 One of the premier examples of ice wine produced in the Pacific Northwest — particularly in the U.S — continues to come from the cellar of Koenig Vineyards in Caldwell, Idaho, and nearby Williamson Vineyards. These two Snake River Valley farming families partner on many projects, and while 93% of this is ice wine from the 2021 vintage, the blending trials for the traditional profile included 7% of 2014 Riesling ice wine that’s been (and some still is) in Hungarian oak barrels that were new at the time — and legacy project of founding winemaker Greg Koenig who wanted to see how an approach similar to Hungarian Tokaji would work with Idaho Riesling. Aromas of jasmine, honeycomb and light petrol carry onto a palate that spoons out peach and lavender honey. It’s a remarkable effort at an affordable price. It’s also one of three wines Koenig Vineyards, now led by James Nederend, to win a Platinum in 2023. (194 cases, 11.5% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (best of show) Double Platinum • 96 points

Jones of Washington 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $15.99 Best Buy! For the second time this decade, Victor Palencia has produced a Platinum with Sauvignon Blanc for the Jones family. And this three-time qualifier proved to be the highestrated Sauv Blanc of this year’s judging. It’s redolent of tangerine, nectarine and honeydew melon with a pinch of cinnamon toast as a blend of pink raspberry and white peach

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

impart a bit of fleshiness and lingering brightness to the finish that’s just a touch off-dry (0.8% residual sugar). (1,400 cases, 13.6% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (gold), Great Northwest Wine Magazine comparative tasting (Outstanding!), Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 96 points

Spoiled Dog Winery 2020 Estate Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $42 The Krug family and its Spoiled Dog project have been on quite a run, earning at least one Platinum in each of the past seven years. Eight of their career 19 Platinums have been for Pinot Noir, but none has ranked as high as this 2020 Estate. A selection of their seven organically farmed clones, which spend time in new French oak, yields a wine effusive with raspberry, Montmorency cherry, mocha and leather. Accents of anise, black olive, cherry reduction sauce and vanilla are wrapped in velvety tannins and sent off with a burst of boysenberry. (112 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Hightower Cellars 2020 Merlot, Red Mountain $38 The Hightowers have racked up seven Platinums in the past four years, and three of their 11 career Platinums have been for Merlot. Historically, they’ve leaned on clone 15 fruit from their estate vineyard for the standalone bottlings of Merlot, which they first made in 2000. It’s fabulous and fun from start to finish in its theme of strawberry compote, cherry blossom and tanned leather, joined by thoughts of maple syrup on hotcakes, blueberry skin tannins and capped by white pepper. (287 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Double Platinum • 95 points

King Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $28 One of the Oregon wine industry’s quintessential examples of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir finishes the 2023 calendar year by adding to its necklace of gold with a Platinum for the King family. Winemaker Brent Stone and longtime viticulturist Ray Nuclo, who racks up miles driving to check on the array of vineyards, play key roles each year in this bottling. Biodynamic estate Pinot Noir is more than a quarter of the final blend that’s centered on smashed Bing cherries, boysenberry, chervil and smoky cedar chips for a bright and delicately earthy finish. This is the 10th Platinum for Pinot Noir in the past five years for Stone and his team. (37,000 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Cascadia International (gold), Savor NW (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Intrigue Wines NV I Do Rosé Sparkling Wine, Okanagan Valley $24.95 For several reasons, British Columbia is producing some of the Pacific Northwest’s best sparkling wines, and this is Roger Wong’s fifth Platinum in recent years for his bubbles. His time with Gray Monk Estate Winery and Riesling-focused Tantalus helps explain his stunning success for this frizzantestyle pinkish blend of Riesling, Gewürztramer and Merlot. It comes with a beautiful bright copper penny color, followed by fresh peach and grapefruit florals from the Gewürz. On the palate, there’s more grapefruit, raspberry and melon. The spritz and juicy finish brings a delightful surprise, making this a perfect off-dry (2% residual sugar) breakfast wine.

Double Platinum

(2,300 cases, 11.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold) Double Platinum • 94 points

Palencia Wine Co. 2020 El Viñador Carménère, Red Mountain $40 Cab is king on Red Mountain, so it makes sense that Carménère would grow a following there, too. Efforts such as this one by Victor Palencia should inspire others to ask vineyard owners to plant more. Classic aromas of sage, dried fig and cherry carry through to the palate, along with plum, black pepper, hints of chili pepper, leather and tobacco. Its medium acidity and medium-high tannins come together for a decadently sumptuous and velvety mouthfeel. Palencia recommends serving with carne asada or Linguiça, the Portuguese sausage made with pork. (99 cases, 14.2% alc.) Awards: Seattle (best of class), Savor NW (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Double Platinum • 97 points

SCORIA Vineyards 2022 Grüner Veltliner, Snake River Valley $18 Best Buy! James Nederend of Koenig Vineyards also crafts the wines for the Williamson family, who earned a double gold medal at the 2023 Great Northwest Invitational in early October for the Grüner they grow, so it makes sense that judges would think so highly of the Grüner under his own label. The Williamsons picked it Oct. 7 at nearly 23 Brix, and it’s a classic example of what Idaho can do with this Austrian grape. Complex aromas of watermelon heart, pea blossoms and an oceanside breeze lead to flavors of apricot and lemongrass, which are joined by edible orchid petals and fresh

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

morels. Look for this remarkable example at the SCORIA tasting room in downtown Boise or at their tasting room near Lake Lowell. (180 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold) Double Platinum • 97 points

Siren Song Winery 2019 Auberge, Washington State $46 Inspiration for this blend of Syrah (75%) and Grenache by Lake Chelan winemaker Kevin Brown and his wife/chef, Holly, stems from time at a Provence farmhouse kitchen — an auberge, in French. They pulled these Rhône varieties from the Wahluke Slope, where ripeness is never a problem, resulting in aromas of macerated Bing cherries and brewed coffee. They lead to hedonistic flavors of Luxardo maraschino cherries, strawberry freezer jam and rain-soaked slate, making for a wonderfully integrated blended wine. This is the Brown family’s 10th career Platinum, and fourth involving work with Syrah. (93 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Double Platinum • 96 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2013 Le Coursier Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $40 A year ago, our Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year picked up a Platinum for the 2012 vintage of Le Coursier, so it makes sense to see this Merlot-leaning blend emerge as one of the top-scoring proprietary reds of the judging. The nose brings thoughts of ripe cherries enrobed in dark chocolate, caramelized sugar and fresh-stripped cedar. It’s full-bodied, offering flavors of Bing cherry and black currant that are ushered along with supple tannins that guide into a

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Double Platinum

lingering finish of espresso and figs. (1,014 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold) Double Platinum • 96 points

King Estate Winery 2021 Estate Domaine Biodynamic Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $30 Five times this Oregon icon has received a Platinum for a Pinot Gris as they continue to live up to “The Kings of Pinot.” This is emblematic of the Demeter certification they earned in 2016 — a crowning achievement of the King family’s ongoing sustainability initiatives. Its fruit-forward profile leads with honeydew melon and kiwi, joined by lemongrass, a slice of Key Lime pie and a scrape of fresh ginger in the finish. Enjoy with Corn Agnolotti with Chanterelle Mushroom and Black Truffle or things from the sea. (2,000 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class), McMinnville (double gold), Sunset International (gold), International Women’s (gold), Savor NW (gold) Double Platinum • 96 points

Palencia Wine Co. 2022 Albariño, Columbia Valley $22 Sure things include death, taxes and Victor Palencia winning a Platinum Award for an Albariño. Well, almost. This is the seventh time in eight years that his flagship expression of the Spanish white has capped the calendar year with a Platinum, and he’s quick to credit vineyards such as Evergreen and Spanish Castle in the Ancient Lakes for his success. Apricot and pear intertwine with misty meadow scents as an prelude to this upbeat iteration of a zesty, floral and bright Albariño. (1,000 cases, 13% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Seattle (gold), Savor NW (double gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Double Platinum • 96 points

Maan Farms Estate Winery NV Raspberry Dessert Wine, British Columbia $23 Best Buy! This Fraser Valley farming family scores its second Platinum with this fortified raspberry beauty, only this received a unanimous vote for gold from the judging panel — making it a Double Platinum. It’s unmistakable, beginning with ripe and smashed raspberries and a silky mouthfeel of caramel. Raspberry is a naturally tart fruit, so there’s ample acidity, and the alcohol is marvelously handled, providing a fresh and tasty finish. The family, which says two pounds of berries go into each bottle of wine, suggests featuring it in Kir Royale or serving it with cheesecake. (100 cases, 17% alc.) Award: British Columbia Lt. Governor’s Award (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Barnard Griffin Winery 2022 Rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $14 Best Buy! The well-chronicled rosé project from this storied Richland, Wash., producer has qualified for the Platinum Awards virtually every year for more than a decade by virtue of its string of gold medals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. By year’s end, Rob Griffin’s team doesn’t often enter this judging, but when they do submit, it goes Platinum. This is the fourth Platinum for his rosé from Sangio, which historically is pulled from the Balcom family’s vineyard near Highway 395 north of Pasco. Pink strawberry, cantaloupe and savory herbal aromas lead to a zingy collection of high-toned red fruit, and its long and bright structure will complement a wide variety of fare, including a ham sandwich and red meat dishes. Look for the 2023 edition

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

to be released on Valentine’s Day, and it will likely be wearing a gold medal from the Chronicle judging. (7,000 cases, 12.9% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2019 Bayernmoor Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $65 A product of just his third commercial vintage, Snohomish County winemaker/ attorney Larry Harris used this blend of Dijon clone 777 and the early ripening Précoce clone (33%) for what proved to be one of the top Pinot Noirs of the 24th annual Platinum Awards. It’s a nuanced and complex example that opens with ripe red fruit, dried red rose petals, cedar and a pinch of herbs. The palate is exceptional with its layers of dark strawberry, Craisin and cherry tobacco. (82 cases, 12.6% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Savor NW (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Mercer Estates Winery 2018 Small Lot Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills $32 Of the six Platinum awards collected by the Mercer family this fall, three of those were for Merlot, including this Double Platinum from a vintage that some critics have called the best of since 2012. The 20 months in French oak and a dose of Petit Verdot (9%) provide baking spice and heft to an experience that swirls around notes of anise, clove, chili pepper and fruitiness of red plum and black cherry. Medium-plus tannins lead to a lovely and long finish to pair with suggested fare including Beef Tenderloin, lamb burgers and ratatouille. (350 cases,

14.5% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (best of class) Double Platinum • 95 points

Chris Daniel Winery 2019 Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $32 In 2024, the Stewart family will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Quincy, Wash., winery, which is led by their son, Chris, a winemaker in Napa. Of his 14 career Platinum Awards, this is his first with the Italian grape, and this two-barrel lot resulted in the highestscoring Sangiovese of this year’s tasting. It’s redolent of raspberry purée and black cherry, backed by spicy notes of paprika, red peppercorns, anise, dried tomato leaf and tobacco. Full-bodied with medium tannins, it also has the long and lively finish one wants from a Sangio. (50 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021 Phinny Hill Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Spice Market, Washington $38 The Queen of the Platinum — Coco Umiker — has spotlighted the Beightol family’s Phinny Hill Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills for nine of her 46 career Platinums. Her latest is for this stunning Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Carménère (42%) and Merlot. It’s heady stuff with aromas of dark cherry, cigar box and leather precede a palate of fig, strawberry sauce and dates, spiced up with pinches of nutmeg, cayenne and a smidge of maple. (341 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Double Platinum

Double Platinum • 95 points

Clearwater Canyon Cellars NV Waha IV Red Wine, Washington $28 For the second straight year, Coco Umiker’s fascinating Waha program has received a Platinum, and here is her first Double Platinum for the multi-vintage blend. Its legacy harkens back to when she held back several barrels of red wine from the 2015 vintage. Later, she sent wine from those selected barrels through fresh lees from some 2016 reds and returned that wine to barrel. She’s continued that process, blending in other select barrels from each vintage “to continually balance the acid, tannins and character of this long-term project.” Over time, earlier vintages get phased out. For this her fourth edition, the formula was Cabernet Sauvignon (37%), Malbec (28%), Carménère (17%), Petit Verdot (12%), Merlot (5%) and Syrah. It’s as delicious as the 2021 Spice Market and the profile is similar with dark red fruit, herbs, forest floor, cedar and spiciness of cayenne and white pepper peppercorns. (415 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2021 Riesling, British Columbia $23 Best Buy! One of the Pacific Northwest’s most striking settings for delicious Riesling is Lillooet, British Columbia — halfway between Whistler and Kamloops, overlooking the Fraser River. The Riesling category at the 2023 Platinum was quite competitive, and this bottling by South African winemaker Alessandro Nel’s first vintage was one of just three Double Platinums in the group. Enticing aromas of Granny Smith apple, quince,

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white cherry and jasmine funnel into a blend of Meyer lemon juice and grapefruit pith, making for a long, zesty and off-dry drink. Enjoy with Asian fare or pork tacos. (1,735 cases, 12.8% alc.) Awards: Los Angeles International (gold), Global Fine Wine Challenge (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Van Westen Vineyards 2022 Viognier, Naramata Bench $28 Rob Van Westen references the Rhône region of Condrieu when describing Viognier, and the Okanagan Valley winegrower produced the highest-rated Viognier of the 24th annual Platinum. It romanced the judges with aromatics hinting at apricot, grapefruit and fresh-baked baguette. The mediumbodied white receives a coating of white peach and buttered baguette that’s brightened by orange zest and salinity. (100 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: National Wine Awards of Canada (gold) Double Platinum • 94 points

Mellisoni Vineyards 2022 Chardonnay, Royal Slope $55 Rob and Donna Mellison have now earned four Platinums for their work with Chardonnay, and here is their first Double Platinum with the white Burgundy grape. White rose petals, lemon meringue pie and tropical fruit nuances are allowed to flourish because of the stainless steel fermentation for the grapes they get from their friend Ed Kelly, the longtime viticulturist at Stillwater Creek Vineyard. The ripeness of the fruit and absence of oak help explain why the Mellisons choose to use the International Riesling Foundation’s tasting profile

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Double Platinum

scale on the label, yet it’s a balanced and varietally correct classic Chardonnay that shows the beauty of the grapes with minimal intervention. (121 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Double Platinum • 94 points

Tinte Cellars 2020 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley $40 Noah Reed Fox, a product of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program, worked with two storied sites — Dineen in the Yakima Valley and Gamache in the White Bluffs — for one of the top Cabernet Francs of the 24th annual Platinum. Its exotic profile includes classic notes of peppercorns, cassis, red licorice, cigar box, Kalamata olive and madrona-smoked lion’s mane mushroom. Its bold and spicy finish includes blood orange acidity and black licorice. (200 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 94 points

Coyote Canyon Winery 2022 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Roussanne, Horse Heaven Hills $25 While the Horse Heaven Hills are famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Andrews family, vineyard manager Todd Chapman and winemaker Justin Michaud continue to build upon their reputation with brilliant white varieties. In terms of the Rhône white Roussanne, Coyote Canyon’s might be the brightest in the Pacific Northwest — evidenced by their earning a Platinum for the third straight year and back-toback Double Platinums. It’s perfumy with White Diamonds, daises and honeysuckle followed by a beautiful layering of peach flesh and plantain, then wheat grass and lemon zest. This is the fourth career Platinum

with Roussanne for Michaud. (115 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), San Diego International Winemakers Challenge (gold), Denver International (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Double Platinum • 94 points

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Dry Rock Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Okanagan Valley $20.69 Best Buy! When it comes to Sauvignon Blanc — and a few other aromatic whites — the Gehringer brothers are among the Pacific Northwest’s elite, vintage after vintage. This marks the ninth career Platinum for Walter and Gordon Gehringer’s Sauvignon Blanc, which they grow along their estate on the Golden Mile Bench in the south Okanagan Valley. Aromas of cantaloupe, papaya and Golden Delicious apple mix with citrusy notes of quince and lemongrass for a light-bodied, fruit-forward wine and bright finish. (750 cases, 13.2% alc.) Awards: All-Canadian Wine Competition (double gold), Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Cascadia International (gold) Double Platinum • 96 points

Fortuity Cellars 2019 Destined Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley $65 This fall, the Great Northwest Wine panel became smitten with each of the three Fergestroms’ 2018 vineyard-designated Cab from DuBrul, Heart of the Hill and Red Willow. The craftsmanship displayed throughout that series continues with this blend of those sites. Dark plum, macerated cherries, black tea and bergamot aromas lead to more of the same on the palate, joined

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

by blueberry compote and cherry tobacco. The harmonious tannins and bright acidity give this full-bodied Cab an extra sense of panache. (260 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Canvasback Winery 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $44 Founding winemaker Brian Rudin, and his successor, Joseph Czarny, worked with nine vineyards along the slopes of Red Mountain, including renowned Quintessence and Duckhorn’s own young Longwinds site — established in 2014 and managed by the famed Dick Boushey. It can be awkward for Duckhorn to extol the virtues of the Canvasback project because a Cab with this quality may cost exponentially more if it came from one of their Napa brands. The 20-month barrel program in 45% new French oak helps build a classic profile of black cherry, vanilla bean, anise, pipe tobacco, dusty sagebrush and black pepper. It’s a remarkable Cab built for now and the future, and its production will make it easy to acquire. (11,864 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Los Angeles International (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Hamilton Cellars 2019 Estate Malbec, Red Mountain $48 The Malbec category had one of the biggest class sizes of the 24th annual Platinum Awards, and this work with Red Mountain fruit by Charlie Hoppes and Mitch Venohr will serve as a marvelous memorial to the late Russ Hamilton, who died after Thanksgiving at age 71. This bottling of clone 9 Malbec

was the second consecutive vintage to return a Platinum to this Sunset Road producer. Its characteristics range from Chukar Cherry and chai spices to wet stone, cola, ginger and a Cohiba Maduro with a velvety and earthy finish. (410 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Savor NW (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2020 Heart of the Hill Vineyard Carménère, Red Mountain $40 Our 2022 Washington Winery to Watch, led by winemaker/owner Mark Lathrop, has made #RedMtn part of the marketing approach at his wife’s tasting room in this Spokane, Wash., suburb. Dark red fruit of Bing cherry and cassis picks up sweet bell pepper notes and dusty red rose petals. Sinewy yet beveled tannins are joined by baking spices and delicious pomegranate acidity for a lovely finish. This is the second Platinum in three years with Carm by Lathrop, and the fourth Double Platinum of his young winemaking career. (170 cases, 13.3% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Mellisoni Vineyards 2020 Syrah, Lake Chelan $60 For the second straight year, the Mellisons achieved Platinum status with Syrah grown near the shores of Lake Chelan. Only this time, their work with Larc Hill Vineyard grapes was voted Double Platinum. The Joseph Phelps clone fruit yields aromas and flavors of blackberry, black cherry and black currant with tobacco leaf and truffle tones. Rich and velvety tannins pick up vanilla and licorice along the way for a smooth and

Double Platinum

lingering finish. (220 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Tinte Cellars 2020 Irish Eyes Red Wine, Columbia Valley $48 Rhône-styled GSM blends are among the easiest to enjoy and have become brisk sellers. That’s true for this Grenache (41%) and Mourvèdre (20%) from Candy Mountain and Syrah (39%) from Dineen — two sites at opposite ends of the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area. It’s stylish, complex and — thanks to Noah Reed Fox’s winemaking — fun to pick out the components. Moist bramble, roasted coffee and whiff of game set the table for delicious flavors of Cherries Jubilee and ripe strawberries. The saucy and vibrant structure is capped with pinches of violet and nutmeg. (400 cases, 15.1% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Double Platinum • 95 points

