Mt. Hood Winery, Maryhill go beyond gold with grapes from Gunkel Vineyard
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COVER STORY | by Eric Degerman
Gunkel Vineyard shines with top wines for the 23rd annual Platinum Awards
A VINE START | by Eric Degerman
The legacy of visionary Allen Shoup
WINE KNOWS | by Andy Perdue
Malbec and Washington's Argentine connection
SWIRL, SNIFF, SIP | by Ken Robertson
White blends in Northwest worth exploring
ELLEN ON WINE | by Ellen Landis
Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyard lights up label with OLED
BEHIND THE TASTING ROOM BAR | by April Reddout
Consider opening book on formal wine education
THE WINES THAT MADE US | by Liz Woerman
Rob Griffin finds inspiration in bottle of Beaujolais
GEM STATE REPORT | by Jim Thomssen
Teyala expansion leads to former home of Sawtooth
BEYOND THE 49TH PARALLEL | by Allison M. Markin
British Columbia embraces sustainable packaging
FEATURE: NOTA BENE CELLARS | by Dan Radil
Boeing Wine Club provides flight path for Tim Narby
OREGON WINE TALES | by Sophia McDonald
Domaine Willamette adds sparkle to Dundee Hills
THE INVITE TURNS 10 | by Eric Degerman
Clearwater Canyon tops field with Crawford Albarño
PHOTOS ON LEFT
Platinum Best of Show - Mt. Hood Winery
Domaine Willamette
Awards
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.
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COVER PHOTO
Gunkel Vineyard near Goldendale, Wash., grew the Mt. Hood Winery Grenache that finished No. 1 in the Platinum and the best Zinfandel, which was made by Maryhill Winery.
The late Allen Shoup, a man of élan and prescience worthy of an autobiography, was too modest for that.
left hand, wearing a crisply pressed dress shirt, a sweater or vest, and a pair of jeans. He made a statement by being understated. As the late Vin Scully would say, “He was as cool as the other side of the pillow.”
ERIC DEGERMANWhile mine is a life with few regrets, his passing on Nov. 7 at age 79 meant I missed the opportunity to help share his remarkable story in long form with many chapters. I wanted it to be a book about him in his words. I couldn’t believe one hadn’t been written.
However, I learned why. He only agreed to be interviewed for such a project if it was “the overarching story is how the Washington wine industry got to where it is today.” That came via my friend Katie Sims, Allen’s longtime communications lead from their days at Château Ste. Michelle, Stimson Lane’s headquarters in Woodinville.
Alas, getting a new wine magazine off the ground got in my way this past summer. At the same time, Allen’s failing health and his visual perception grew dim, despite multiple eye surgeries. It was agonizing for a man praised in every obituary as “the visionary” for the Washington wine industry.
One of the proudest days of my life as a journalist came Aug. 8, 2019, when I drove up to Allen’s home near Seattle Golf Club for lunch with him. I’ve been fortunate enough to play 18 holes there, so I knew how to drive to the security gate, a stone’s throw from the clubhouse. However, twice I got lost trying to find his estate. Twice I had to make an embarrassing call to Allen, asking for a bit more guidance. My embarrassment would grow soon after I arrived. He asked if I wouldn’t mind driving us to the club because of his vision. I couldn’t say no, but the notion of one of the wine world’s luminaries riding in my 2010 Honda Civic was humbling for me. And yet, Allen didn’t flinch as he stooped down and folded himself into the passenger seat.
Then again, Allen’s unpretentiousness made him the type of gentleman who somehow turned a simple pair of blue jeans into a subtle fashion statement. He seemed so comfortable in them, which in turn also made him approachable. I will always picture him seated in a handcrafted chair with a glass of wine in his
Fortunately, Spokane journalist Jim Kershner — who wrote a piece about my friend Andy Perdue in 2020 — conducted a sit-down interview with Allen on Aug. 29 for an invaluable memoir of Washington wine history. That work at HistoryLink.org was sponsored by the Washington State Wine Commission. It was published less than two weeks before Allen’s death.