Tinte Cellars 2020 Syrah, Columbia Valley $45 Noah Reed Fox crafted one of the top GSMs of the Platinum, so it stands to reason that his standalone Syrah also achieved Double Platinum. However, this superb Syrah is a blend of historic Red Willow Vineyard in the Mount Adams foothills, Lewis near Prosser and Dineen, which contributed to the 2020 Irish Eyes GSM. Purple fruit and chocolate-covered espresso beans lead into wonderful layers of flavors ranging from Bing cherry, ripe strawberry, eucalyptus, vanilla and tobacco to savory olives and cigar box. (400 cases, 15.2% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold)

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Double Platinum

Double Platinum • 95 points

Double Platinum • 94 points

Tipsy Canyon Winery 2020 Mélange Noir Red Wine, Washington State $55

Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2022 Estate Viognier, Walla Walla Valley $24

Skagit Crest Vineyard & Winery 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $28

Mark Garvin takes a Meritage approach to this five-vineyard blend of five Bordeaux varieties — Merlot (50%), Malbec (17%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and Petit Verdot. Two rising star vineyards — Quintessence on Red Mountain and Double D in the Rocky Reach — are joined by the Antoine Creek, Dry Lake and Native River site. Aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, Bing cherry, black tea and a hint of bayleaf make for a smooth and delicious red blend. (290 cases, 14.9% alc.) Awards: North Central Washington Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold)

The Hansen family has Viognier planted at two of its three vineyards — Cougar Hills and Noble Rock — and their program with this Rhône variety ranks among the best on the West Coast. That’s exemplified by the essentially annual return of a gold medal or better from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in Sonoma. Scents of white peach, nectarine and orange Creamsicle include honeycomb, leading to a palate joined by apricot and clover honey. Spot-on viscosity and adroitly handled acidity reflect a watchful eye in the vineyard and the skill required in the cellar for a standout Viognier. (355 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)

Two years ago, Chuck Jackson went Platinum in consecutive vintages for work with Pinot Noir. Here, the product of the Boeing Wine & Beer Club followed up his 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon with a unanimous vote of Platinum for their one-barrel bottling of Martinez Vineyard old-vine Cab from the 2019 vintage. Its profile is complex, layered and fun as strawberry shortcake, cherry candy and figs pick up floral notes of yucca blossom and plumeria. Dusty tannins and flavors of cranberry/pomegranate juice make for a classic farewell. And yes, there was just one barrel made. (25 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Double Platinum • 94 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2018 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $60

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Ehrenfelser, Okanagan Valley $16.99

LA FRENZ Winery 2022 Freedom 75 Vineyard Estate Riesling 21B, Naramata Bench $21.50

From the start, attorney/winemaker Larry Harris has been focused on historic Washington state vineyards while his own estate plantings of Burgundy varieties have come into their own. Few spots in the Pacific Northwest can match the legacy of Klipsun, which the Gelles family planted in 1984 and sold to the Chicago-based Terlato Wine Group in 2017. Aromas of Chukar Cherries, baking spices and s’mores around the campfire lead to a vivacious palate that adds blueberry jam, cinnamon, nutmeg and cracked black pepper. (290 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Sip Magazine Best of the Northwest (double gold)

Best Buy! The Gehringer family’s involvement in the historic Becker Project by Geisenheim viticulturist Helmut Becker in the 1980s led to their extended plantings of Ehrenfelser, a cross of Riesling and Silvaner developed by Becker. Here is Gehringer’s 18th Platinum with that early-ripening variety that survived the Okanagan Valley’s historic killing freeze of a year ago. The nose of pineapple, apricot, tangerine and seashells leads to a blend of flavors akin to guava, toasted caramel, nutmeg and lemon rind, making for a structure that’s fruity with zesty length. (2,900 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

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Double Platinum • 96 points

Best Buy! These pioneers on British Columbia’s Naramata Bench have now earned 24 career Platinums from our panels, and a whopping nine of those have been of the unanimous variety. Remarkably, this is only the second time that the Martin family has received a Platinum for Riesling. They planted Freedom 75 across the road from their winery in 2011, and clone 21B is credited to the Mosel region of Germany. It lives up to its floral and mineral-laced reputation in this stunning example, including jasmine, honeysuckle and hint of citrus groves. Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples lead the off-dry profile that’s cleansed with a spoonful of lemon meringue in the expansively feminine finish curated by winemaker Ross Baker. (450 cases, 13% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold/best of class)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Double Platinum • 94 points

Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021 Heritage Series Louis Delsol Cabernet Sauvignon, LewisClark Valley $36 The story of Louis Delsol, the Frenchman who established the Lewis-Clark Valley’s first vineyard in 1872, continues to be retold in delicious fashion by the Umikers. Coco Umiker works with Cabernet Sauvignon grown by her husband, Karl, as well as two other L-C Valley sites — Arnett Vineyard and Rock n’ J Vineyard. Its theme of blackberry cobbler, muscovado sugar, forest floor, cayenne pepper and Earl Grey tea come together for a simply wonderful Cab. Five times this program has won a Platinum since 2020. (241 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Double Platinum • 94 points

Spoiled Dog Winery 2021 Carménère, Yakima Valley $30 Second-generation winemaker Jake Krug and his mother, Karen, the founding winemaker, won a Platinum two years ago for their 2018 Carménère, which featured Hattrup-farmed

Double Platinum

Sugarloaf Vineyard. This vintage went Double Platinum, ranking among the best in the Northwest. Classic notes of cassis, tobacco leaf, green pepper, oregano and prosciutto are presented with a full-bodied structure, silky tannins and a long finish that comes with a dash of allspice. (105 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold)

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Double Platinum • 94 points

Cinder Wines 2022 Emerald Slope Vineyard Verdejo, Snake River Valley $28 When Melanie Krause’s work with this Spanish white grape made international headlines, officials in Texas correctly credited it as an Oregon wine. That’s because the Martin family’s vines are on the Oregon side of the Snake River near the town of Adrian. Early aromas of thyme, lemongrass and oregon are quickly overtaken by hints of luscious tropical and stone fruit. Its bright and juicy palate hits on peach, lime and more herbal notes, leading out with minerality and grapefruit pith. Serve with fish tacos, chicken or pork and hard cheeses such as Manchego and pecorino. (442 cases, 12.7% alc.) Awards: TEXSOM International (platinum), Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (gold)

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

Best of the Best–Platinum Platinum • 95 points

Platinum • 94 points

College Cellars of Walla Walla 2020 Cockburn Vineyard Grenache, Walla Walla Valley $30

Koenig Vineyards 2022 Williamson Vineyard Dry Riesling, Snake River Valley $18

Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking school used one of Cecil Zerba’s estate vineyards to earn its seventh career Platinum Award, and it’s not surprising, considering Zerba Cellars has earned three Platinums for its GSM program. This Grenache is an enticing wine with notes of juicy red bramble fruit, violets, maplewood smoke and English Breakfast tea, capped by pinches of paprika and basil (48 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 93 points

JM Cellars 2020 Boushey Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley $85 One of the Northwest’s premier plantings of Rhône varieties helped set the table for John Bigelow’s expression with Syrah, which includes co-fermentation with Viognier (3%). Classic aromas of saddle leather, braised beef, black pepper, tobacco and oregano transition to a fruit-focused and full-bodied drink of plummy black fruits, backed by bittersweet chocolaty tannins, more peppercorns and sweet spice notes. (414 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

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Best Buy! The Williamson family was a strong supporter of Ste. Michelle’s Riesling Rendezvous, and their time surrounded by many of the world’s top Riesling producers prompted the family to take their program into a drier style. That has led James and Sydney Nederend of Koenig Vineyards to do the same, and it resulted in one of the best Rieslings of this year’s Platinum. Aromas of orange marmalade, tangerine zest, timothy hay and daffodil lead to full flavors of cantaloupe, baked apple, ginger honey and lingering orange zest. (360 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (best of class) Platinum • 94 points

Jones of Washington 2022 Pinot Gris, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $14.99 Best Buy! For the fifth time, the Jones family has been awarded a Platinum for their Pinot Gris program, spotlighting grapes they grow at their acclaimed Two Gun Vineyard in the Beezley Hills outside of Quincy, Wash. Hints of fingered citron and fresh gardenia precede a charming and complex palate that brings layers of Rainier cherry, lemongrass, sliced white button mushroom and lemon pith. Suggested pairings include Cobb salad, Asian fare, clams, sushi and risotto primavera. (1,800 cases, 12% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine

Awards (gold), North Central Washington Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 94 points

Milbrandt Vineyards Winery 2022 Simply Riesling, Washington State $11 Best Buy! Riesling hasn’t played a prominent role within the profile of Butch and Lisa Milbrandt’s portfolio over the years, but the combination of winemaker Kendall Mix and Ancient Lakes Vineyard has made an immediate impression on West Coast judges within their new Simply brand. Golden Delicious apple and lemon zest aromas include whiffs of Ancient Lakes minerality, beeswax and petrol. Flavors of yellow apple, orange marmalade on toast and honeysuckle are joined by Granny Smith apple tartness to balance the 1% residual sugar in stellar and refreshing fashion. (5,000 cases, 12.5% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2021 Celilo Vineyard Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge $50 A Seattle-area surgeon, the late Dr. William McAndrew, and his wife, Margaret, established this vineyard in 1972 on the slopes of Underwood Mountain. For decades, it’s been a go-to site for cool-climate varieties among winemakers in both Washington and Oregon, which is why this young Woodinville winery has prized its contract for those grapes. Sweet

Minuit and Chaleur Blanc Great Northwest Wine Platinum Winners

Shop online at www.delillecellars.com or visit us at our Woodinville Tasting Room.

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

strawberry, pine forest, orange marmalade on toast and powdered ginger notes make for a yummy experience and a finish that goes on forever. (194 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Sip Magazine Best of the Northwest (platinum) Platinum • 93 points

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Optimum Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley $25.99 Estate-grown Pinot Noir is sorted into three bottlings at Gehringer Brothers, but only the best lots make it into the Optimum tier. This is the third Platinum for Pinot Noir won by these German-trained winegrowers. It’s loaded with fruit, sweet oak and spice notes, hitting on raspberry, Montmorency cherry, burnt caramel and white pepper. Velvety tannins make flavors stream across the palate, joined by notes of sweet tobacco, rosemary and cured meat. Already a remarkable value — considering the exchange rate — this ranks as one of the best buys of Pinot Noir in the Pacific Northwest. (400 cases, 13% alc.) Award: National Wine Awards of Canada (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Koenig Vineyards 2021 Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $22 Only two other Chardonnay entries received more points at this year’s Platinum than the Nederend family entry, so this reserve style ranks among the best in the Northwest. The oak influence is exemplified with notes of nuttiness with sweet cream and toffee alongside ripe pineapple and fresh-garden greens. A trail of butter and citrus zest makes for a long and lingering finish. (295 cases, 13.5%) Awards: Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (best of class/gold)

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Platinum

Platinum • 93 points

Milbrandt Family Wines 2021 Family Grown Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $16 Best Buy! Canadian-born winemaker Kendall Mix worked for producers large and small before agreeing to take over the winemaking for the Milbrandts in Mattawa, Wash. His deliciously balanced Chardonnay for this Butch Milbrandt-owned value brand features grapes from three growing regions — Purple Sage and old-vine Rosebud (Wahluke Slope), Newhouse (Yakima Valley) and storied Evergreen (Ancient Lakes). The final 10 months in neutral oak result in enticing tones of orange zest, jasmine, Golden Delicious apple and Bosc pear. Lightly toasted filberts and peach yogurt are accessible on the midpalate prior to a finish of lemon and lemongrass. It’s fruit-forward, yet dry — and deliciously priced. (1,500 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold), Denver International (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Seven Hills Winery 2021 Carménère, Walla Walla Valley $50 Oregon State University grad Bobby Richards has now spent a decade with Seven Hills Winery, the fifth-oldest brand in the Walla Walla Valley. His work here with “the lost grape of Bordeaux ‘’ on behalf of Crimson Wine Group features one of the region’s oldest vineyard sites — SHW Estate Vineyard — and Summit View. It’s worth noting that both are in the state of Oregon. Smoky cherry notes are enlivened by fresh-cracked black pepper and grilled green peppers. A touch of vanilla spice carries the palate through with black currant, cranberry and dried oregano. It’s full-bodied

with pliable and chocolaty tannins. Suggested pairings include black bean tacos, sloppy joes, smoked ribs and stuffed peppers. (220 cases, 14.2% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of show, best red wine, best of class) Platinum • 93 points

The Bunnell Family Cellar 2017 Painted Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $58 Among the plantings Art den Hoed spearheads is Painted Hills, a site near Mabton that’s just outside the Yakima Valley boundary and directly responsible for eight career Platinums awarded to Ron Bunnell. Here’s the second for a Cab, which stays true to the varietal with aromas of Bing cherry, pencil shavings, green bell pepper and mint. The palate projects with a baritone of darker cherry, peppery muscovado sugar and black licorice, capped by blueberry pie filling to make for a delightful drink. (192 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Black Heron Wines 2018 MonteScarlatto Vineyard Treasure Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, Red Mountain $30 Columbia Valley distiller Mark Williams bought an established spirits business in 2013, and famous Red Mountain is about a fiveminute drive from his West Richland, Wash., cellar. He earned several gold medals in 2023 for his Red Mountain reds, and he picked up his first career Platinum with this blend of Merlot (52%) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Attractive aromas of raspberry jam, burnt caramel and cigar box lead to yummy flavors of ripe cherry and anise with beveled tannins that spread out to a finish of Nutella

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

and leather. (252 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Yakima Valley Vintners 2019 Super Senior Merlot, Columbia Valley $28 The viticulture and enology program of Yakima Valley College has used Merlot to win four of its 15 career Platinums. This project under the tutelage of educators Trent Ball and the since-retired Brad Smith takes a unique approach with an extended maceration on the grape skins of 10 months prior pressing and spending time in French oak. (Think of Ste. Michelle’s INTRINSIC brand.) Dark plums, green bean and asparagus spears lead to a bright blend of flavors that include pomegranate seeds and a cherry fruit leather. (29 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Winescape Winery 2021 Riesling, Yakima Valley $22 The reigning Washington Winery to Watch reaches into venerable Lewis Vineyard near Prosser and incorporates the German approach of süssreserve — reserving some unfermented juice post-fermentation — to precisely arrive at the level of sugar/acid balance desired by Spokane microbiologist/winemaker Phil Butterfield. Fanciful aromas of a cotton candy shop, Juicy Fruit gum and starfruit meet a palate that’s home to pink grapefruit and persimmon with lemon pith at the close. It’s a Riesling that achieves balance at 0.9% residual sugar and attained a Platinum within a tightly scored category. (270 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

Platinum • 92 points

Chandler Reach Vineyards 2019 Chandler Reach Vineyard H. Len Parris Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley $55 Len Parris established his vineyard near Chandler Butte in the Horse Heaven Hills, and it’s proved to be an ideal spot for Bordeaux varieties — which he has grown on his estate near Benton City, Wash., since 2003 and sold there and in Woodinville for the past decade. It’s redolent of black currant, macerated cherries and dark plum with notes of buttered popcorn, sliced eggplant and cinnamon in a pleasing and ageworthy structure. (354 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Areté 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $50 This reserve tier for Iris Vineyards focuses on special lots of Pinot Noir from proprietor Pamela Frye’s Chalice Estate Vineyard, which is surrounded by forest southwest of Eugene. Longtime winemaker Aaron Lieberman selects from lots of clones of Wädenswil, Dijon 115 and Pommard. Classic scents of cherry cola and leather funnel into a palate of Bing cherry and smoked white peppercorns that finishes raspberry juice. (132 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: McMinnville Wine Classic (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Aquilini Wines 10,000 Hours 2019 Red Blend, Red Mountain $35 One of Washington state’s premier talents with red wines, Joshua Maloney, developed this Bordeaux blend in the style of the Left Bank — built with a foundation of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) — for a density to be enjoyed slowly and savored. The 20 months

Platinum

in a barrel program of 35% new French oak provides a sense of espresso behind the pronounced aromas of black currant, black pepper and green bell pepper. There’s no disappointment between the lips, where the creamy mouthfeel includes cocoa powder, figs and vibrant Montmorency cherry juice. It achieves full-bodied greatness and a chocolaty sendoff. (2,447 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Houston Rodeo Uncorked (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Maryhill Winery 2020 Classic Merlot, Columbia Valley $26 Richard Batchelor’s winemaking has lifted Maryhill atop the all-time Platinum leaderboard, but of the record 111 Platinums won, this is only his third for Merlot. Historically, the sources for Merlot under their entry-level “Classic” tier have included three go-to sites for many Washington wineries — Elephant Mountain in the Rattlesnake Hills, McKinley Springs in the Horse Heaven Hills and Tudor Hills in the Yakima Valley. The floral nose features rose petals, violets and dried Italian herbs alongside black fruit and French roast coffee. Silky tannins, black cherry, black currant and cocoa include dense savory notes of a veal demi-glace and peppercorn sauce. (1,800 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Award (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Quiddity Wines 2020 Block 14 Audentes Syrah, Rattlesnake Hills $39 More than a dozen wines with Elephant Mountain Vineyard on the label have won a Platinum during our judging’s history. Even though Greg Peiker doesn’t list Joe Hattrup’s stellar site above the Yakima Valley

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 47

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

on the front, 95% of that fruit is inside this bottle, co-fermented with 5% Viognier from Hattrup’s lower-elevation Sugarloaf Vineyard. Brambleberries, Italian herbs and cherry pipe tobacco aromas lead to a gorgeous palate of raspberries enrobed in dark chocolate and a wedge of panettone with dried fruit. Considering that this wine has been awarded a Platinum for back-to-back vintages, Audentes — which means daring in Latin — has become a sure bet rather than a risk. (44 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Savor NW (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Revelry Vintners 2019 Range Grenache / Syrah, Columbia Valley $46 Avid fly fisherman Jared Burns reels in his second career Platinum Award for this Châteauneuf-du-Pape-inspired blend of Grenache and Syrah. Grenache has rightfully been a key driver in this Walla Walla winery’s rosé program, and Syrah from historic Weinbau Vineyard on the warm Wahluke Slope deserves its place in any Rhône blend. In order to keep the focus on that beautiful Grenache (70%), there’s no new oak involved, so the aromas leap out with brambleberries, dark plum and fig with anise and muscovado sugar. There’s tremendous balance to the bright red fruit tones of red currant, strawberry and Montmorency cherry as light tannins and juicy acidity carry along cinnamon and leather notes into a long and peppery finish. (700 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Uncorked! International (gold)

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Platinum

Platinum • 92 points

Mellisoni Vineyards NV Bollincini Brut Bubbly Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $60 Italian-themed Mellisoni Vineyards along the south shore of Lake Chelan takes inspiration for this sparkling wine project from the Veneto region where Prosecco is made with Glera grapes. The work here with Chardonnay is just as lively and festive, starting with daisies in a summer rain and light caramel. Its concentrated and fun bubbles blast in support of Granny Smith apples and a dry finish of lemon juice. (157 cases, 11.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

self-described contrarian have been for work with Bordeaux varieties. He sources from the east side of the Cascades for this fragrant and well-structured Cabernet Franc, offering notes of sizzling bacon, a pine forest after a spring rain and Bing cherry, backed by dark plum. It is finished with intense allspice and juiciness. The Barnes family suggests serving this with Bison steak tartine with basil paprika butter. (54 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 90 points

Chelan Ridge Winery 2016 Cabernet Franc, Lake Chelan $59

In 2022, Kevin and Carol-Lynn denHoed purchased this showpiece along the western shoulders of Red Mountain overlooking the ambling Yakima River. They wisely hired Victor Palencia to get them started down a path that has included their first Platinum Award. Fanciful aromas of Rainier cherry, Granny Smith apple and jicama usher this rosé into a flirty and juicy palate of strawberry candies, cherry and orange Creamsicle. Great acidity balances the fragrant fruit. (160 cases, 9.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold) Experience Rosé (gold)

In the past two years, William and Candace Swayne have quickly racked up six Platinum Awards since their purchase of the estate in 2021, and Chelan Valley winemaker Jeff Crowder has played a key role in their wine company’s rapid rise to prominence. Here is the second consecutive vintage that a Cabernet Franc grown by founding winemaker Lynn Munneke has won a Platinum. The touch points in this stately, four-barrel effort range from dried dark cherries, ripe plum and vanilla extract to hints of pine forest, eucalyptus and fennel — all presented within a masculine structure. (94 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: North Central Washington (best of class/gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Platinum • 94 points

Chris James Cellars 2020 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley $42

Convergence Zone Cellars 2019 Squall Line Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $33

Christopher Barnes makes wine in the middle of acclaimed Pinot Noir country near Carlton, Ore., yet five of the nine Platinum Awards won in the past three years by the

Scott Greenberg recently moved east across the Cascades to Richland, Wash., where he’s now within an hour’s drive of the vineyards that have helped him to earn six Platinum

Tucannon Cellars 2022 Estate Rosé of Mourvèdre, Yakima Valley $31

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

awards in the past six years. And he’s now won a Platinum from backto-back vintages for his Bordeaux-focused Squall Line program. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Malbec (35%), Petit Verdot (7%), Merlot (4%) and Cabernet Franc hails from an all-star lineup of vineyards that includes Weinbau (Wahluke Slope), Phinny Hill (Horse Heaven Hills) and Yakima Valley sites Boushey and Dineen. It’s a rich reward of macerated red fruit and saddle leather with dark cocoa, toasted walnuts, smoked fennel and date loaf. (74 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific NW (gold) Platinum • 94 points

Chris Daniel Winery 2019 Syrah, Columbia Valley $32 A product of Washington State University’s winemaking program, Chris Stewart has now earned five Platinums for his work with red Rhône varieties. It’s a wine filled with red plums and dark cherry, classic notes of savory Kalamata olive, smoky leather and gunmetal, and supported by well-integrated tannins. (73 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: North Central Washington Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 94 points

Milbrandt Family Wines NV Lulu Méthode Contemporaine Brut Rosé, Washington State $20 Best Buy! A graduate of the University of California-Davis winemaking program, Kendall Mix has been a part of the Washington wine industry since 1993. His experience and ability to produce sparkling wine is on display with this young label for the Milbrandt-owned Washington Wine Group. This fruit-forward, dry brut rosé

with Syrah as the base has a sniff of candied cherry followed by hints of white raspberry and strawberry. The bubbles flow through the medium body as the flavors slow-dance through a strong finish of citrusy grapefruit. (1,500 cases, 12% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Savor NW (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2018 Trentenaire Bordeaux Style Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $50 For the second straight year, Woodinville, Wash., winemaker Brian Carter reeled in a Platinum for the Petit Verdot-led blend he names for a French reference to 30 years. Tedd Wildman’s StoneTree Vineyard along the upper reaches of the Wahluke Slope contributes the lion’s share of the Petit Verdot, which makes up 57% of the finished wine, followed by Merlot (18%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Cabernet Franc (8%) and Malbec (3%). Complex aromas of black fruits, sage, tobacco, leather and bell pepper carry into flavors of plum, black cherry, black pepper, bay leaf and sage. Broad tannins and ample acidity combine for a predictably full-bodied red. (313 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Veer Wine Project 2021 Mataro, Snake River Valley $34 In a relatively short time, Will Wetmore has developed into one of Idaho’s most decorated winemakers. Veer is his own ultra-boutique brand, and this work with Mourvèdre is the first Platinum that he didn’t make for one of his clients. It’s a two-barrel reflection of

Platinum

Block 71 at historic Sawtooth Vineyard, and the juice spent 11 months in 50% new American oak. The results exemplify why Rhône varieties seem to thrive in the higherelevation plantings of the Treasure Valley, providing aromas and flavors of blueberry, plum and fig with herbs such as thyme, black pepper spice and earthy notes akin to beets and truffles. It’s full-bodied and rich with smooth tannins and a cherry juice finish. (45 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Idaho Wine Competition (double gold) Platinum • 93 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2022 Abracadabra Rosé, Columbia Valley $25 Sangiovese ranks among Brian Carter’s most favored grapes, contributing to red wines, a new sparkling wine project and his growing rosé program. His 2021 vintage earned a Platinum, and he expanded his rosé program by more than 300 cases for this bottling from the 2022 vintage. It’s a remarkable example of blending — 10 varieties! — but led by Sangiovese (58%). Aromas and flavors of strawberries, blood orange and Craisin include a nibble of peach skin. At his bistro in Woodinville’s Woodin Creek Village, enjoy it with Charred Broccolini or Mary’s Chicken Thigh. (971 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2018 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $55 Rock Bottom Vineyard and nearby Cougar Hills Vineyard both are home to plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon by these proud

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 49

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

products of Washington State University, and the 2003 vintage marked the debut of the Hansen family’s reserve Cab program. Syrup-soaked blueberry pancakes, a cinnamon stick and melted butter introduce a huge palate of cherry tobacco, sun-dried tomatoes, blueberry-pomegranate juice and black peppercorn. (250 cases, 16.1% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold)

and it displays the balance that the viticultural area is known for. Delightful aromas of fruit punch, bubble gum, banana and pomegranate transition to a stream of ripe cherries, chocolate, Jacobsen Salt Company’s buckwheat honey and a kiss of spice. Bright acidity balances the highriding tannins, leading into a finish of red fruit. (249 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Chehalem Mountains between Newberg and Forest Grove. It offers classic aromas of pear, melon and a faint whiff of petrol. Asian pear and breakfast pastry flavors meet on an enjoyable palate where the 1% residual sugar is easily balanced with a lick of quince. (180 cases, 12.6% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (best of class/ double gold)

Platinum • 93 points

Mt. Hood Winery 2019 Pinnacle Red Wine, Columbia Valley $44

Seven Hills Winery 2022 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, White Bluffs $38

Season Cellars 2022 Transparency White Table Wine, Southern Oregon $24

Hood River native Rich Cushman continues his push up the all-time career Platinum honor roll, having earned 11 of them in the past five years. Two of those were with standalone bottlings of Merlot, so here’s another example of the Columbia Gorge winemaker’s versatility, his first Platinum with an allBordeaux blend — a Left Bank-style approach with Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (33%) and Petit Verdot. It’s got an Old World feel with its theme notes of cassis, green bell pepper and eucalyptus that gather up dried Bing cherries and peppercorns, setting the table for what Cushman and the Bickford family recommend as a pairing — pot roast with root vegetables. (210 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold)

This iconic downtown Walla Walla winery saw the increased thirst for Sauvignon Blanc on the horizon, and Bobby Richards bottles about 10,000 cases of it under the Columbia Valley tier for Seven Hills. For club members and the tasting room, there’s also this effort that involves separate lots that involve oak fermentation, bâtonnage and concrete egg. There’s a fresh and delicate nose of creamy lemon, peach, guava and chervil. Its mouthfeel is full and luscious with peach pie ala mode, passionfruit and a light zing of white pepper and lemon zest (200 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)

Platinum • 93 points

Orenda Winery 2018 Merlot, Columbia Valley $30 This wine was in barrel when winemaker/coowner Samantha Kent and her husband, Xander, were selected as the 2020 Washington Winery to Watch by the Great Northwest Wine staff. Their work with this Merlot began at historic Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope,

50 | greatnorthwestwine.com

Platinum • 93 points

Sidereus Vineyard & Winery 2022 Estate Riesling, Laurelwood District $25 During the past two decades, Fresno State enology grad Jason Bull has been behind a number of Platinum winners from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. In 2023, his work in the cellar produced for Sidereus owners Ruth and Skip Tarr one of the country’s top Rieslings — and their first Platinum from Great Northwest Wine. They harvested this lot Oct. 20 in the

Platinum • 93 points

For the fourth time, Scott Henry IV has received a Platinum Award for his enchanting German-inspired blend of Müller-Thurgau (50%), Muscat (33%) and Riesling. Heady aromas of apricot, strawberry jam and plumeria make their way to the palate and are met by cantaloupe, Rainier cherries, white pepper and Granny Smith apple. The continued success and consumer following that he and his wife, Jennifer, have developed for this charming and food-friendly wine makes one wonder why more producers don’t welcome tasting room visitors — and wine competition judges — with wines of similar appeal. Suggested pairings by the Henrys include spicy Asian dishes, shellfish and baked brie stuffed with Granny Smith apples. (336 cases, 11.3% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (double gold), Oregon Wine Awards (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

DeLille Cellars 2021 Chaleur Blanc, Columbia Valley $42 In 2020, The Seattle Times selected the Chaleur Blanc as its No. 1 wine of the year, and critics across the country have come to view it as a prototype for white Bordeaux blends from the New World. For the bottling

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

from the 2021 vintage, Jason Gorski arrived at a blend of 67-33 of Sauvignon Blanc and Sèmillon from storied sites Boushey, Conner Lee, Klipsun, Phinny Hill and Sagemoor vineyards. Attractive tropical aromas hinting at pineapple, passion fruit and lychee are joined by early-spring crocus shoots, minerality and freshly sliced white button mushrooms. There’s more restraint on the brilliant palate which is layered with orange blossom, white tea, sage, earthiness and minerality. It’s a showy and confident white that’s remarkably food-friendly and routinely appeals to those who often prefer red wines. (8,500 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: Sip Magazine Best of the Northwest (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Platinum

Platinum • 92 points

Chris Daniel Winery 2018 Petite Sirah, Columbia Valley $32

Lake Breeze Vineyards 2021 Okanagan Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench $31.05

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, tobacco and leather, followed by flavors of plummy dark fruit, cocoa, tobacco, leather and a customary mouth-filling finish of black tea. The back-toback Platinums prove that it is cellarworthy. (69 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Platinum • 92 points

Mellisoni Vineyards 2020 Stillwater Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Royal Slope $75

Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2020 The Wine Project, Idaho 60%, Washington 40% $32

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 cranberry sauce. The remarkably hospitable Mellisons suggest pairing it with rosemary-rubbed lamb, mushroom ragout or fruit crostini with fig and cheese. (94 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

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, Idaho, estate. Aromas hint at ripe cherries, cranberry, cedar, brown sugar and licorice, and there’s no disappointment on the palate, which is creamy on the entry. Velvety tannins are capped by a jammy red fruit finish. (187 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold)

Well into his third decade as a South African making wine on the Naramata Bench, Garron Elmes works with estate vineyards for this deliciously fruity Pinot Noir that’s emblematic of the efforts by vineyard manager Pierre Levesque. Fresh blueberries and strawberry sauce follow up the early greeting of cola and baking spice. Herbal notes akin to bay leaf and Earl Grey tea lead to a complex, lengthy and substantial finish. (496 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: All-Canadian (gold) Platinum • 92 points

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 levels of acidity. (3,104 cases, 14.1% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!) Platinum • 92 points

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

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

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 Pinot Noir from that year, and it gushes with cherry compote and strawberry-rhubarb pie. It’s a jammy expression that brings a sensuous mouth feel and a finish of Herbes de Provence and salinity. (750 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Sunset International (gold), McMinnville (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Stag’s Hollow Winery 2022 Tragically Vidal, Okanagan Valley $20 Best Buy! Sommelier-turned-winemaker Keira LeFranc waits until after the first frost before she harvests this cool-climate hybrid of Trebbiano and Rayon d’Or. During the 2022 “Hail Mary” vintage, that was the first week of November from Parsons Vineyard (Skaha Bench) and Stag’s Hollow Estate Vineyard (Okanagan Falls). Fanciful aromas include lychee, Bartlett pear, pineapple and fresh-baked challah. Inside, it’s succulent with starfruit, palate-coating pear and flakey biscuits. This debutante of an off-dry white wine takes a bow at the end with mouthwatering acidity to expertly balance that midpalate sweetness of 1.5% residual sugar and pairs well with dishes that bring some heat. (1,200 cases, 12.5% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Martinez & Martinez Winery 2019 Dion Carlo Carménère, Horse Heaven Hills $43 This red Bordeaux variety that for decades was believed to be “lost” to the world, has found another home aside from Chile in

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Platinum

Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills. And it makes sense that this family with decades of growing Cab on its estate near Champoux/ Phinny Hill and tending vines at Alder Ridge achieves success with Carménère. The nose curated by Prosser winemaker Andrew Martinez is reminiscent of a Chukar Cherries store, and there’s extra spice from star anise and cracked black pepper. On the palate, there’s intense extraction and beveled tannins to allow for enjoyment of the blackberry jam, baking spices and Italian herbs. (84 cases, 14% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Famici Wine Co. 2020 Vineyard Blend Red Wine, Snake River Valley $45 Boise State geoscientist C.J. Northrup has been a part of the Snake River Valley wine industry for a couple of decades, and his young vineyard along Hoskins Road on the Sunnyslope has proved its maturity with this estate blend that resulted in his first Platinum Award. It’s also another example of the region’s future with Petit Verdot, which at 60% drives the Bordeaux-only melange of Malbec (25%), Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is dark with black cherry, huckleberry jam and black licorice, which includes caramel and tobacco. On the palate, it sports cherries and chocolate from stem to stern as secondary notes of cassis and smoked cedar ride along the smooth tannins. Among the pairing ideas is amaretti cookies, which the Italian theme at Famici. (48 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

Platinum • 92 points

Julian Margot Winery 2021 Nettie Red Wine, Columbia Valley $40 A trip to Niagara inspired clinical laboratory scientist Leah Kellogg to pursue winemaking, and her path to the Washington wine industry led her to work at acclaimed JM Cellars for John Bigelow. This onebarrel effort with 100% Merlot from storied Boushey Vineyards is a product of the second commercial vintage for Julian Margot, and it’s named for a beloved canine. There are scents of cherry candy, cinnamon, allspice and dusty minerality, and they come together on the fullbodied and decadent palate, where a pinch of violets and dried sage lead into a fun finish of Craisin. (26 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Latah Creek Wine Cellars 2022 Lonesome Spring Vineyard Orange Moscato, Yakima Valley $17 Best Buy! Second-generation winemaker Natalie Conway-Barnes reached rarified air during our latest judging by scoring a Platinum for the same aromatic variety from the same second-generation vineyard with back-to-back vintages during the same Platinum Awards tasting. The Morrell family has two blocks planted five years apart, and the Spokane Valley winery captures a great deal of charm with this Muscat, starting with a nose of jasmine, honeydew melon, mango and almond. The palate is full-bodied and dripping with sweet fruit akin to nectarine on the entry, cantaloupe and banana custard on the midpalate, Rainier cherry juice and a long finish of treeripened peach. (370 cases, 6% alc.) Award: International Women’s Wine Competition (gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum • 92 points

Season Cellars 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Southern Oregon $24 This work with the noble white Bordeaux grape reflects Scott Henry IV’s eighth career Platinum, and it’s another reason why Season Cellars remains a go-to source in Southern Oregon for those seeking aromatic white wines. Its theme of Granny Smith apple, ripe pineapple, marzipan, ginger and lemon zest makes for a vivacious and balanced expression of Sauvignon Blanc. The winery’s website includes a recipe for the Season’s Seafood Linguine, which calls for a cup of this wine. (101 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Tsillan Cellars 2022 Dolce Donna White Wine, Columbia Valley $28 The first vintage for Garrett Grubbs as head winemaker at Tsillan Cellars resulted in back-to-back Platinums awards for Dr. Bob Jankelson’s Dolce Donna blend of Muscat (80%) and Riesling in a rare wine made with grapes beyond their Lake Chelan estate. There are pronounced apricot notes on the nose with Red Delicious apple, guava and candied fruits. The profile is predictably fruity, yet brilliantly dry with orange zest, Golden Delicious apple and vanilla yogurt flavors that finish wonderfully with freshly sliced nectarine. (420 cases, 12.2% alc.) Awards: West Coast Wine Competition (best of class), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold)

Platinum

Platinum • 92 points

Platinum • 91 points

Van Westen Vineyards 2020 V Red Wine, Naramata Bench $40

Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2018 Estate Merlot, Walla Walla Valley $36

Viticultural advancement, climate changes and winemaking talent by Rob Van Westen are all reflected in this Platinum-winning Right Bank Bordeaux-inspired blend of Merlot (47%), Cabernet Franc (25%), Malbec (12%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%) and Petit Verdot. It’s the 12th vintage for his Roman 5 blend, dating to 2007, with the plantings of Petit Verdot and Malbec — and most of the vineyards he works with used rootstock. Alluring notes of blueberry preserves, Chukar Cherry, violet, cured meats and salted caramel are tethered within pliable tannins and finished with a pinch of white pepper. (500 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: National Wine Awards of Canada (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Basalt Cellars 2020 Rick’s Red Wine, Washington State $30 Of his 25 career Platinums from Great Northwest Wine, five of those earned by Rick Wasem have been in the past seven years for GSM Rhône blends, including this formulation of Grenache 50%, Syrah 30% and Mourvèdre. This example by the Clarkston, Wash., producer offers delicate aromas of blackberry, cranberry and tomato leaf, followed by a rich reward of black currant, blackberry, vanilla, clove and toasted walnut. The long and smooth ride also brings in a lick of caramelized strawberry. Wasem’s work with GSM also is on display in Washington State University’s limited Cougar IX bottling, which can be found at select Tacoma Boys Markets. (220 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Critics Challenge (best of class/gold)

Pharmacist/winemaker Deborah Hansen proudly promotes the concept of “woman made, woman owned” at the four tasting rooms she operates throughout the Northwest — Walla Walla, Woodinville, Spokane and Lake Oswego, Ore. While she and her husband have Merlot planted at two of their three vineyards, this bottling has focused on their Cougar Hills Vineyard, their original planting. Dark jammy fruit and toasty notes of vanilla, Baker’s chocolate, leather and cedar are cast among high-riding yet smooth tannins. Blackberry acidity complements the structure, providing length to the black cherry theme. (262 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Los Angeles International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Lake Breeze Vineyards 2020 Okanagan Merlot, Naramata Bench $31.63 In 2001, the MacIntyres invested in this British Columbia wine destination that began 16 years earlier with the planting of 14 acres of vineyards — some of the earliest on the bench above Penticton. They recently acquired 2 acres of neighboring land to provide ingredients for menu items at The Patio, which would include grilled pork chops for this impressive Merlot. Black fruit, cloves and leathery aromas are mirrored on the palate that drips with cherry juice across the slaty tannins. Notes of herbs and spice cabinet add to the complex finish. (379 cases, 14% alc.) Award: All-Canadian (gold)

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Platinum

Platinum • 91 points

Platinum • 90 points

Long Shadows Vintners 2019 Pirouette Red Wine, Columbia Valley $70

Whitman Hill Winery 2020 Cabernet Franc, Yakima Valley $25

Among the first recruits by the late Allen Shoup to his Long Shadows project in Walla Walla was Quintessa founder Agustin Huneeus Sr. and that Napa brand’s winemaker — Philippe Melka. They established the Meritage style that Gilles Nicault continues to follow with impeccable craftsmanship, weaving Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (33%), Cabernet Franc (6%), Malbec (3%) and Petit Verdot into a Platinum. Components from Sagemoor sites Dionysus and Weinbau join Cab off Red Mountain for heady aromas of black cherry, black currant, light toast and pencil shavings. Age-worthy tannins are wrapped in velvety layers of cassis and Chukar Cherry, joined by underlying savoriness akin to tapenade on crostini, making for a complex and extra-long finish. (2,515 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class/gold)

For a second straight year, vintner Scott Whitman receives a Platinum from our panel for his work with a red Bordeaux variety. Last year, it was for a sophisticated 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, it’s a stylish Cabernet Franc, an effort that lines up alongside those produced by his neighbors in this higher-elevation portion — 1,400 feet — of the Yakima Valley American Viticultural Area. This release from his first vintage as a vineyard owner near Zillah, Wash., reveals dark blueberries, dried currants, fresh sage and bell pepper, followed by secondary notes of smoked paprika and black pepper. And at $25, it’s among the best values from the 24th Platinum judging. (156 cases, 13.7% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Jones of Washington 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $14.99