After all the grapes from the 2022 vintage were processed, Gilles Nicault, the longtime winemaker for Long Shadows Vintners, shared a heartfelt tribute in a letter to Allen’s prized club members.
“The last day of the 2022 harvest at Long Shadows Vintners was marked by both the completion of our 20th harvest and our founder Allen Shoup’s passing,” Nicault wrote. “Allen was a humble gentleman; compassionate, dedicated and passionate. Allen was not only my boss, but an incredible mentor and father figure.”
Allen’s genius included a keen eye when it came to winemaking talent, first at Stimson Lane, where he started in 1980, and later for Long Shadows, which he created in 2002. Nicault was at famed Woodward Canyon Winery when he reached out to Allen about becoming his resident winemaker. The chance to work alongside some of the world’s most acclaimed winemakers — who became part-owners at Long Shadows — was heady stuff.
“I told Allen that it was such a great opportunity for Gilles and I was happy for him,” Rick Small shared with me for a cover story on Long Shadows when it was named Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year in 2018 by Wine Press Northwest Magazine.
Among those storied figures is acclaimed Napa Valley vintner Agustin Huneeus Sr., head of the famous Chilean family behind the Pirouette label for Long Shadows. His decades-long view of Allen’s career provides a perspective from beyond the Pacific Northwest.
“He was to Washington wines what his friend and mentor Robert Mondavi was to Napa Valley,” Huneeus said.
It’s no coincidence that Mondavi’s work to launch the hugely successful Napa Valley
Wine Auction prompted Shoup to create the Auction of Washington Wines and stage it at Château Ste. Michelle. Since it began in 1988, it has raised more than $59 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital and wine-related research at Washington State University.
“Of all the lucky things I’ve been affiliated with in my lifetime, this is one I hold most significant,” Allen told Great Northwest Wine in 2013. “It was truly an opportunity to give back and an opportunity for our entire industry — which has so much to be grateful for — because there’s probably not a person in Washington who has been here a while who doesn’t know someone who’s benefited from the services of Children’s Hospital.”
Shoup’s constellation of friends and collaborators included artist Dale Chihuly, internationally renowned winemakers Piero Antinori of Tuscany, Germany’s Ernst Loosen — and Mondavi.
While it was E. & J. Gallo who first recruited Shoup into the world of wine, his admiration for Mondavi and association with him over the years helped inspire the innovation that Shoup embraced throughout his career.
Within three years of arriving at Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates, Shoup was elevated to president, CEO and lodestar for what has become Ste. Michelle Wine Estates — now the eighth-largest wine company in the U.S.
Bob Betz, the winemaking Master of Wine whose career as an executive with Stimson Lane/Ste. Michelle overlapped that of Shoup, points out that in 1980, there were fewer than 20 wineries in the state. And much of Stimson Lane’s inventory included wines made with either hybrid grapes or other fruit rather than the classic vinifera grapes of the Old World that now was making California famous.
“He just saw things differently from the rest of us and had the strength of his conviction to make it happen,” Betz says. “He had this vision of where the company could be and where the industry could be in the next 10-20-30 and 40 years. We’re seeing the fruits of his vision that helped build Washington into a global player in the world wine industry.”
And yet, Allen credited U.S. Tobacco of Connecticut, the owners of Stimson Lane, for the capital and commitment to turn his ideas into reality. While he often spoke of his good fortune, the string of success proved Allen to be prophetic rather than lucky.
He realized the importance of defined growing regions and their role in marketing wine to consumers, so he hired noted researcher Walter Clore and winemaking plant pathologist Wade Wolfe to petition the federal government in hopes of establishing the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area. That designation in 1984 would help define the entire Washington wine industry, not just Stimson Lane products.
Allen also admired Opus One in the Napa Valley — Mondavi’s partnership with France’s famed Rothschild family. That encouraged him to cultivate connections with generational leaders in the Old World. Col Solare came to life with the storied Antinori family in 1995, and the German-inspired Eroica Riesling partnership with Ernst Loosen took root in 1999.
“Relationships and collaborations were fundamental to Allen,” Betz said.