Platinum • 91 points

Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Merlot, Lake Chelan $46 Merlot was first planted by Dr. Bob Jankelson in his Lakeside Vineyard in 2001, and then a decade later within his Mountain View Vineyard. This bottling signals the first Platinum for Merlot. It’s redolent of plum, cassis, toast, pepper steak and savory black olive as smooth and rich tannins make for a long and soft finish of cranberry/raspberry. (347 cases, 15.2% alc.) Awards: North Central Washington Wine Awards (best of class), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold)

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Platinum • 90 points

Hamilton Cellars 2019 Estate Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain $40 The Wine Boss winemaking team in downtown Richland, Wash., worked with the Hamilton estate Bel Tramonto, and for a second straight vintage, it earned a Platinum. And it came into this year’s judging as one of the most-decorated Cabernet Francs in the field. Think of blackberry cobbler, fresh Aussie black licorice, a wisp of applewood smoke, pencil shavings and cured meat, wrapped up in a chocolaty tannins. (154 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Sunset International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Best Buy! Victor Palencia’s wizardry with white wines naturally extends to Chardonnay, and his 2022 bottling came in having qualified with a gold medal or better at five regional judgings. This expression reflects a blend of estate fruit from Lauzier Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes with that of Unit 20 on the Wahluke Slope, hence the use of “Columbia Valley” on the bottle. There’s vibrancy to the aromatics, which conjure up thoughts of a summer day breeze in an orchard. Complex flavors of cantaloupe, Meyer lemon rind and Key lime are celebrated with a zippy finish of sunchoke and lemongrass. (2,000 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class/double gold), Savor NW (best of class), Seattle (gold), North Central Washington (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Pomeroy Cellars 2020 Syrah, Yakima Valley $48 Lucia Valley grower/winemaker Dan Brink, a standout producer within the Southwest Washington Winery Association, has now won four Platinums in the past three years. Syrah from storied DuBrul Vineyard has played a supporting role in two earlier Platinums, and here it takes center stage. It exudes notes of black cherry, elderberry, cola and sweet spices, joined by dew-moistened forest duff and rubs of lavender and thyme. (125 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum • 94 points

Bluebird Hill Cellars 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $25 Our Platinum Awards program continues to reaffirm what other regional and national judgings have identified, that the Burgundyinspired portfolio of Neil and Sue Shay is elite. They’ve won nine Platinums in the past four years, and here’s their first for Pinot Gris. Bluebird Hill Vineyard in the Coast Range foothills south of Corvallis is blended with Walnut Ridge Vineyard in the Lower Long Tom American Viticultural Area northwest of Eugene. It’s a classic example of Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley, reminiscent of starfruit and dried daisies on the nose, followed by plantains, white strawberry and more starfruit before a slice of lemon tart. (93 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold) Platinum • 94 points

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Private Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley $17.99 Best Buy! The brothers received formal education in enology (Walter) and viticulture (Gordon), and they let folks know they take an Italian angle to their Pinot Gris program even though they don’t use Grigio on the label. It opens with Bosc pear, lime, honeysuckle and minerality aromas, and those follow through on the palate. There’s a swabbing of sweetness on the midpalate (0.7% residual sugar) that’s managed by Key lime acidity, which allows for some wet stone in the finish. The results are heavenly, yet the bottle price is very down to earth. (3,600 cases, 13%) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

Platinum

Platinum • 93 points

Mercer Estates 2019 Spice Cabinet Vineyard Robert Willis Reserve Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $55

Zerba Cellars 2019 Cockburn Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla $40

A decade ago, Great Northwest Wine named the Mercer 2010 Spice Cabinet Vineyard Malbec as its No. 1 wine on its Top 100 list for 2013. This showing adds evidence that this vineyard overlooking Crow Butte Park and the Columbia River remains a garden spot for Bordeaux variety. Aromas of black and maraschino cherries are joined by tobacco, cocoa, bergamot and Earl Grey tea. Pronounced black fruit flavors are led by cherry and mulberry, and the secondary notes include bergamot, Horse Heaven Hills dust and a fascinating sense of salinity. A lick of dark chocolate helps explain the finish. It’s satisfying on its own, but it will also pair well alongside grilled red meats or fine chocolates. (172 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Sip Magazine Best of Northwest (platinum/best of class) Pacific Rim International (gold). Platinum • 93 points

Milbrandt Family Wines NV Lulu Méthode Contemporaine Blanc de Blanc, Washington State $20 Best Buy! Milbrandt-owned Washington Wine Group earned five Platinums in 2023, and all five are priced at $20 or less, including the Lulu sparkling wines. It’s easy to understand why judges in California awarded these Riesling-led bubbles the gold medals that grew into a Platinum. The fine beads send out notes of peach, honeydew melon, honeysuckle, Pink Lady apple and lemon zest. That zest sits atop the palate for a dry and lifting finish. (1,500 cases, 12% alc.) Awards: Los Angeles Invitational (gold), Sunset International (gold)

One of the Pacific Northwest’s most decorated wineries used this Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Brent Roberts to close in on its 50th career Platinum. This is the third time in four years for the MiltonFreewater, Ore., producer to earn a Platinum for one of its Cabs, and Roberts used contributions of Syrah (11%), Merlot (9%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) to showcase his knack for blending and the versatility of this planting by Cecil Zerba. It’s a Cab redolent of black currant, Bing cherry and violets with forest floor earthiness, Indian spices and candied apple. (508 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Oregon Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 93 points

Basalt Cellars 2018 Estate Cuvée, LewisClark Valley $38 Even though ownership’s two estate vineyards are within the Lewis-Clark Valley American Viticultural Area, founding winemaker/retired pharmacist Rick Wasem has been reluctant to use that AVA on the bottles he’s produced with Lynn DeVleming. Their straightforward blend from the L-C Valley is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot with a profile of Marionberry compote, cherry fruit leather, beurre noisette, grilled cedar plank and black olive. Its round and plush structure comes with a finish of five spice powder. (120 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: San Diego International Winemakers Challenge (gold)

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

Platinum • 93 points

Platinum • 92 points

Capital Call Vintners 2020 Windhorse Vineyard Syrah, Columbia Gorge $42

Armstrong Family Winery 2019 Sally Mac Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $60

This project took root in the Columbia Gorge with acclaimed wine-country geologist Alan Busacca and has grown via collaborations with storied winemakers Rich Cushman (Oregon) and Joshua Maloney (Washington) and Midwest entrepreneurs Steve and Nikki Bruere. Their delicious Cushman-crafted Syrah from this scenic site near the confluence of the Deschutes and Columbia rivers should help with Capital Call’s plans for first-hand experiences in the Walla Walla Valley, where they also have young Wheatfield Vines Vineyard. This Syrah is laced with dried black cherries and black licorice and five spice powder inside a savory, smoky and bold structure. (80 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)

Two-decade-old Clone 8 Cabernet Sauvignon plantings from the Armstrongs’s recently acquired Wheat Ridge Vineyard form the foundation of this blend that began to hit its stride this fall with high scores at two judgings in October — and yielded Timothy Armstrong his first Platinum from our panels. A pair of more famous vineyards in Les Collines and Seven Hills played supporting roles, and the results are engaging and complex. Red plum, muscovado sugar and black olive aromas are joined by flavors of black cherry, espresso, sun-dried tomato and cedar. It’s a full-bodied Cab, bringing smooth tannins and cured meat on the midpalate ahead of the great finish of chocolate-covered cherry. (235 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)

Cathedral Ridge Winery 2020 Elephant Mountain Vineyard Reserve Petite Sirah, Columbia Valley $64

Platinum • 93 points

Chris James Cellars 2020 Barbera, Columbia Valley $45 A decade ago, Christopher and Bethany Barnes began planting their vineyard on the outskirts of Carlton, Ore., and producing wine under their Artem Wine Co., brand. While the Barnes family releases delicious estate wines from Italian varieties they tend near famous Panther Creek, they’ve used Barbera grown in the Walla Walla Valley to win gold medals. This time, that program has gone Platinum. It brings hints of sinfully dark fruits and palpable minerality on the nose. The palate also introduces black licorice, pie cherry and black peppercorns. Mouthwatering acidity and soft, well-integrated tannins allow this Barbera to maintain its precise, fruit-forward proclamation. (104 cases, 15.9% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class/double gold)

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Platinum • 92 points

Bluebird Hill Cellars 2021 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley $25 Recently retired Oregon State University professor Neil Shay shares the winemaking credit for this Platinum-winning Chardonnay with OSU fermentation science grad Nick Cheatham, who spent several vintages at Bluebird Hill. One of two Platinum winners for white wine, this is a blend of their Monroe estate, nearby Stroda Vineyard and Sunrise Vineyard northwest of Eugene. Inviting notes of orange blossom, peach and guava are joined by lightly toasted brioche and citrus pith. Its sendoff is akin to a spoonful of honeydew melon. (105 cases, 13.3% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)

The team of Sonoma-based consultant Michael Sebastiani, owner Robb Bell and the cellar team of Francisco Chairez and Tyler McCafferty have now combined for 13 Platinum winners from our panel in the past three years. Sourcing from acclaimed sites such as Joe Hattrup’s elevated Elephant Mountain in the Yakima Valley has been a key advancement, and this is the Hood River winery’s first Platinum with the muscular red grape native to Rhône. Intense and concentrated helps describe the theme of buttery dark toast, brandied cherries and brambleberry compote, which includes secondary notes of garden spinach, forest floor and sweet hints of basil. (200 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Savor NW (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Cellardoor Winery 2021 The Tower White Wine, American $18 Growing consumer interest in Sauvignon Blanc as a standalone bottling has brought additional attention to classy white Bordeaux blends, and here’s one of the best to come out of Washington — even though the wine was made in Maine. Aaron Peet’s history of working with Sauvignon Blanc (58%) and Sémillon (42%) grown in the Yakima Valley goes Platinum here, and the experience offers a beautiful cherry blossom nose with subtle notes of lime and candied orange. The layered palate includes Granny Smith apple, eucalyptus and a twist of Meyer lemon for a mouthwatering, zesty and long finish. (456 cases, 12.9% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum • 92 points

Jones of Washington 2022 Riesling, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $14.99 Best Buy! For the fifth time in the past decade, the Jones family and Victor Palencia have combined for a Riesling that’s gone Platinum and ranks among the premier values of the judging. The noble grape of Germany has a home in two of the family’s vineyards near Quincy — Lauzier and acclaimed Two Gun — and the aromatic profile includes juicy Bosc pear, apricot and Gala apple with honeydew melon, apple blossoms and crusty baguette. Between the lips, it’s überripe and dripping with those scents inside a mouthcoating structure that’s off-dry, includes a lick of honeycomb for complexity and then a closing burst of lime to awaken the senses that surround this affordable delight. (1,800 cases, 12.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 92 points

King Estate Winery 2021 Inscription Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $20 Best Buy! The Kings recently launched this tier and went nationwide with its promotion, which explains the long list of gold medals that opened the doors to our Platinum Awards. The family’s estate plays a less significant role in the Inscription as more than a dozen vineyards come into play. Still, Brent Stone weaves a deliciously affordable and widely available Pinot Noir, highlighting notes of sweet strawberry, black currant, violets and a rub of eucalyptus. And there’s consistency, too, as the Inscription merited a Platinum for the second time in three vintages. (40,000 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: San Diego

Winemaker Challenge International, Hilton Head International (gold), Critics Challenge (gold), Savor NW (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Maryhill Winery 2021 Otis Vineyard Reserve Albariño, Columbia Valley $26 Our regional tasting panels of folks in the wine trade continue to show that Albariño grown in the Pacific Northwest can gain complexity with a bit of bottle age. Richard Batchelor’s program with the Tudor family proves that once again as this same bottling from the historic Yakima Valley site has earned a Platinum in back-to-back years. Honeysuckle and honeydew melon aromas include river rock and green table grapes. On the palate, it leads with kiwi as honeysuckle notes return with a scrape of lime rind and a slice of ripe hula berry, reflecting its 0.4% residual sugar, a level that’s barely perceptible. (1,970 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Maryhill Winery 2019 Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, Columbia Valley $48 A year ago, a Grenache featuring Gunkel fruit — an estate source for Maryhill — emerged as the No. 1 wine of the Platinum. That vineyard helped produce another of the Northwest’s best examples of the juicy red Rhône, thanks to winemaker Richard Batchelor’s blending with acclaimed Elephant Mountain Vineyard. The 17 months in a barrel program of 30% new French oak leads to sweet mocha scents with beautiful rose petals, freshly sliced ripe strawberries and a

Platinum

whiff of cracked pepper. The bright and juicy palate brings in plum, cinnamon and a touch of cardamom. (531 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Mellisoni Vineyards 2020 Stillwater Creek Vineyards Mellicaia Red Wine Blend, Royal Slope $200 The Mellisons pay a delicious and decadent tribute to the historic approach in Tuscany with Cabernet Sauvignon grown in stony soils by creating this heady proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and Cabernet Franc from one of Washington’s innovative vineyards. It shows investment in French oak with the nose of cocoa powder, cinnamon and cloves alongside black cherry, plum and fig. That dark fruits are realized on the well-structured palate that’s capped by cloves, vanilla and cassis. It’s a beautiful blend that will earn at least four more points with patience in the cellar. (111 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Naumes Family Vineyards 2022 Pinot Noir Rosé, Rogue Valley $30 With a century of farming orchards in Southern Oregon, the Naumes family transitioned 6 acres of its vast holdings into Pinot Noir vines in 2013. Their customcrush operations included bringing on Wente Vineyards-trained Chris Graves as their winemaker, and this marks their first Platinum from the Great Northwest Wine panel. Ripe nectarine, cherry blossom and minerality scents precede ripe pear, cherry pits, basil and a hint of tangerine on the palate that ends with refreshing brightness of red currant. It’s

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

simply a delicious rosé by the family, which begins its second decade near Ashland with an expanded events center and as Naumes Suncrest Winery. (119 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Competition (gold)

off Red Mountain. Dark chocolate, black cherry, fig and vanilla flavors include a lick of cranberry and lingering dried cherry notes. (92 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)

Platinum • 92 points

Platinum • 91 points

Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2022 Estate Green Lizard Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $38

Bayer Family Estate 2018 Brook Horse Chardonnay, Rogue Valley $32

Here is the younger brother of the wine that was voted Best White Wine of North America at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle in January. Its trajectory would seem to have the 2022 Green Lizard set up for additional greatness. These grapes are allowed to gain more sugar than those used for the heady Hefeabzug program, and stainless-steel fermentation makes this expression of Grüner is more giving. The approach is grassy, light and bright with accents of Granny Smith apple, Thompson Seedless grapes, white pepper and an attractive finish of Bananas Foster. (516 cases, 13.1% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold), Sunset International (gold), Cascadia International (gold), San Diego Critics Challenge (gold)

This former cattle ranch near the Rogue River has become an 80-acre estate that Jim Bayer has turned into an equestrian center, and he’s also earned a reputation for work with Italian varieties. And yet his Pheasantbrook Vineyards also has a penchant for Chardonnay as featured within the Brook Horse label, earning its second career Platinum for Chardonnay. This product of a Sept. 28 harvest is showing beautifully. Its buttery nose is joined by melted Lemonhead candy, preceding a zingy palate reminiscent of an Orange Julius, featuring lovely oak integration and a smoothly spicy finish. (250 cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Experience (gold)

Platinum • 92 points

Tipsy Canyon Winery 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $55

Bayernmoor Cellars 2020 Bayernmoor Vineyard Estate Précoce Clone Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $55

Belle Fiore Winery 2020 Estate Icon Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley $35

Chelan Valley winemaker Mark Garvin scores a Platinum for the second straight year with an approachable Cab. However, this bottling hails from prized Quintessence Vineyard — a site that his friend, the late Brock Lindsay, helped him get into. Alluring aromas of blackberry, cooked cherry jam, anise, black pepper, green peppercorn and leather lead to a full-bodied drink with remarkably smooth tannins for a young Cab

The Harris family is achieving exciting results with this early-ripening variety that’s linked to Germany, where it’s known as Frühburgunder. At his estate in Stanwood, Wash., winemaker Larry Harris planted it on phylloxera-resistant rootstock 3309 — an approach that’s very common in the Willamette Valley. The aromatics swirling out are focused on ripe red fruit, dried rose petals, menthol and sea mist. They emerge on the

Rob Folin served our country in the Marines for more than decade prior to spending a string of vintages at now-famous Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills. That early experience with Pinot Noir and his talent continue to be showcased during the Platinum Awards, where he emerged with a top award for the second time in three years. Aromas of ripe red fruit, hibiscus and a pinch of herbs lead to flavors of Haribo Happy Cherries, sarsaparilla and

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Platinum • 91 points

palate with cherry and boysenberry as minor notes of clove and leather are wrapped in lower-level tannin for a sweet finish that’s worth savoring. (111 cases, 12.3% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (double gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Belle Fiore Winery 2020 Icon Barbera, Rogue Valley $43 Southern Oregon winemaker Rob Folin notches a Platinum for an Italian red variety for the third straight year from Ed Kerwin’s estate vineyard nestled near the Oregon/ California border. Thoughts inspired by the aromas include sun-warmed stones at an Italian villa, licorice, blackberry and cherry. Those notes expand on the palate to include black pepper and a hint of dried herbs. There’s gorgeous integration with the smooth structure. At the winery’s kitchen serving on its Mountainview Terrace, enjoy it with the Sicilian Lamb Meatballs. (149 cases, 14.7% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Herbes de Provence within a silkysmooth structure. (214 cases, 13.3% alc.) Award: Denver International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Camaraderie Cellars 2020 Grâce Red Wine, Columbia Valley $45 Three of the past four vintages of Grâce — and four times in the history of Platinum Awards — have gone Platinum. Such success is a tribute to owner/winemaker Don Corson and his Right Bank-inspired work with the Merlot-led Bordeaux blends and years of collaboration with growers such as Kent Waliser of Sagemoor’s Bacchus, Dionysus and Gamache vineyards. It’s a remarkable interplay of Old World approach and new French oak that’s revealed with coffee house scents, cassis, green bell pepper and eucalyptus. Bing cherry joins them on a palate that’s smooth and delicious with buttery caramel, rosemary and cinnamon. (209 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Cardwell Hill Cellars 2022 Estate Rosé from Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $25 Dan Chapel’s program featuring an estate vineyard that celebrated its 40th year of life in 2023 earned its 17th career Platinum this past fall. All of those have been with Pinot Noir, yet this is the first for a rosé by our 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year. The blend of Pommard (80%) and Dijon 777 clones was harvested specifically for rosé, and its light aromas of light cherry and peach matches what’s experienced on the medium-bodied palate. It’s a rosé offering a mouth-watering finish with a splash of Montmorency cherry. (274 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold)

Platinum

Platinum • 91 points

Chelan Ridge Winery 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake Chelan $49

DeLille Cellars 2020 Minuit Red Wine, Yakima Valley $60

The Swaynes wisely retained Chelan Ridge’s longtime vineyard manager Enrique Hernandez when they purchased the 11-acre planting in 2021. Hernandez’s skill is on display with this delicious, full-bodied Cab that the Swaynes have also credited to Jeff Crowder, the winemaker educated by Washington State University who helped this picturesque property near Manson, Wash., win a Platinum for a fourth different Bordeaux red variety. Aromas of dark chocolate, caramelized cherry, vanilla bean, bubble gum and anise transition onto a palate of Craisin, Montmorency cherry and dark plum with notes of honeycomb and toasted almond. (159 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Jason Gorski, Nick Bernstein and their team have picked up multiple Platinum Awards from our panels in each of the past four years. This is their first with Minuit, previously a clubonly blend of Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon from standout vineyards Quintessence on Red Mountain that now includes legendary Red Willow. The results are splendid and dark — minuit is French for midnight — with notes of dried cherries, cranberry, kiwi and bell pepper among lingering spice notes of black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. (1,335 cases, 14.2% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2022 Old Vines Auxerrois, Golden Mile Bench $16.99

Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021 Verhey Vineyard Malbec, Washington $28 This newly released Malbec impressed the West Coast wine buyers and sommeliers who met in the Columbia Gorge for the Great Northwest Invitational, and it went on to win winemaker Coco Umiker a fourth career Platinum for her work with the juicy Bordeaux grape. It’s a suave example out of the Yakima Valley, packed full of flavors and showy with cassis, Craisin, golden raspberry, violets and well-integrated tannins. (245 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class/gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Best Buy! This vintage delivered to this Okanagan Valley icon its 12th Platinum just for Auxerrois, a remarkably long honor roll that includes the past two vintages. A grape that thrives in Alsace, it produces a wine with subtle notes of chamomile, a freshly mowed fairway and star thistle honey. The fluid is light-bodied with more chamomile, Bosc pear, a lick of caramel and a long, lemony finish. Suggested fare includes consommé, creamy dishes and scallops. (2,000 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), AllCanadian Wine Competition (gold)

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum • 91 points

Gordon Estate 2020 Tradition Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley $40 The Gordon family is on the cusp of 45 years tending vines overlooking the Snake River and the westernmost tip of Walla Walla County, and here is their sixth Platinum focused on either estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. This blend by Washington State University grad Joe Hudon leans toward Right Bank Bordeaux with components Merlot (41%), Cabernet Sauvignon (31%) and Malbec (21%). The outlier is the influence of Syrah (7%), which adds a sense of blackberry jam and juiciness within the theme of black cherry, bergamot and leather. That midpalate jamminess behind the hefty structure from plum-skin tannins makes for a satisfying and regal finish. (120 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Hamilton Cellars 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $42 The shared vision of the late Russ and Stacy Hamilton for the promise of their vineyards on Red Mountain continues to be proven as this bottling is one of three estate wines featuring Bordeaux varieties to receive a Platinum Award for the second straight vintage. Here’s a sumptuous and summery Cabernet Sauvignon, jammy and fruit-forward with Bing cherry, cassis and boysenberry, backed by touches of gunpowder tea and cedar. And on the horizon is the new Hamilton Cellars satellite tasting room within the Port of Everett’s emerging Waterfront Place. (200 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Sunset

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Platinum

International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (double gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Hester Creek Estate Winery 2022 Viognier, Okanagan Valley $23.99 Great Northwest Wine’s reigning British Columbia Winery of the Year continues to wow West Coast critics with its Viognier program. Mark Hopley earned a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle for the 2021 vintage, and he pulled down one of the few Platinums our panel awarded to the finicky white Rhône grape in 2023. This bottling from Hester Creek’s Storied Series was harvested Oct. 3-4 off two vineyards near Oliver — Stone’s Throw and Pandher Farms — and it opens with tropical fruit aromas, honeydew melon and citrus rind. There’s a bit of roundness on the entry with mango, which is followed by ripe stone fruit that’s ahead of a finish which brings salinity and melon rind. Suggested pairings include seafood and a mild Szechuan sweet pepper/tofu stir fry. (654 cases, 12.4% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class/double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Holesinsky Winery NV IdaPeach Peach Sangria, Idaho $14 Best Buy! Hagerman Valley chemists/ winemakers James and Caitlin Holesinsky use their blend of Chardonnay and local peaches as a gateway for those new to wine. Now, it has grown into one of the Gem State’s most popular wines. Tantalizing scents of a big, juicy and ripe peach are realized on the toothsome palate that’s round, balanced and long. Production has more than doubled since the pandemic, and now the bottles — which

continue to feature the frolicsome label designed by a breast cancer survivor — can carry a Platinum Award sticker. (7,000 cases, 12.5% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class/gold) Platinum • 91 points

Kiona Vineyards & Winery 2021 Estate Lemberger, Red Mountain $19 Best Buy! Third-generation winemaker Tyler Williams honors the legacy of the late Walter Clore in compelling fashion with this bottling of the Austrian red grape. It spotlights a project dating to 1976 that was encouraged by the storied Washington State University researcher. There are now 13 acres of Lemberger grown across family-owned blocks planted in four different decades, and the distinctly foodfriendly red broadcasts notes of blue and black fruit with hints of rye bread, cinnamon-enrobed dark cherry, fruitcake and a finish of white pepper and rosemary. The bottle also comes with a request by the clan — ”World class in lighter glass. Please recycle.” (3,571 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Maryhill Winery 2020 Heart of the Hill Kiona Vineyards Petite Sirah, Red Mountain $50 For the second time in five years, Richard Batchelor pulls down a Platinum for his work with Petite Sirah — this time from the Williams family’s 148-acre HOTH site they established in 2006. It was also Batchelor’s third Platinum in 2023 with a red Rhône variety. This can serve as a prototype for Petite Sirah, a nose filled with black plum, black currant and dried Bing cherry fruit, joined by toast, baking spices and pencil shavings from the new French oak. The palate is dripping with blackberry and

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

pomegranate, backed by savory porcini mushrooms and laced with muscular tannins. Wowza! (280 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Mercer Wine Estates 2020 Subsoil Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $19.95 Best Buy! Ste. Michelle alumna Ashley Stephens has worked for the Mercer family for a decade, and this vintage signaled her promotion to winemaker, taking over for Jeremy Santo. All six of the Platinum winners won by the Mercers in 2023 were for red Bordeaux varieties, and here’s another stunning value. The nose opens with intense hints of dark cherry and plum reduction sauce, joined by cedar, leather and vanilla bean. There’s a sense of decadence to the structure of mountain berry marmalade and rich chocolate, supported by a full mouthfeel, persistent tannins and a red currant finish. (2,874 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: International Women’s Wine Competition (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Poplar Grove Winery 2020 The Legacy Red Wine, Okanagan Valley $70 The Holler family used 5 acres of Merlot to help establish their first vineyard, so it’s fitting their longtime winemaker, Stefan Arnason, takes a Right Bank Bordeaux approach with this Meritage-style blend of Merlot (34%), Cabernet Sauvignon (31%), Cabernet Franc (24%) and Malbec. His selection from among the 140 acres of estate vines made for aromas and flavors of chocolate-covered cherries, Earl Grey black tea and bay leaf. Supple tannins are led out by a sense of Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate. (1,326 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: New York

Platinum

World Wine & Spirits Competition (gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Tsillan Cellars 2020 Estate Syrah, Lake Chelan $50

Spangler Vineyards 2019 The Terraces Petite Sirah, Southern Oregon $39 Our 2018 Oregon Winery of the Year earns a third career Platinum for its Petite Sirah program, and Pat Spangler has been working with the red Rhône grape long enough that early on he had to label it as “Durif” for a time. Its brooding nose of dark cocoa, black cherry, black tea and saddle leather leads to varietally correct intense sensations of Bing cherry, Baker’s chocolate and tobacco. Spangler’s touch in the cellar makes for expertly integrated tannins and a decadent finish of cordial cherries enrobed in bittersweet chocolate. (137 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class), San Francisco Chronicle (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Spoiled Dog Winery 2021 Whidbey Sunset Red Blend, Yakima Valley $26 While the Krug family specializes in Pinot Noir grown within the Puget Sound American Viticultural Area, they continue to strike gold and mine Platinum for their proprietary red blends. This work is with Syrah (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Merlot, and each variety has found a home at Crawford Vineyard near Prosser, Wash. Here’s a luscious red that opens with aromas of fresh-baked cherry pie, sweet spices and a hint of burnt sugar. That’s followed with more of the same — cherry compote with baking spices and milk chocolate. The Syrah gives it a sexy body, while the Bordeaux components add lasting structure. (62 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Among the success stories surrounding Dr. Bob Jankelson’s two south-shore vineyards is Syrah, and this marks the eighth time in the past 12 vintages for Tsillan Cellars having achieved Platinum for a standalone bottling of the Rhône red. Such consistency is a testament to longtime vineyard manager Bal Flores, who scrutinizes the Syrah plantings in both vineyards. Red and black licorice meets cranberry-cherry compote for a velvety crescendo of leather, wet cedar and cardamom. (420 cases, 15.3% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold). Platinum • 91 points

VanArnam Vineyards 2020 Estate Reserve Merlot, Yakima Valley $35 The VanArnams continue to prove that the Gilbert Road vineyard they established in 2007 is providing home-grown winemaker Branden Seymour with the fruit to produce some of the region’s top red wines as they have now received a Platinum for work from three consecutive vintages. Aromas from four barrels of Merlot include cherry candy, cocoa, baking spice, sweet tobacco and eucalyptus. Black fruits are found on the opulent attack where cocoa, cinnamon and sarsaparilla lead to a velvety finish from which lightly toasted oak peeks out. (100 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (gold), Savor NW (gold)

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

Platinum • 91 points

Platinum • 90 points

Yakima Valley Vintners 2019 Science Fair Carménère, Yakima Valley $28

Cinder Wines 2021 Syrah, Snake River Valley $37

Lone Point Cellars 2020 Last Point Reserve Red Wine, Red Mountain $50

This brand reflects the teaching winery for Yakima Valley College, which also operates tasting rooms on its Grandview, Wash., campus and along Yakima’s Knob Hill Boulevard. The wines achieve high marks at national competitions, and they’ve earned eight Platinums in the past four years. Here is their first for Carménère. The grapes from Pontin Del Roza produce a wine that provides classic notes of green peppercorns, moist earth and freshly mown hay leading to flavors of cassis, cranberry and nutmeg within a balanced structure. (48 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2019 Destiny Ridge Vineyard Estate Alderdale Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $42 It’s been more than 60 years since the government shuttered the Alderdale post office near the erstwhile railroad station, but this area named for Alder Creek has earned a pin on the Washington wine industry map for grapes grown nearby. Jarrod Boyle pays homage to that history with this Cab that’s modestly priced compared with wines sold by others grown in this region. From his Block 5 parcel, the program of 18 months in 40% new French oak set the mood that includes black fruit, freshly ground coffee and carob. Its plush approach includes anisette and white pepper. (588 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

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Melanie Krause’s winemaking has helped critics and consumers learn that Rhône varieties — red and white — thrive in the high-and-dry terroir of the Snake River Valley. Her blending of Syrah from arid Sawtooth Vineyard and Sunnyslope site Williamson Vineyard serves as another delicious reminder. Layers of ripe cherry and Craisin include herbal tones, cured meat and baking spices, which are wrapped within smooth tannins and a long finish of spicy cherry. Suggested pairings include pork loin with cooked blackberries and thyme or cumin-spiced leg of lamb with a pomegranate chutney. (783 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Idaho Wine Competition (best of class/double gold) Platinum • 90 points

Hedges Family Winery 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $40 The Auction of Washington Wines presented its 2023 Healthy Land, Healthy Communities Award to the Hedges family as a result of its certified Biodynamic practices, and the winery also is home to a glass recycling station. But the wine that Sarah Hedges Goedhart helps farm across their five vineyards and put in bottles is world-class and among the state’s most age-worthy. Her latest Platinum winner is a product of the family’s 33rd vintage, and it aligns with the restrained and balanced house style as red and blue fruit are joined by green peppercorns, moist earth, brown rice tea and cacao. (1,611 cases, 14% alc.) Award: TEXSOM International (gold)

Longtime orchardists Jim and Dana Davis have created an elevated experience and wine destination near the confluence of the Columbia and Okanogan rivers, and their connections to winemaker Jessica Munnell and Shaw Vineyards on Red Mountain have led to this first Platinum for Lone Point Cellars. The expressive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Malbec (20%), Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc casts out aromas of black fruit, fig paste, vanilla bean, clove, anise, supple leather and cherry pipe tobacco. It’s gorgeously sumptuous on the palate, where the dark fruit, white pepper and bell pepper notes receive a gentle kick of cellar-worthy tannins ahead of vanilla paste in the farewell. (173 cases, 14% alc.) Award: North Central Washington Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Maryhill Winery 2021 Classic Rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $21 Seven times Maryhill’s rosé program has gone on to win a Platinum Award, and this could be labeled as a vineyard-designate rosé because it was 100% from Tudor Hills in the Yakima Valley — a breadbasket for winemaker Richard Batchelor. Its complex profile ranges from pink grapefruit, kiwi and cherry tomatoes and a hint of salinity. Despite the listed residual sugar (0.9% residual), it is more savory and tangy in its finish of pink strawberry. (4,928 cases, 13% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum • 90 points

Mercer Estates Winery 2013 Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills $35

Platinum • 90 points

Zerba Cellars 2020 Cockburn Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley $40

This same wine earned a Platinum in 2016, and the Mercer family entered it into the Seattle Wine Awards’ 2023 Diamond of the Decade judging. It remains a legacy of Jessica Munnell, whose winemaking helped Mercer Estates receive Wine Press Northwest’s Washington Winery of the Year award in 2016. This wellbalanced Merlot has complex aromas and flavors of dark cherry, red currant, figs, eucalyptus, tomato leaf, bell pepper, mint chocolate and leather. Medium tannins lead to a beautifully smooth finish. (322 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)

Six of the 47 career Platinums won by this Oregon winery have been for Cabernet Franc, which makes Cecil Zerba’s 1,300-foot elevation Jon Cockburn Ranch Vineyard one of the Northwest’s premier sites for a grape more celebrated in the Loire Valley than Bordeaux. Brent Roberts, a graduate of Washington State University’s wine program, began at Zerba Cellars in 2014, and this is the fourth Platinum for a wine that Franc has played a role in. Understated aromas of cinnamon, red currant, pumice and sweet herbs lead to ripe red berries, dried Lucy Glo apple chips and Italian herbs — all within a suave structure. (323 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Platinum • 90 points

Platinum • 94 points

Palencia Wine Co. 2022 El Viñador Albariño, Columbia Valley $25

Barnard Griffin Winery 2022 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $15

The reserve tier that pays tribute to Victor Palencia’s father — the vine tender — takes this expression of the Spanish white grape down a slightly more rounded approach in terms of texture. Notes of white peach, baked Bosc pear drizzled with honey, daisies and lemon zest leave just enough room for the faint hint of minerality provided by famed Evergreen Vineyard in the Ancient Lakes region. Palencia operates two tasting rooms — the Palencia Bodega in West Richland and Vino la Monarcha at the Port of Kennewick’s Columbia Gardens. (200 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class, gold)

Best Buy! The most widely available Chardonnay to earn a 2023 Platinum also goes down as one of the best values of the judging. Fruit from a handful of historic vineyards — including Gamache and Olsen Brothers — undergoes stainless steel fermentation (67%) and neutral oak fermentation (33%) to make for a style that Rob Griffin has built a nationwide audience for, referring to it as “the girl who brought us to the dance.” Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, starfruit and light butter aromas lead to complex flavors of ripe pear, fresh-pressed apples and slight creaminess from the partial malolactic fermentation. That pleasing mouthfeel still allows for secondary notes of salinity and minerality to peek out in the finish. (9,400

Platinum

cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2019 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $60 The courtship of Larry and Kim Harris as two young attorneys in the Bay Area included weekend getaways to Napa, so it’s no surprise they maintain a love affair with Cabernet Sauvignon. Accolades for their program that spotlights storied Klipsun Vineyard include a pair of 2023 Platinums. This Cab exudes Red Mountain terroir with rich cherry cola and sagebrush, chased by secondary notes of sauteed crimini, oregano, forest floor and fresh-brewed coffee. Its tannins are expertly managed for such young red from this AVA. (94 cases, 14.5% alc) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Savor NW (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Brandborg Vineyard and Winery 2022 Pinot Gris, Elkton Oregon $18 Best Buy! It was more than 20 years ago when Bay Area native Terry Brandborg was encouraged by Abacela founder Earl Jones to explore the potential for the Umpqua River town of Elkton. More than a dozen Platinums for work with cool-climate varieties have followed under the Brandborg brand, and he’s produced other Platinums for his clients. Here’s a classic example of his talent, blending Pinot Gris from Anindor and Elk Valley vineyards into a crowd-pleasing drink of Mandarin orange, tangy strawberry, honeysuckle and orange blossom tea. (980 cases, 13.3% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Competition (gold)

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TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

2023 Platinum Awards judges/ facilitators BY ERIC DEGERMAN The folks who awarded the Platinums are Gary Hayes, proprietor SavorNW/Explorer Media Group, Inc., Cannon Beach, Ore.; Clinton Hoiland, owner/operator of Twisted Vine Wine Tours, Lewiston, Idaho; Northern Idaho on- and off-premise sales for Idaho Wine Merchant; Ellen Landis, certified sommelier/ journalist, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Dr. Richard Larsen, research winemaker/ enologist emeritus, Washington State University, Puyallup, Wash.; Kimberlea Miller, chef/writer/owner, Wildflower Barrelhouse Wine Bar, North Bend, Wash.; Stephen Reustle, director of winemaking/co-owner, Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore.; Ken Robertson, associate editor/columnist, Great Northwest Wine; Alexis Sells, winemaker/owner, Adelia Wine Cellars, Yakima, and Steven Sinkler, owner/ vintner, The Wine Shack and Puffin Wines, Cannon Beach, Ore. Chief judges were Sonnay Alvarez, owner/marketing director, Altanto Vino, Boise, Idaho; Amberleigh Brownson, certified sommelier, business development specialist for Bellingham (Wash.) Alive! Magazine, and Sharon Jordan, editor, Foothills Magazine, Wenatchee, Wash. Judging coordinators were Mike Rader, Kennewick, and Kim Wolfe, Snohomish. Facilitators were Fernando Alvarez, Moses Lake; Traci Degerman, Richland; Helen Moir, Chesaw, Wash.; Katie Marple, Richland, Wash.; Paul Sinclair, Sunriver, Ore., Renee Staat, Kennewick; Danny Staat, Kennewick, Lisa Veinpel, Vernon, British Columbia, and Barb Wendlendt, Richland. For the list of qualifying competitions, go to GreatNorthwestWine.com/ platinum-awards for more information.

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Platinum

Platinum • 92 points

Cellardoor Winery 2018 The Buoy Special Release Red Wine, American $18

Ryan Patrick Wines 2021 Rock Island Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $21

Best Buy! In the past five years, our judging gained interest in the state of Maine because of the 20 Platinum medals won by Aaron Peet, who burnished his skills by going through the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program. That time in Washington helped him identify some of the top vineyards he would work with. This unique Rhône-heavy blend of Mourvèdre (76%) from Six Prong Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills includes contributions by the Miller family’s Airport Ranch in the Yakima Valley for Syrah (19%) and Petit Verdot (5%). That combination created one of the most expressive red wines of the judging with aromas and flavors of blackberry, bell pepper, gunpowder tea, tobacco and warm spices. Black tea tannins and elderberry juice make for a zesty imprint on the finish of this brooding and full-bodied Rhône-ish red. (427 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Hightower Cellars 2020 Out of Line Vineyard Red Wine, Red Mountain $60 Near the north end of Sunset Road, the Hightowers grew and crafted with impeccable balance their sixth Platinum-winning blend. This four-barrel effort reflects the vines they finished planting across their Red Mountain estate in 2005, a Left Bank-inspired melange of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (25%) and Petit Verdot. Classic notes of plum, black currant, cherry tobacco and vanilla bean are joined by toasted sage, dried pineapple and powdered ginger (96 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Lake Chelan Winery 2020 Bell Vineyard Malbec, Lake Chelan $59 One of Washington state’s rising star winemakers is Oscar Castillo, and his skill with red Bordeaux varieties has netted this Manson winery its first Platinum for parent company Lake Chelan Trading Co. The fragrances of black cherry, pomegranate, leather and black pepper lead to flavors of black fruit leather, black licorice and black tea, which come wrapped within a structure of medium tension. Order a glass with the Royal Ranch Bacon Burger when the on-premise BBQ in the Vineyard reopens after Mother’s Day. (217 cases, 13.8% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Cascadia International (gold)

Butch Milbrandt and winemaker Kendall Mix use the crowd-pleasing Rock Island tier under the Ryan Patrick brand to remind folks that Chardonnay can be made in an easy-to-enjoy style. They pull fruit from Milbrandt vines planted in the Ancient Lakes and the Wahluke Slope for a drink reminiscent of cantaloupe, pear, candied apple and Mandarin orange. It’s fruit-forward and refreshing while still offering the opportunity to appreciate Ancient Lakes minerality. The arrival of quince makes for a zesty finish that surrounds the barrel fermentation (25%) on the midpalate. (483 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: North Central Washington Wine Awards (best of class/gold) Platinum • 92 points

Sin Banderas Wines 2019 Syrah Mourvèdre, Yakima Valley $36 Owen Roe winemaker Jacki Evans began this award-winning side hustle nearly a decade ago, naming the brand she launched with three friends for the Spanish phrase that translates to “without flags.” She’s the Texan in the project that began as “cultivated by a Mexican, cellared by a Frenchman and distributed by a Washingtonian.” Here’s their first Platinum from us, and the Southern Rhônish-blend of Outlook Syrah and Olsen Brothers Mourvèdre is spicy and bright yet plush as black pepper, cherries and lingonberry jam lead into a finish of vanilla and blackberry. It’s not surprising the 2020 vintage of this (no G)SM already has qualified for the 25th annual Platinum Awards. (150 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Sip Magazine Best of the Northwest (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Van Westen Vineyards 2021 Viscous Riesling, Naramata Bench $23 This multi-generation farm near Penticton, British Columbia, has been growing grapes since 1999, but the clone 21B Riesling for this bottling came from 2016 plantings at their Home Lot. Their Sept. 29 harvest led to this off-dry yet balanced drink of Golden Delicious apple, Rainier cherry and lavender honey that’s finished with tangerine and nectarine. (264 cases, 11.6% alc.) Awards: British Columbia Lt. Governor’s Awards (platinum), National Wine Awards of Canada (gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging Platinum • 91 points

Amaterra Wines 2019 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $45 A decade ago, Matt Vuylsteke oversaw first the establishment of the Nistlers’ 12-acre Swede Hill Vineyard west of downtown Portland and then their winemaking team. Amaterra’s flagship Pinot Noir is an assemblage of four growing regions with three clones taking the lead — Dijon 115 (49%), Pommard (20%) and Wädensvil. Scents of cherry cola, brown sugar, mixed berries and anise funnel into a bright palate of raspberry and cassis that includes leather and tobacco. The complexity carries beyond the burst of blueberry and spice cookies at the close. Within its first year of Amaterra’s opening, a Portland Business Journal poll ranked the stunning on-premise restaurant among the city’s best, and the suggested pairing with this Platinum-winning Pinot Noir is executive chef Jami Flatt’s Oven-Roasted Salmon. (737 cases, 13.1% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold), Sunset International (gold), McMinnville (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2020 Celilo Vineyard Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge $30 This young brand in Woodinville with estate vines near Stanwood, Wash., has earned three Platinum awards in the past two years with Burgundy varieties from Celilo Vineyard — a 50-year-old site across the Columbia River from Hood River, Ore. Winemaker/coowner Larry Harris’ work with Wente clone Chardonnay planted in 1990 is reminiscent of orchard fruit, melted caramel, fresh churros and white pepper. A sliver of ginger finishes this with a bang, yielding Harris with a Platinum with Celilo Chardonnay for backto-back vintages. (175 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2022 Bayernmoor Vineyard Estate Clone Précoce White Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $35 For just the second time in its 24-year history, our panel has awarded a Platinum to a white Pinot Noir, and it resulted in winemaker Larry Harris’ second Platinum for white wine in 2023. The hand-harvesting on Oct. 20 and

fermentation program of stainless steel and French oak casts out notes of jasmine, white wedding cake and lemon chiffon. (100 cases, 13.1% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Chris James Cellars 2020 Cuvée Rouge Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $49 Our 2022 Oregon Winery of the Year developed a remarkable blend of three Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot — with equal amounts of three Rhône grapes (Mourvèdre, Syrah and Petite Sirah) that resulted in the first proprietary red by grower/winemaker/ owner Chris Barnes to merit a Platinum. Enticing aromas of strawberry, cassis and crème brûlée crust lead to a full-bodied drink with soft tannins featuring flavors of chocolate-covered pomegranate and red plum. It’s capped by a piquant finish. (168 cases, 15.4% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Coyote Canyon Winery 2020 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills $36 For the second time in four years, this Prosser, Wash., winery with more than 1,300 acres of vines has produced one of the top Merlots of the Platinum Awards. It’s made deliciously approachable by Justin Michaud, filling the nose and tickling the tongue with blackberry compote and light toast, forest floor bramble and pipe tobacco. Cherry-skin tannins and a complex finish gather up orange zest and vanilla bean. (100 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: Denver International (double gold), Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Faith, Hope and Charity Vineyards 2021 La Crescent, Oregon $45 It’s becoming more common for hybrids developed in the U.S. to gather gold medals from knowledgeable international panels on the West Coast, yet there are few hybrids grown in the Northwest. Monkey Face Vineyards in the Central Oregon community of Terrebone and Southern Oregon winemaker Linda Donovan wowed California judges with this La Crescent, and then came a Platinum for this winery that showcases eight winter-hardy varieties, including this University of Minnesota cross of St. Pépin and Black Muscat. Fresh-cut peaches, a dried floral bouquet and seabreeze aromas lead to a palate that scoops out yellow grapefruit segments and includes a sense of salinity, petrol, pineapple and lychee. While off-dry, there’s ample acidity to pair with spicy Asian fare. (88 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Sunset International (double gold)

Platinum

Platinum • 91 points

Intrigue Wines 2022 Social Sparkling Wine, Okanagan Valley $20.60 Best Buy! Kerner, a German cross of Riesling and Trollinger, has a legacy at two historic British Columbia wineries that Roger Wong worked at — Gray Monk and Tinhorn Creek — and it takes a significant role in this blend with Riesling and Gewürztraminer and Muscat Canelli. For the fourth time, Wong earned a Platinum with his Social program, and the conversation begins with notes of lavender, vanilla bean and fresh linen. Flavors of tangerine, honeycomb and lemon rind come together on a bouncy palate with a refined effervescent finish that shows itself as a touch more dry than Wong’s I Do Rosé sparkling. (4,200 cases, 11.5% alc.) Awards: British Columbia Lt. Governor’s (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Iris Vineyards 2020 House Call Red Blend, Oregon $19.99 Best Buy! For the second straight vintage, Aaron Lieberman picks up a Platinum for his House Call proprietary red that’s a tribute to co-owner Richard Boyles’ grandfather. It’s a remarkable value that leans Right Bank Bordeaux with Merlot (37%), Cabernet Franc (36%), Malbec (14%) and Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes from across the state — Folin and Pheasant Hill in the Rogue Valley and Firethorn in the Columbia Valley. Complex aromas range from raspberry and black cherry to thoughts of shopping inside a humidor. The very fruity flavors touch upon strawberry, Craisin and Bing cherry with silky tannins and a quaffable finish of brown sugar and vanilla bean. (1,694 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Great American International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

JM Cellars 2021 Shaw Ridge Vineyard Thirty Six Degree Red Wine, Red Mountain $58 John Bigelow and his crew at their young winemaking facility in Maltby earned a pair of Platinum Awards for their work with red Rhône varieties. Here, it’s a MSG blend of Mourvèdre (40%), Syrah (28%) and Grenache from the late Dick Shaw’s site planted at an incline of 36 degrees. The juice offers rewarding aromas and long flavors of black currant, blackberry and plum with cigar tobacco and zesty spices, framed by a mouth-filling structure that strikes balance. Suggested pairings include fish tacos, pulled pork sliders, black bean burgers and — when chilled a bit — chips and salsa or crudités featuring hummus. (387 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 65

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

Platinum • 91 points

Jones of Washington 2019 Estate Vineyards Merlot, Wahluke Slope $15.99

Los Rocosos Vineyards 2020 Arenas Suaves Estate Red Blend, Walla Walla Valley $48

Best Buy! Each of the five 2023 Platinum winners made by Victor Palencia for the Jones family fit under our “Best Buy!” tier, including this marvelous Merlot. This is the second time in four years for this blend of Unit 20 and 26 vineyards to make our Platinum honor roll. Dark cherry, black licorice, cracked black pepper and chalkboard dust are gathered together in a velvet structure. (248 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold)

Inspired by the movie Bottle Shock, Roger Lemstrom’s midlife introduction to wine has led him to a 7-acre vineyard in “The Rocks” — so he used the Spanish translation for his project in Milton-Freewater, Ore., which has him selling most of his grapes to boutique wineries in the Walla Walla Valley. This non-traditional blend of Garnacha (in that spirit we’ll use the Spanish word for Grenache) and Sangiovese (33%) led to his first career Platinum, and it’s juicy, fruity and complex. Racy notes of boysenberry and cinnamon are met with red plum-skin tannins and sophisticated finish of fig and bay leaf. (97 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Competition (gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Julian Margot Winery 2021 Pyretta Red Blend, Columbia Valley $46 Merlot and Boushey Vineyards in the Yakima Valley played a role in both Platinum Awards earned this past fall by Leah Kellogg, whose background includes a career in medical laboratory science, a master’s degree in winemaking from Missouri State and employment at JM Cellars in Woodinville. This blend of Syrah (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) with Merlot is loaded with fruitiness akin to black cherry, blueberry and cassis, joined by secondary notes of cinnamon oil, dried rose petals, pine forest and mint. There’s harmony to be enjoyed on the palate that checks out smoothly. (95 cases, 15.1% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Long Shadows Vintners 2019 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $75 Napa Valley maverick Randy Dunn and Walla Walla’s Gilles Nicault target historic Sagemoor sites Dionysus and Weinbau for this Cab that closes out 2023 as one of Washington state’s most acclaimed in recent years — including a spotlight from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. There’s opulence to the dark and inky nose of blackberry jam, black cherry, pencil shavings and Tahitian vanilla. Big, broad and sweet plum-skin tannins, enhanced by the barrel program of 85% new French oak, ride alongside those black fruit flavors. Dunn’s thumbprint of herbaceousness that’s woven into his Howell Mountain Cabs carries over here, and the influence of gravel dust reveals some influence of the Horse Heaven Hills, too. Butter cream and nutmeg also meet up in the spicy, long and delicious finish. (3,840 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class/gold), Cascadia International (double gold)

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Platinum • 91 points

Mercer Family Vineyards 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $25 National distribution is another reason why wineries enter judgings beyond the Pacific Northwest, and a lofty score for this stately Cab helped the Mercers and their winemaker Ashley Stephens, vice-chair of the Washington Wine Technical Group, to win winery of the year acclaim at the New York International Wine Competition. It’s a classic expression of Horse Heaven Hills reds, filled with Chukar Cherry, raspberry jam, toasted coconut and warm chocolate chip cookies. (1,621 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Öömrang Hüs 2021 Estate Siegerrebe, Puget Sound $65 For the second straight year and backto-back vintages, Christine Stoecklein has proved to be one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier talents with the charming, foodfriendly grape known in Germany as “victory wine.” Orange blossoms, yellow grapefruit and Lemonhead candy lead to a chain of flavors ranging from nectarine and apricot to cherry pepper and honeycomb — all balanced by a burst of Rainier cherry juice. Stoecklein’s manicured 100-acre estate with a view of Camano Island also is home to the internationally acclaimed distillery that she also operates herself, featuring eau de vie from orchard fruit she grows. (500 cases, 12.2% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Rolling Hills Vineyard 2020 Sangiovese, Snake River Valley $35 Considering his surname and his focus, it’s natural for Mark Pasculli and his young brand

to score gold medals in two international judgings for his Sangiovese and see it turn Platinum. This marks the fourth Platinum in three years for our 2023 Idaho Winery to Watch, and it’s an exemplary example of the variety. Aromatics include dried cherries, oregano, roasted tomatoes and intense hints of espresso and resin. On the palate, it’s flirtatious, masculine and complex with those same notes while picking up white pepper and chilies. (124 cases, 13.3% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Sigillo Cellars 2020 Sangiovese, Yakima Valley $36 For years, the Morrell family at Lonesome Spring Ranch has collaborated with the Seals on their Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier programs, and this Italian red also has found an award-winning niche at the Sigillo tasting bars in Snoqualmie and Chelan. The winemaking talent is obvious, as Sangio becomes Sigillo’s fifth different red wine to earn a Platinum. Here, judges were impressed with the profile of blueberry compote, smokiness and potpourri of spices and zesty herbs. (100 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 91 points

The Bunnell Family Cellar 2018 Painted Hills Vineyard Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley $48 This past fall, Ron Bunnell boosted his career total of Platinum Awards to 23. Along the way, he’s added to the lofty status of Painted Hills by winning four Platinums with standalone bottlings of this inky Bordeaux red. Complex aromas of dark cherry, President plum, Herbes de Provence and Choward’s Violet Mints lead to a luxuriously full-bodied, tongue-coating serving of cherries, sage, anise and violets. (123 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Tsillan Cellars 2021 Estate Malbec, Lake Chelan $56 Of the red Bordeaux varieties planted in three blocks across the two estate vineyards near Lake Chelan, Malbec has proved to be the best suited for Tsillan Cellars. That’s reflected in the six Platinums won in the past seven years of our judging. This bottling is filled with plums, cherry pipe tobacco, mint and cocoa powder. Enjoy with either the Five

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging Spice Duck or Thick Cut Pork Chop among the estate vines at Sorrento’s Ristorante. (315 cases, 15.6% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Bayernmoor Cellars 2021 Bayernmoor Vineyard Précoce Clone Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $50 This recent release hadn’t made its way past the Harris family’s wine club when it earned its first gold medal in early October, which made it a late qualifier for the Platinum — where it impressed judges again. It was the third Platinum this year for Larry Harris with this early-ripening clone, and this youthful example shows off notes of red plum, cassis, tomato leaf, leather and caramel. Soft tannins and spicy undertones make for a zesty finish. (107 cases, 12.9% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2020 Byzance Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $38 When it comes to the Platinum Awards, Brian Carter’s most decorated wine is his Rhôneinspired red — and the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape continue to drive his style. This GSMish blend of Grenache (53%), Syrah (20%), Mourvèdre (16%), Cinsaut (6%) and Counoise from the 2020 vintage delivered a Platinum for the eighth time. Lonesome Spring Ranch west of Red Mountain has been his breadbasket for Grenache, allowing him to build the aromas of black cherry, blackberry, black pepper, oregano and olive. There’s jamminess to the palate of red fruit and burnt caramel, and the plush tannins receive a

Platinum by the numbers Top-performing wineries in 2023 9 — Bayernmoor Cellars (Stanwood, Wash.) 8 — Maryhill Winery (Goldendale, Wash.) 6 — Brian Carter Cellars (Woodinville, Wash.) 6 — Mellisoni Vineyards (Chelan, Wash.) 6 — Mercer Estates Winery (Prosser, Wash.) Those winning five Platinum Awards: 5 — Clearwater Canyon Cellars (Lewiston, Idaho) 5 — Cougar Crest Estate Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.) 5 — Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery (Oliver, British Columbia) 5 — Jones of Washington (Quincy, Wash.) 5 — Tsillan Cellars (Chelan, Wash.) Those winning four Platinum Awards: Milbrandt Family Wines (Prosser, Wash.) Spoiled Dog Winery (Langley, Wash.) Tinte Cellars (Woodinville, Wash.) Those winning three Platinum Awards: Alexandria Nicole Cellars (Prosser, Wash.) Barnard Griffin Winery (Richland, Wash.) Chandler Reach Vineyards (Benton City, Wash.) Chris Daniel Winery (Quincy, Wash.) Chris James Cellars (Carlton, Ore.) Coyote Canyon Winery / H/H Estates (Prosser, Wash.) Hamilton Cellars (Benton City, Wash.) Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery (Hagerman, Idaho) Iris Vineyards (Springfield, Ore.) King Estate Winery (Eugene, Ore.) Koenig Vineyards (Caldwell, Idaho) Liberty Lake Wine Cellars (Liberty Lake, Wash.) Palencia Wine Co. (Kennewick, Wash.) Quiddity Wines (Seattle) Spangler Vineyards (Roseburg, Ore.) Van Westen Vineyards (Naramata, British Columbia) Those winning two Platinum Awards: Aquilini Wines (Benton City, Wash.) Basalt Cellars (Clarkston, Washington) Belle Fiore Winery (Ashland, Ore.) Bluebird Hill Cellars (Monroe, Ore.) Camaraderie Cellars (Port Angeles, Wash.) Cathedral Ridge Winery (Hood River, Ore.) Cellardoor Winery (Lincolnville, Maine) Chelan Ridge Winery (Manson, Wash.) Cinder Wines (Garden City, Idaho) DeLille Cellars (Woodinville, Wash.) Hightower Cellars (Benton City, Wash.) Intrigue Wines (Lake Country, British Columbia) JM Cellars (Woodinville, Wash.) Julian Margot Winery (Snohomish, Wash.) Lake Breeze Vineyards (Penticton, British Columbia)

Platinum

Latah Creek Wine Cellars (Spokane, Wash.) Long Shadows Vintners (Walla Walla, Wash.) Orenda Winery (Carnation, Wash.) Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards (Roseburg, Ore.) Season Cellars (Roseburg, Ore.) Seven Hills Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.) Sigillo Cellars (Snoqualmie, Wash.) The Bunnell Family Cellar (Prosser, Wash.) Thurston Wolfe Winery (Prosser, Wash.) Tipsy Canyon Winery (Manson, Wash.) Yakima Valley Vintners (Grandview, Wash.) Zerba Cellars (Milton-Freewater, Ore.) Those who earned their 10th career Platinum Awards during the 2023 judging: Cougar Crest Estate Winery, Walla Walla, Wash. — 14 Bayernmoor Cellars, Stanwood, Wash. — 11 Cinder Wines, Garden City, Idaho — 11 Hightower Cellars, Benton City, Wash. — 11 Camaraderie Cellars, Port Angeles, Wash. — 10 Chris James Cellars, Carlton, Ore. — 10 Iris Vineyards, Springfield, Ore. — 10 Siren Song Winery, Chelan, Wash. — 10 New to the Platinum honor roll Amaterra Wines (Portland, Ore.), Armstrong Family Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.), Aquilini Wines (Benton City, Wash.), Benedetto Vineyards (Dallas, Ore.), Black Heron Wines (West Richland, Wash.), Canvasback Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.), Capital Call Vintners (Walla Walla, Wash.), Chandler Reach Vineyards (Benton City, Wash.), Faith Hope and Charity Vineyards (Terrebonne, Ore.), Famici Wine Company (Caldwell, Idaho), Fortuity Cellars (Wapato, Wash.), Gård Vintners (Royal City, Wash.), Julian Margot Winery (Snohomish, Wash.), L’atitude 47 Wines (Walla Walla, Wash.), Lake Chelan Winery (Manson, Wash.), Lone Point Cellars (Brewster, Wash.), Los Rococos Vineyards (Milton-Freewater, Ore.), Naumes Family Vineyards (Talent, Ore.), Poplar Grove Winery (Penticton, British Columbia), R. Stuart & Company (McMinnville, Ore.), Robin Ridge Winery (Keremeos, British Columbia), SCORIA Vineyards (Caldwell, Idaho), Sidereus Vineyard & Winery (Cornelius, Ore.), Sin Banderas Wines (Wapato, Wash.), Stage Pass Estate (Medford, Ore.), Tucannon Cellars (Benton City, Wash.), Van Westen Vineyards (Naramata, British Columbia), Veer Wine Project (Caldwell, Idaho). Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 67