By 2000, Allen saw changes on the horizon surrounding UST. He moved on and began
working on Long Shadows, an ultra-premium portfolio of brands dedicated to Columbia Valley grapes. It allowed him to turn some of his relationships into formal collaborations that came with a 25% interest in their respective labels. The brands represent iconic figures such as Michel Rolland from Bordeaux, John Duval of Penfolds Grange fame in Australia, Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari in Tuscany, noted German Riesling producer Armin Diel and a trio from the Napa Valley — Huneeus, his winemaker Philippe Melka and Cab producer Randy Dunn. Their urban-chic tasting gallery west of Walla Walla features glass work by Chihuly.
Within five years of its opening, Long Shadows was named Food & Wine Magazine’s Winery of the Year.
Shoup grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Mich., and received a business degree from the University of Michigan. He added a master’s degree in psychology from Eastern Michigan while working for Chrysler, then got drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. That background in psychology meant he spent much of his two years of service at the Pentagon.
He was discharged in 1969 and returned to Michigan, where he worked in product development at Amway, which included fragrance formulation. A headhunter found him for E. & J. Gallo Wines, which coveted his marketing expertise. After three years, Hollywood cosmetics giant Max Factor wooed him away.
While that time with Gallo proved to be the turning point in Allen’s life, a stint as communications director for Boise Cascade in
Idaho added experience he would draw upon to encourage media across the country to raise awareness for not only Stimson Lane wines, but also others from Washington state.
In 2013, Allen was chosen as the Honorary Vintner for the Auction of Washington Wines. Other recognition he took pride in included serving as a longtime board member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and being selected for Sunset Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as wine critic Robert Parker’s Wine Personality of the Year, being named to the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame and winning the American Wine Society Award of Merit. He was asked to deliver a eulogy for Mondavi in 2008.
He is survived by his wife Kathleen, son Ryan Shoup (Aubrey), stepson Dane Narbaitz (Sara) and three grandchildren. Both sons have been in leadership positions at Long Shadows for years, so the brand and the new satellite tasting room set to open in Woodinville are in capable hands. This summer, USA Today named their Walla Walla tasting room as the best in the U.S.
Not long before he passed away, Allen was assiduous in sharing with family members ideas of a restaurant concept for Long Shadows that he dreamed would someday earn a Michelin star. So apropos — as was the showing of the 2018 Pedestal as one of the top examples of Merlot at our 2022 Platinum Awards and representative of the collaborative effort he fostered between Nicault and Rolland.
“Allen named our winery Long Shadows to honor the acclaimed international winemakers he brought to Washington, but as our family reflects on it now, the name also seems a fitting tribute to Allen's vision, influence and leadership. He left an indelible mark and will always be our guiding force,” said Narbaitz, who carries on as president of Long Shadows Vintners.
When I asked the family about plans for a memorial service, they replied, "In lieu of a service, and at Allen’s request, he asked to be memorialized with a lively discussion among loved ones when admiring beautiful art or enjoying a glass of Washington wine."
The bottles that might have meant the most to Allen were the Chester-Kidder Red Wine and Julia’s Dazzle Rosé — which he named for family members.
Soon after his death, The Seattle Times had me write a formal obituary about Allen. This is my personal tribute to him. Each one left me somewhat dispirited because neither comes close to what this lodestar deserves.
Juan Muñoz-Oca, chief winemaker for the growing Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, was practically born with Malbec running through his veins.
A native of Argentina’s Mendoza Valley, Muñoz-Oca was introduced to premium wine as a child. Before he turned 10, he knew he was going to be a winemaker when he grew up.
The South American country is ranked among the top 60 wine producers in the world, thanks in part to its focus on the Bordeaux-based variety, imported by French winemakers in the 19th century. Argentina is credited with saving Malbec. The varietal had lost popularity in nearly every region on the globe, except Cahors in the south of France.
To learn more about Argentina’s journey to Malbec fame, read The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec, by Ian Mount, a comprehensive history of Argentina’s growth, maturity of its wine region and its rise to become one of the top wine-exporting countries on the planet.