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging yummy and finishing push of Rainier cherry. Carter suggests serving it with duck breast in a cherry sauce. (474 cases, 14.4% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Brian Carter Cellars 2013 Solesce Red Wine, Columbia Valley $90 The first Platinum Award won by Brian Carter came back in 2010 with the 2005 vintage of his Left Bank-Bordeaux red. Here’s his fifth Platinum for Solesce, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (25%), Petit Verdot (9%), Cabernet Franc (7%) and Malbec. Plummy aromas with lavender, espresso and carob spark the detonation of a palate explosion led by red plum and dark cherry, allowing for secondary flavors of star anise, fig, leather and green pepper. (292 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Camaraderie Cellars 2020 Chandler Reach Sangiovese, Yakima Valley $31.50 Of this Olympic Peninsula’s 10 career Platinums for red wine, this marks the first that’s not of Bordeaux, although Don Corson uses the influence of Merlot to give it a Super Tuscan feel. He pulls the Sangiovese from a vineyard established in 1997 between the Horse Heaven HIlls and the Yakima River with Red Mountain in the distance. Classic notes of juicy boysenberry and pomegranate include violets and saddle leather, backed by barrel notes of vanilla bean, melted chocolate and creamy caramel. (251 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Chandler Reach Vineyards 2019 Chandler Reach Vineyard H. Len Parris Signature Sangiovese, Yakima Valley $55 Travels to Italy inspired grower/winemaker Len Parris to enter the Washington state wine industry, and his work with Sangiovese has helped not only Chandler Reach win gold and Platinum medals, but also other winemakers. The Tuscan-themed winery/ tasting room west of the Tri-Cities and its sweeping view of the Yakima River is an ideal setting for this supple and velvety Sangio that brings thoughts of Rainier cherry, black currant, freshly baked bread and vanilla with strawberry jam finish. (112 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Coventina Vineyards 2016 Tempranillo, Rogue Valley $35 This Southern Oregon boutique vineyard and winery remains a passion project of

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Platinum

Chris Amen, whose late father, Lou, led the Certified Grocers of California. She wisely placed her wine production in the hands of renowned grower/winemaker Herb Quady and his Barrel 42 team in Medford, and that relationship has now led to a trio of Platinums. Two of those have been for Tempranillo from 2016, and her “First Tier” bottling is majestic at seven years beyond the vintage — which seems to be a sweet spot for this bold Spanish red variety. Think of chocolate-covered strawberry and pink peppercorns, joined by black olive and leather in the nose, followed by flavors of ripe raspberry, bing cherry and cured meat. Its clingy tannins ride through the finish of toasted walnut and chocolate-covered dried pomegranate. (304 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Pacific Rim International (double gold) Platinum • 90 points

Gård Vintners 2021 Lawrence Estate Skål Sparkling Wine, Royal Slope $65 In the spring of 2021, the Lawrence family promoted Chilean-grown and Bordeaux-trained Matías Kúsulas into the dual role of head winemaker and head viticulturist. He’s rapidly made a name for himself across Washington state not only for his work with Gård, but also Desert Wind and his two side projects — Valo and Massalto. Here, his talent with Burgundy varieties bubbles forth with a brut rosé from Pinot Noir (62%) and Chardonnay from the family’s Solasken Vineyard. It comes with an attractive coppery pink wardrobe and a heady nose of citrus, red berries and melon. Effusive notes of white cherry, cranberry and orange zest are broadcast within a light mousse and a long, fresh finish. (240 cases, 12.1% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Latah Creek Wine Cellars 2021 Lonesome Spring Vineyard Orange Moscato, Yakima Valley $16 Best Buy! Natalie Conway-Barnes continues to share the winemaking credit with her father, Mike, and they work with vines two decades old for this delicious Muscat made in an off-dry style. Notes of honeyed lemon tea, peach and cantaloupe run from start to finish, and there’s enough juiciness to balance the 1% residual sugar for a lingering farewell. Elena Conway, Natalie’s mother, is a noted cookbook author, and she suggests serving this with her Mushroom Tart — a recipe that’s published in one of her books. (375 cases, 6% alc.) Awards: Dan Berger’s International (best of class/gold), Savor NW (gold)

Platinum • 90 points

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2022 TAHIJA Kiona Estate Vineyard Sangiovese Rosé, Red Mountain $25 Eastern Washington University graduate Mark Lathrop has amassed 14 Platinum Awards in just the past three years, and this collaboration with the Willams family at Kiona becomes his first for rosé. The TAHIJA label is a pet project for his wife, Sarah, and it’s a delicious, food-friendly rosé that hits on notes of ripe strawberry, Mandarin orange and crushed bay leaves, capped by Red Delicious apple skin and dried apricot. (125 cases, 12.5% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2020 Red Heaven Vineyard Tempranillo, Red Mountain $35 Mark Lathrop’s talent with Tempranillo has led to his second Platinum in three years with this Spanish red variety that’s rapidly earned a following throughout the Northwest. Early on, there’s notes of Bloody Chocolate Cup — a treat made of dark chocolate, cherries and raspberries — with secondary sensations of cured meat and smoky tapenade. Length in the finish is reminiscent of a dry cappuccino with allspice. (121 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Quiddity Wines 2020 Amore Red Blend, Columbia Valley $39 After two decades with Microsoft, Greg Peiker attended the Northwest Wine Academy and launched his brand with the 2018 vintage. The Amore from that year, his Rhône blend, won a Platinum. Two vintages later, this blend of Syrah (63%), Mourvèdre (21%) and Grenache has earned another Platinum. It’s a collection of spicy, ripe and red components as Red Vine licorice, Red Hots candy, nutmeg, coffee grounds and leather hold hands and support a supple structure that’s capped by Lucy Glo apple skin and Rainier cherry juice. (122 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Robin Ridge Winery 2021 Organic Chardonnay, Similkameen Valley $21.99 The Cottrill family established Robin Ridge in 1996, helping to transform the picturesque pocket of Keremeos and the

Similkameen Valley into British Columbia wine country. Tim and Caroline raised their children on their estate, which prompted them to adopt organic practices and embrace the hands-on Geneva Double Curtain trellis system early on. This expression of Chardonnay resulted in their first Platinum, and it’s floral and fruit-forward, creating a mood of tropicality, wet slate and fresh-cut daisies with notes of Juicy Fruit, Limeade and ginger snaps. They enjoy presenting it with white fish, prawns, poultry and buttery/ creamy dishes. (472 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: AllCanadian (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Spangler Vineyards 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Oregon $49 This self-taught Roseburg, Ore., grower/ winemaker prides himself on his Bordeaux program, and of his 26 career Platinums, 18 of those have been for work with those varieties. Here is the fifth for Cabernet Sauvignon, a list that began in 2007 from the 2004 vintage. Dark plum, Craisin, cherry pipe tobacco, pencil shavings and peppercorns lead to a fullbodied Cab with soft tannins and a long finish of plum, blackberry and chocolate-covered strawberries. (138 cases, 14.1% alc.) Awards: Texas International (double gold), San Diego International Challenge (platinum). Platinum • 90 points

Vizcaya Winery 2018 Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $33 Continued success at their Windy Ridge Vineyard in the Boise suburb of Meridian with five clones of early-ripening Tempranillo has turned into the second career Platinum for Lawrence and Kay Hansen. Their winemaker, Mike Crowley, shows off his training via the storied Walla Walla Community College program by capturing classic Tempranillo touchpoints, starting with aromas of black cherry, Craisin and saddle leather, which are joined by light toast and vanilla. Velvety tannins and a medium body allow for full enjoyment of Bing cherry, strawberry and caramel. On the way out, the vibrancy of Montmorency cherry and Raisinet makes for a delicious finale. The versatility of Tempranillo at the dining table is also a natural fit for the Treasure Valley, home to one of the largest Basque communities beyond the Iberian Peninsula. (133 cases,

Platinum

Platinum Awards all-time leaderboard TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

(through 2023 judging)

1, Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, Wash. -- 111

Abacela, Roseburg, Ore. -- 15

2, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Oliver, British Columbia -- 102

Mt. Hood Winery, Hood River, Ore. -- 15

3, Reustle--Prayer Rock Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore -- 55 4, Zerba Cellars, Milton--Freewater, Ore. -- 47 5, Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Lewiston, Idaho -- 46 6, Château Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, Wash. -- 45 7, tie, Brian Carter Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. -- 39

Watermill Winery, Milton--Freewater, Ore. -- 15 Brandborg Vineyard & Winery, Elkton, Ore. -- 14 Chris Daniel Winery, Quincy, Wash. -- 14 # Cougar Crest Estate Winery, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 14 Domaine Ste. Michelle, Paterson, Wash. -- 14

7, tie, Thurston Wolfe, Prosser, Wash. -- 39

Dusted Valley Vintners, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 14

9, Westport Winery Garden Resort, Aberdeen, Wash. -- 37

L’Ecole N° 41 Winery, Lowden, Wash. -- 14

10, Tsillan Cellars, Chelan, Wash. -- 36 Coyote Canyon Winery / H/H Estates, Prosser, Wash. -- 35 Palencia Wine Co. / Vino la Monarcha, Kennewick, Wash. -- 35 Barnard Griffin Winery, Richland, Wash. -- 26 Mellisoni Vineyards, Chelan, Wash. -- 26 Spangler Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore. -- 26 Basalt Cellars, Clarkston, Wash. -- 25 Jackson--Triggs Okanagan Estate, Oliver, British Columbia -- 25

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, Liberty Lake, Wash. -- 14 Northwest Cellars, Kirkland, Wash. -- 14 Saviah Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 14 Yakima Valley Vintners / Yakima Valley College, Grandview, Wash -- 14 DeLille Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. -- 13 14 Hands Winery, Prosser, Wash. -- 12 Schmidt Family Cellars, Grants Pass, Ore. -- 12 # Bayernmoor Cellars, Stanwood, Wash. -- 11

Jones of Washington, Quincy, Wash. -- 25

Château Faire Le Pont Winery, Wenatchee, Wash. -- 11

La Frenz Winery, Penticton, British Columbia -- 24

# Cinder Wines, Garden City, Idaho -- 11

The Bunnell Family Cellar, Prosser, Wash. -- 23 Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Paterson, Wash. -- 22 Kiona Vineyards Winery, Benton City, Wash. -- 22 Milbrandt Vineyards, Prosser, Wash. -- 22 Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville, Maine -- 20 King Estate Winery, Eugene, Ore. -- 20 Spoiled Dog Winery, Langley, Wash. -- 19 Wild Goose Vineyards, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia -- 19 Mercer Estates, Prosser, Wash. -- 18 Walla Walla Vintners, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 18 Cardwell Hill Cellars, Philomath, Ore. -- 17 Cave B Estate Winery, Quincy, Wash. -- 17 Smasne Cellars, Kennewick, Wash. -- 17 Cathedral Ridge Winery, Hood River, Ore. -- 16

Dunham Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 11 # Hightower Cellars, Benton City, Wash. -- 11 Puffin Brand, Cannon Beach, Ore. -- 11 Reininger / Helix by Reininger, Walla Walla, Wash. -- 11 # Camaraderie Cellars, Port Angeles, Wash. -- 10 # Chris James Cellars, Carlton, Ore. -- 10 # Iris Vineyards, Springfield, Ore. -- 10 # Siren Song Winery, Chelan, Wash. -- 10 # -- New to leaderboard Editor’s note: Cellardoor Winery is in the state of Maine, but all of their Platinum winners have been produced with grapes from the Pacific Northwest.

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 69

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging 13.6% alc.) Award: Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2017 Cougar Hills Vineyard Estate Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley $36 Deborah Hansen and her family began to transition this site from fruit trees to vines in 1999 — in the aftermath of the apple market collapse — and the success for their vineyard and cellar work emerged throughout our judging this fall with five Platinums along the way. This Tempranillo brings aromas of plummy black fruits, cedar and tobacco. On the palate come plums and dried figs, leather, tobacco and hints of cedar, spice and pomegranate with walnuts and black pepper at the end. Tannins are prominent but supple in this full-bodied, brightly structured red. (137 cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 92 points

Puffin Brand 2022 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $24 One of the most amazing storylines of the Platinum Awards is the repeated excellence surrounding the Pinot Gris program by Cannon Beach wine merchant/Realtor/ negoçiant Steven Sinkler. Of the 11 career Platinums he’s attained, seven have been for Pinot Gris — including six in the past seven years. (The gap is from the 2020 pandemic vintage.) They are products of his collaboration with Eugene-based winemaker Ray Walsh, who spent a decade at famed Pinot Gris producer King Estate, and their work with Deer Haven and Lush vineyards leads to aromas of lemon bar pastry, Granny Smith apple and quince. Its crisp and light body includes flavors of apricot, white cherry, a slice of caramel apple, puréed persimmon and a squirt of blood orange. Sinkler’s thirst for knowledge includes the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, where he earned the Level3 advanced sommelier certificate. Begin your research of his Pinot Gris by contacting the Wine Shack. (112 cases, 13.3% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Tinte Cellars 2022 Viognier, Columbia Valley $38 One of the top sites in the Northwest for Viognier is Gamache along the White Bluffs, and Noah Reed Fox blends those grapes with those from historic Conner Lee for one of the category’s few Platinum winners in 2023. Aromas are led by hints of honeydew melon, nectarine, almond and orange zest. On the palate, there’s lemon zest and green apple with a burst of pink grapefruit to extend

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Platinum

the finish of this medium-bodied Viognier. (500 cases, 14.1% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2022 Destiny Ridge Vineyard Shepherds Mark, Horse Heaven Hills $28 Once again, from the cellar of Jarrod Boyle comes perhaps the Northwest’s most delicious expression of a white Rhône blend, an argument made because this is the fourth time it has gone Platinum. Here, the blend named for symbols left on rocks in the Horse Heavens by early sheepherders is Roussanne (55%), Marsanne (30%) and Viognier. Hints of white peach and honeydew melon made their way to the palate, which includes apricot and gets zippy with white tea, Meyer lemon, Limeade and ginger. It is simply a delicious glass of wine. (817 cases, 13.2% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class), Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (best of show/double gold) Platinum • 91 points

Domaine Holesinsky 2022 Gertschen Vineyard Rosé of Syrah, Idaho $14 Best Buy! The Holesinskys manage and harvest this 2-acre Syrah vineyard planted 20 years ago near Twin Falls by longtime Sun Valley wine merchant Bob Gertschen. This bottling represents the second straight year that the Holesinskys have turned those grapes into a Platinum rosé. Light strawberry, white peach, passion fruit and hyacinth aromas are followed by a flavorful mix of Mandarin orange and peach, pink strawberry and a pleasing nuance of celery seed and lemongrass. (629 cases, 11% alc.) Award: Drink Pink Rosé Competition (gold) Platinum • 91 points

H/H Estates 2020 Coyote Canyon Vineyard Reserve Bozak Red Wine, Horse Heaven Hills $59 The Andrews family vineyard has more than 40 award-winning wineries as customers in three states, but they hold back some of their best grapes for patriarch Mike Andrews and his reserve label that Justin Michaud blends with a Meritage approach surrounding Cabernet Sauvignon. And this Platinum comes on the heels of a Platinum for the 2019 vintage. Classic aromas of Bing cherry, clove and leather transition to a dark red fruit profile of Bing cherry, Earl Grey and cocoa. Mmm. Decadent and complex with hefty tannins at the end, it holds a lot of secrets. Bozak, named for a prize-winning bull, Is an ageworthy program, proven by the 2013 winning a gold at a recent judging of decade-old wines. (100 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: San Diego Critics Challenge (gold)

Platinum • 91 points

Holesinsky Vineyard & Winery 2021 40% Viognier 40% Sémillon 20% Muscat White Blend Wine, Snake River Valley $22 Second-generation grower/ winemaker James Holesinsky uses Muscat from his vineyard planted at nearly 3,800-feet elevation to add considerable charm to this delightful wine that resulted in his eighth Platinum during the past four years. The dried apricot, honeycomb and gardenia nose leads to flavors of hula berry and cantaloupe that are married with a flirty squirt of Meyer lemon. (200 cases, 12% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (gold), Idaho Wine & Cider Competition (gold), Idaho Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Iris Vineyards 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $25 Oregon State University grad Aaron Lieberman scored Platinums with two bottlings of Pinot Noir from the 2021 vintage, the reserve tier under the Areté label and this flagship release for Iris Vineyards. It’s a blend of four distinct growing regions and includes the Chalice Estate (36%) and underrated Methven (27%) in the Eola-Amity Hills. The nose includes Rainier cherry, violets, moist earth, cola and sweet spices. As for the flavors, it’s a crowd-pleaser offering strawberry jam and raspberry compote, sweet herbs and ginger root. (7,600 cases, 13.7% alc.) Awards: Great American International (best of show), McMinnville (double gold), Cascadia International (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Maryhill Winery 2019 Classic Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $21 A pivotal moment in the history of Maryhill Winery came when one of their early efforts with Zinfandel stole the spotlight at a judging in California. Gunkel Vineyard played a key role back then, and those vines near the winery overlooking the Columbia River continue to do as Richard Batchelor earned a Platinum in back-to-back years for this bottling from the 2019 vintage. It’s redolent of poached cherries and strawberry jam, along with influences of a warm cedar forest, savory black olive and sweet red pepper jam. (1,177 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging -

Platinum

Platinum • 90 points

Platinum • 94 points

Platinum • 91 points

Mellisoni Vineyards 2020 Stillwater Creek Vineyards Forte Rosso Red Wine Blend, Royal Slope $125

Cathedral Ridge Winery 2019 Pinot Noir, Columbia Valley $52

Bayernmoor Cellars 2021 Bayernmoor Vineyard Clone 777 Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $50

Of the 26 wines to have won a Platinum in Mellisoni’s history, 10 have come strictly from the Royal Slope and Stillwater Creek Vineyard. This luxurious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec offers hints of chocolate-covered plums, cinnamon latte foam and triple-churned butter with secondary notes of cherry tobacco, dates and a bite of a Mounds bar. (92 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 90 points

Orenda Winery 2019 Balance Red Wine, Columbia Valley $29 This young winery in the Snoqualmie Valley town of Carnation, Wash., will be rebranding in 2024 to Alveare, which is beehive in Latin. Xander Kent is a beekeeper, while his wife, Samantha, is the winemaker. She’s now earned four Platinum Awards, all four with classic efforts with red Bordeaux varieties. This is a Right Bank-styled blend of Merlot (63%), Cabernet Sauvignon (24%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Malbec that the Kents barreled in French oak for 24 months. It’s a wonderfully bright and balanced wine with notes of Damson plum jam, chocolate, black pepper, cured meat sensations and sweet tobacco, all backed by supple tannins. (298 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Award (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery 2019 Estate Biodynamic Mélange Noir, Naches Heights $40 Seattle barrister/grower/winemaker Paul Beveridge has collected five Platinums in the past decade, and three of those have been for this blend that features the five traditional Bordeaux grapes grown across his certified organic vineyard within Cowiche Canyon west of Yakima. Cabernet Sauvignon noses out Cabernet Franc for the lead, yet each variety contributes nearly evenly, which explains the range of sensations from cassis, Red Vines, allspice and rose petals to more subtle savory notes of buffalo jerky, black olive, mushroom and capers. Adding to the rewards is the finish of melted toffee. (343 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Directly across the Columbia River from this scenic Hood River, Ore., winery’s tasting room and patio is Underwood Mountain, the setting for Dampier Vineyard and the source of multiple Platinum medals for Robb and John Bell’s Pinot Noir program. Rows at 1,100 feet of elevation in the Columbia Gorge lead to a wine that is revealing aromas and flavors of blueberry jam, nectarine flesh and golden raisins within a structure that allows for nuanced truffle earthiness to evolve and pair with Veal Marsala. It’s a wine that will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with renowned bottles from the Willamette Valley when poured at the Bell family’s tasting room in Dundee. (275 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold)

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 cherry and blackberry are joined by a baker’s spice cabinet — anise, vanilla bean and white pepper. Savory notes of black olive, as well as Western red cedar, make for a smooth and lingering finish. (96 cases, 12.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)

Platinum • 94 points

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 fresh blackberries and blueberry preserves, marinated beef and white pepper. Its delicious finish includes Bing cherries and leather. (46 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold)

Stage Pass Estate 2019 Boitano Reserva Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley $42 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 quintessential example of ripe and delicate Pinot Noir, offering nuances of plump raspberry, Rainier cherry, strawberry-rhubarb compote and violets. Light baking spice, rose petals, Craisin and moist forest floor emerge in the graceful finish. (211 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Competition (gold) Platinum • 92 points

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 anise, tobacco and mint. There’s a sense of bramble and burliness to the structure, capped by toasted oak and blackberry extract. (680 cases, 16% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)

Platinum • 91 points

T2 Cellar 2019 Gamache Vineyard Malbec, White Bluffs $26

Platinum • 90 points

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, which helps explain the bottle price, and this ranks as one of the most consistently great examples in our region. With four tasting rooms and bistros across Washington state, it’s possible to acquire a bottle of the past three vintages — each a Platinum winner. (480 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold) Platinum • 90 points

R. Stuart & Co. Winery 2022 Big Fire Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $22 Rob Stuart’s winery in McMinnville is centrally located for the dozen vineyards he sources from. For his flagship Pinot Gris, he works with two sites on opposite sides of the

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 71

TASTING RESULTS | Best of the Best Judging Sunset Highway west of Hillsboro — Courting Hill and Cochran — as well as 30-year-old Wade Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. Big Fire is created and priced as a “Tuesday night” wine, but in typical fashion for Stuart, it over-delivers. This is a very giving Pinot Gris, launching with a nose of Granny Smith apple, citron and green tea with honey. The medium-bodied structure gathers up pineapple, almond and more honey, setting the table for a zesty finish of lemon and another bite at the apple. (1,204 cases, 12.9% alc.) Award: TEXSOM International (platinum) Platinum • 92 points

Aquilini Wines 2020 Chasing Rain Red Blend, Red Mountain $25 It obviously took several years before the Aquilini family began to reap the rewards from its stunning 2013 purchase at auction of 670 acres in and around the Red Mountain American Viticultural Area west of Richland, Wash. A decade later, the British Columbia entrepreneurs earned their first two Platinums via the blending magic of Cornell grad Joshua Maloney. It’s a bit of a no-brainer for Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain to lead any proprietary blend, and that’s followed by Malbec (16%), Merlot (11%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The results are stately, starting with aromatics of black cherry, plum preserves, aged leather and figs. Black fruits gush out across the palate — cassis, mulberry and black cherry — met by vanilla, peppercorns and anise. There’s a kick of blueberry-seed tannin at the end, but the black currant flavors keep pace. (2,310 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Los Angeles International (best of class) Platinum • 92 points

L’atitude 47 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $35 James Dixon and Gerry Weber met as first-year students in the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program — Class of 2020 — so they began working on these bottles for their fledgling West Coast Wines company the vintage prior to graduating. The nose and palate of this full-bodied wine are matched perfectly as Chukar Cherry, plantain, cran-apple and marjoram are carried along by soft tannins into a lingering finish of chocolate. (222 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Pacific Northwest (double gold) Platinum • 92 points

Thurston Wolfe Winery 2021 The Teacher Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $27.50 Seven times Prosser winemaker Wade Wolfe has used a bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon to attain Platinum, but his work on The Teacher project is extra special because it’s dedicated to the late Stan Clarke — a beloved figure and educator in the Washington wine industry. Dead Canyon, Destiny Ridge and McKinley Springs vineyards combine for a luscious Cab that’s

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Platinum

loaded with vine-ripened blackberry, Bing cherry, fresh-baked brownies and vanilla bean. Its finish might best be described as velvety. (680 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 91 points

Alexandria Nicole Cellars NV Adulting Sparkling Rosé, Columbia Valley $24

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Of the 21 career Platinums won by Jarrod Boyle, this is the first for bubbles — and the first for the young sparkling-focus brand managed by his marketing maven wife, Alexandria. It’s a charming example of the Charmat method as red Bordeaux grapes get a lift from Orange Muscat (5%). A twist of the screwcap releases aromas of fresh strawberry, melon and a rubbing of herbs. Strawberry leads the flavors, followed by a hint of baguette while an invigorating blast of gooseberry goes on to wake up the tongue. A recipe involving mint, honey, lime and Hendrick’s Gin is on AdultingWine.com. (1,143 cases, 12.5% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Pacific Northwest (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Cougar Crest Estate Winery 2018 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $40 Deborah Hansen launched her winery with the 2001 vintage, and her Cab from that season would ultimately earn best-of-class honors at the Los Angeles County Fair — the largest judging in the U.S. at that time. Here’s her second Platinum of this year’s judging for Cabernet Sauvignon, an effort that brings brambleberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted hazelnuts and cracked peppercorns. It’s fullbodied with tannins that cling to the palate until released by a savory note of black olive and a lasting injection of blackberry juice. (371 cases, 15.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Ferraro Cellar 2018 Gunkel Vineyards Hellsgate Canyon Block Zinfandel Columbia Valley $32 Willamette Valley winemaker Dick Ferraro grew up within an Italian neighborhood in Walla Walla, and some of his first commercial bottlings were made under the roof of Walla Walla Vintners. Three years ago, his first Platinum came with Barbera from the Columbia Gorge. Zinfandel from this vineyard — raised into prominence by Maryhill Winery — returns Ferraro his second Platinum. The two barrels produced a wine dripping with raspberry jam and joined by mint, eucalyptus, chocolate nibs, dried cranberry and coffee. The substantial finish includes a lick of strawberry Fruit Roll-Up. (48 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)

Platinum • 90 points

Quiddity Wines 2020 Cur Non Mourvèdre, Columbia Valley $39 The Latin phrase that translates to “why not?” makes sense for having received a Platinum considering that Woodinville Warehouse District winemaker Greg Peiker’s GSM-inspired blend — Amore — featured Mourvèdre and also won a Platinum. The Oct. 16 pick from Joe Hattrup’s Sugarloaf Vineyard yielded aromas and flavors of red rose petals, President plum, toasted allspice and nectarine. (62 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Platinum • 90 points

Spoiled Dog Winery 2021 Malbec, Yakima Valley $28 For the second time in four years, the Whidbey Island son/mother winemaking team of Jake and Karen Krug pulled down a Platinum for their Malbec made with grapes they trucked via ferry from Crawford Vineyard near Prosser — their breadbasket for most of their work with red Bordeaux varieties. Alluring notes of cranberry sauce, orange grove blossoms and freshly brewed coffee are nicely structured with a hint of eucalyptus, giving it a touch of the Old World and lending it deliciously to lamb, ham or a steak. (116 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Wine Magazine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)

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Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 73

IN MEMORIAM

A toast to some we lost during the 2023 vintage Washington visionary vineyard owner Dick Shaw BY ERIC DEGERMAN

1987 Cab at No. 82.

ichard Henry “Dick” Shaw, who felt most comfortable in the boardroom or riding in a farm truck, was behind some of Washington’s top-scoring wines and its best values with his 3,500 acres of vineyards.

Shaw’s work ethic took root during childhood, part of it spent in the logging town of Morton where his mother ran a boarding house.

The Tacoma native saw the 2023 vintage come to a close before he died Oct. 27 at age 84 in Richland of congestive heart failure, wife, Wendy, by his side. The Shaws were named the Honorary Growers for the 2015 Auction of Washington Wines. Three years later, they were inducted into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame.

“His bed was under the staircase, and he told me how his mom would really get after the loggers who came in late after a night on the town,” Hoppes said. “He talked a lot about those experiences, which were pretty humble beginnings.”

“He was not only a pioneer, but he also helped create a movement in Washington wine,” said Victor Palencia, who made wine for 14 years at a massive facility on the Wahluke Slope for Shaw and the late Jack Jones. “Some of the large companies are talking about gray skies in our industry right now, but I’m proud to be part of the wave that many of us are on — and it’s because of coaches like Dick who set the path for us to be producing the great wines we are today.” Charlie Hoppes of Fidélitas Wines was one of the first customers for Quintessence Vineyard, a 300-acre site on Red Mountain near Col Solare that Shaw launched with Paul Kaltinick, a longtime business partner from Tacoma and former CFO for J.C. Penney. “Dick was one of those figures who was larger than life, and when he and Paul decided to plant that in 2010, they talked about it being a legacy they wanted to leave,” Hoppes says. “It amazed me why these two who were in their mid-70s at the time would want to plant such a vineyard, but they knew they had an incredible site. “You can tell the difference whenever you taste a wine from Quintessence,” Hoppes added. “The wines are special, and other wineries talk about that, too. And we often use Quintessence to make other wines better.” The first experience Hoppes had with Shaw-grown grapes was from the 1987 vintage. Hoppes was working on the

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Shaw, who would graduate from Lincoln High in Tacoma and attend the University of Puget Sound, found inspiration while working at a plywood mill. His life would turn around when he was encouraged to invest in housing. Before the age of 30, he was founder and board chair at the Bank of Tacoma. By the time of that first acclaim via Wine Spectator, Shaw’s early partners had The Pacific Northwest business empire of Dick Shaw included moved on, but he forged ahead. finance, real estate, maritime transportation and the Washington wine Those holdings on the Wahluke industry. He died Oct. 27 in Richland at the age of 84, and the City Slope would stretch 1,200 of Gig Harbor plans to name a park near North Creek in his memory. acres and continue throughout RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES the Columbia Valley, including the Horse Heaven Hills, the Wahluke Slope for winemaker Mike Januik White Bluffs, Candy Mountain at Snoqualmie Vineyards, when they knew and other Red Mountain acquisitions such as Red Heaven and Scooteney Flats. Decorated they had something special with a $12 reserve vineyard manager Marshall Edwards has been Merlot and a $10 Cab. It was renowned key to the success and communication with viticulturist Walter Clore who helped Shaw the more than 100 clients for Shaw Vineyards and his group with site selection in 1981 for grapes. that first 100 acres. “Those two wines ended up making Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines in the world in 1990 (Nos. 63 and 93, respectively), and they were both from Dick’s vineyard,” Hoppes said of the list that included a Woodward Canyon 1987 Cab at No. 10 and a Leonetti Cellar

Palencia says he’s eternally grateful for the confidence and the opportunities Shaw and Jones provided. “I didn’t know it at the time, but those guys liked to play big and they saw the big picture. When they hired me they told me it wouldn’t

Shaw Vineyard, which overlooks the Yakima River from the western slope of Red Mountain, grew the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for the No. 1 wine of the 2019 Platinum Awards. RICHARD DUVAL IMAGES

Winter 2024 • Great Northwest Wine | 75

IN MEMORIAM grow beyond more than 5,000 cases,” he chuckled. “One year, we ended up taking in 24,560 tons.” That weight in grapes equates to more than 1.5 million cases of wine. A decade ago, Dick and Wendy created a brand named for their fathers, Henry Earl Estates, with a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. They sought and got critical acclaim for their early bottlings. Among those was a trio of Platinum Awards, which included a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain made by Hoppes and Mitch Venohr. Grapes grown by Dick, Wendy and their team will continue to factor significantly in many of the state’s top wines. Producers include DeLille Cellars, Great Northwest Wine’s 2022 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, and Liberty Lake Wine Cellars — the 2022 Washington Winery to Watch. And the No. 1 wine of the 2019 Platinum Awards was produced by Château Faire Le Pont in Wenatchee with Cab from Shaw 32 Vineyard. “People are making $100 bottles of wine from his vineyard, and they will continue to do so,” Hoppes said. Rebecca “Becky” Yeaman Becky Yeaman, co-owner of Thurston Wolfe Winery in Prosser and one of the Washington wine industry’s most beloved figures, died Feb. 6 while in hospice at age 67. She was a longtime member of the Yakima Enological Society, which led to her managing the tasting room at Quail Run and working for Stan Clarke. One of Clarke’s friends was Yakima Valley winemaker/ viticulturist Dr. Wade Wolfe. She and Wade launched the Thurston Wolfe brand in 1987, and one of the most popular wines was called Sweet Rebecca. They began operating in Prosser in 1995, and a decade later they helped raise the profile of the new Vintners Village by building a winery/tasting room. In 2012, the longtime aerobics instructor and Wolfe celebrated Thurston Wolfe receiving the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year Award from Wine Press Northwest Magazine. Richard “Dick” Charles Erath The Willamette Valley wine industry lost a titan when Dick Erath died at the age 87 on March 29. Portions of his remarkable story were shared in the acclaimed 1997 book The Boys Up North: Dick Erath and the early Oregon Winemakers by Paul Pintarich. Erath, an electronics specialist and engineer in the Bay Area, went from a home winemaker in 1965 to studying wine at the

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University of California-Davis. That interest prompted him in 1968 to take a job with Tektronix in Beaverton, Ore., uproot his family and buy 49 acres near Newberg along Dopp Road. The next year, he experimented across 4 acres with 23 grape varieties. Among those was Pinot Noir, and fruit from the 1972 vintage — made on Cal Knudsen’s estate — marked the first commercial wine produced from the Dundee Hills. Within a decade, his winemaking sparked the Knudsen Erath brand to reach an annual production of 10,000 cases. In 1984, Wine & Spirits Magazine chose a Knudsen Erath wine as “the Best American Pinot Noir.” Three years later, Erath and Knudsen went in different directions after production reached 35,000 cases with national distribution. By 1994, he took Erath Winery international. In 2006, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates made its first major investment in Oregon by buying the winery from Erath. Not all of his plantings were part of the sale. In 2017, he sold Prince Hill Vineyard to owners of Napa icon Silver Oak for their Pinot Noirfocused Twomey brand. Among his legacies is a botrytis-resistent clone of Pinot Noir that Erath received via cuttings from Burgundy and would establish years later at Prince Hill as “clone 95.” It required additional testing and treatment by UC-Davis before it was re-released and registered as Pinot Noir clone 117. Traute Fischl Moore Traute Moore, the Southern Oregon matriarch of Quail Run Vineyards and South Stage Cellars in Jacksonville, died April 20 at age 89. As Jews from Austria, she and her mother spent two years in an England refugee camp during the early stages of World War II. They made their way to St. Louis, Mo., where Traute met her future husband, Don. He was a physician in Central California, and she was an artist and an activist who enjoyed growing avocados and oranges when they decided in 1989 to buy farmland near Ashland, Ore., that included a small vineyard. Their dedication and success attracted the attention of winemakers such as Joe Dobbes, who encouraged Willamette Valley Vineyards to create a new brand — Griffin Creek — in order to use and showcase the grapes grown in Southern Oregon by the Moore family, particularly Merlot and Rhône varieties. Those wines factored into Wine Press Northwest selecting Willamette Valley Vineyards as its 2011 Oregon Winery of the Year. Another of the family’s customers —

Spangler Vineyards — became the 2018 Oregon Winery of the Year. In 2010, the Oregon Wine Board presented Traute and Don with the Founders Award. Don passed away in 2021. Their son, Michael, left a career as a filmmaker to manage the family’s 350 acres of vines and more than 30 varieties planted across 13 sites in the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon. Jerrold “Jerry” Bookwalter Jerry Bookwalter, the renowned grape grower and vintner who began J. Bookwalter Winery in Richland, Wash., died Aug. 21 of cancer at the age of 83. He grew up in Modesto, Calif., and graduated from UCDavis with degrees in agriculture economics and pomology. Bookwalter was hired in 1976 by Sagemoor Farms — a 1,000-acre operation that included Washington state’s first largescale commercial vineyard. He and his family, which included his son, John, lived for a time at now-historic Bacchus Vineyard. At one point, Sagemoor grew 60% of the state’s wine grapes. Early customers included Leonetti Cellar and Woodward Canyon, and both Walla Walla Valley wineries benefited from Bookwalter’s skill with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot he grew for them. By 1982, Bookwalter and his wife, Jean, started their eponymous winery in the Tri-Cities. He credited several of his talented winemaking clients for help with his wines. By 1985, he served as vice-president of the Washington Wine Grape Growers Association. Three years later, he began a vineyard management business. Clients included Conner Lee and Shaw vineyards. In 1999, John left a marketing career in the beverage industry to return and take over the family winery. Six years later, Wine Press Northwest named J. Bookwalter as its Washington Winery of the Year. In 2011, the Auction of Washington Wines named Jerry Bookwalter its Honorary Grower. Among the many projects he assisted with was Bear Barton Vineyard, a young 3,100foot elevation site near Cashmere, Wash., believed to be the highest commercial planting in the state’s wine industry. And J. Bookwalter Winery, at 50,000 cases, ranks as one of the state’s largest familyowned wineries. Brock Wade Lindsay Brock Lindsay, 40, award-winning winemaker and co-owner of Succession Wines and Alta Cellars in Washington’s Chelan Valley, died Aug. 26 in a farm vehicle accident near his Manson winery.

The Seattle native was a civil engineer and bridge builder when he decided to study winemaking through Washington State University. He and his wife, Erica, lost their home in the 2014 Carlton Complex fire. Undaunted, they launched Succession with the 2013 vintage. Success was almost immediate, and gold medals won prompted Wine Press Northwest to select Succession as the 2018 Washington Winery to Watch. Brock’s talent, personality and perseverance helped him gain contracts with top-tier vineyards that would be outof-reach for most upstart winemakers. That access and the interest in his wines fueled his annual growth from 600 cases to 10,000 cases within a decade. He also managed Antoine Creek Vineyard near the Columbia River. Lindsay was such a beloved member of the state’s wine community that a GoFundMe campaign for his family raised nearly $118,000. Calvin “Scott” Henry III Southern Oregon pioneer Calvin Scott Henry III, who developed the vineyard technique now referred to as the Scott Henry trellising system, died Oct. 26 at age 86. He graduated from Roseburg High School in 1959, worked in the aeronautical industry, and returned to the family farm to try growing wine grapes. He launched Henry Estate Winery in the Umpqua Valley in 1978, but he struggled with grape rot until he came up with a trellis technique that divided the canopy to create more sunlight and air movement for the clusters. He shared his findings with the industry, and the Scott Henry name is known and appreciated around the world. Oregon State University and Umpqua Community College have honored his contributions to engineering and grape growing. Among his survivors is Scott IV, who owns and operates Seasons Cellars, which has won eight career Platinum Awards, including two in 2023. John “Russ” Hamilton Red Mountain suffered another loss toward the end of 2023 with the passing of vintner Russ Hamilton.

Hamilton, who died Nov. 28, owned and operated Hamilton Cellars. The graduate of Purdue University had been struggling with his health when he died at the age of 71. His wife, Stacie, died in 2021. The Hamiltons were generous supporters of Washington State University, Stacie’s alma mater. Their level of donor ship to the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center was reflected ahead of the 2015 ribboncutting ceremony with the establishment of Room 111 as the Russ & Stacie Hamilton/ Hamilton Cellars Office of Winery Manager. He grew up in Indiana, and his degree in mechanical engineering led him to decades of work with Chevron. He transitioned to another successful career in the production of silicon solar panels, which took him to Asia. The Hamiltons eventually settled in the Tri-Cities, where Stacie grew up and gained respect as a CPA and financial advisor. They purchased land along Sunset Road on Red Mountain that would become their home, a showpiece tasting room in 2014 and a 10-acre vineyard planted and managed by Dick Boushey, who urged them to include Malbec. Hamilton’s investments in the wine industry included transforming a former beer distributorship into the vinification facility that became the home of Wine Boss — where Charlie Hoppes, his son Will, and Mitch Venohr have made wine for Fidélitas, Hamilton Cellars and myriad brands. Among the sources of pride for Russ Hamilton was for Hamilton Cellars to go down as the first net-zero solar winery in the state. And in the past two years, Hamilton Cellars used estate grown-grapes to earn a total of six Platinum Awards from Great Northwest Wine. A pair of those were for Malbec.

Award-Winning 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon

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