Muñoz-Oca’s first job in wine was at Pascual Toso, a winery in Mendoza, working in the cellar on school vacations thanks to connections through his grandfather and uncle. Following college, the world became his cellar with stints in Spain, Australia and France.
After meeting a Washington State University viticulturist, Muñoz-Oca was intrigued by the new-to-him New World. In 2001, he joined Columbia Crest in Paterson — part of the Woodinville-based Ste. Michelle Wine Estates — as a viticulturist. Holding multiple positions during two decades, he ascended in 2019 to the position of chief winemaker for the eighth-largest wine company in the U.S.
Before he arrived, Malbec was rarely used within the Ste. Michelle suite of labels. It eventually became clear that his experience with Malbec from Argentina would influence his winemaking in Washington, leading to a reserve-level single variety and many top blends — although special projects Intrinsic Wines and Borne of Fire are more about Cabernet Sauvignon or red blends that also include
Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec.
One of the major appeals of Malbec is that its structure tends to come from its acidity which boosts the flavors of blackberry, chocolate and plum. It also allows the variety to age well because of its reliance on acidity rather than the puckering tannins that prop up other red wines. Because of this, Malbec pairs deliciously with grilled meats, another famous product of Argentina. (Muñoz-Oca prefers his steaks with a bit of char on them.)
After investing the first chapter of his career in Malbec, Muñoz-Oca thought he was leaving the variety behind when he came to Washington state. It turns out that the grapes grown here are similar in quality.
However, he identifies several areas of strength for Argentina:
The sheer volume of Malbec produced gives Argentine winemakers substantial experience with the grape.
A well-ingrained practice is for growers to search each vineyard for the vines that produce the best grapes. They take cuttings from those to propagate in a new vineyard. This means only the best vines are put forward.
Argentinians keep looking up, planting more vineyards at higher elevations, into the foothills of the Andes to the west. These higher elevations mean more retained acidity, which translates to brighter fruit flavors.
His favorite region is the Uco Valley north of Mendoza, where the sunlight intensity allows for early grape ripening. This stacks up nicely with the advantages to growing Malbec in the Columbia Valley. Muñoz-Oca says Argentina and the Columbia Valley match up pretty well in terms of precipitation and irrigation. And the Washington State Wine Commission loves to remind the rest of the world that the sun shines up to 17 hours a day during the summer — providing more light to grow by than in many wine regions because of our northerly latitude.
One of Muñoz-Oca’s favorite regions for Malbec in the Pacific Northwest is along the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the Walla Walla Valley. He also is fond of Malbec from Col Solare’s estate vineyard on Red Mountain, saying the warm temperatures and higher elevation combine to produce some of the best Malbec grapes he has found in Washington. Because he works for the same company that owns Col Solare, he was able to make sugges-
tions to help those grapes and subsequent wines compete with those of the Uco Valley.
Another noteworthy source of Malbec is StoneTree Vineyard along the arid Wahluke Slope. Some of those grapes are sold to Wautoma Springs in Prosser, a boutique winery coowned by Muñoz-Oca’s wife, Jessica Munnell. The winemaking power couple often walk vineyards together, but that is the only input Muñoz-Oca has with her wines. Her co-owner in Wautoma Springs is acclaimed grape grower Tom Merkle.
Muñoz-Oca confesses to being slightly annoyed that Munnell’s reserve Malbec, called Inky, rivals his, even though he’s the one born in Argentina. He says it comes down to the fact that Munnell is a more naturally gifted winemaker than he is. Now-defunct Wine Press Northwest Magazine named Mercer Estates its 2016 Washington Winery of the Year when Munnell was the Mercer family’s winemaker.
Munnell and Muñoz-Oca visit Argentina every few years. He always brings bottles of Washington Malbec, the quality of which gets high praise from his winemaking friends. Shocked at how expressive the wines from Washington are, they maintain that Pacific Northwest wineries aren’t charging enough per bottle.
He did once attempt to bridge both worlds by making Mendoza-grown Malbec for Columbia Crest under the Red Diamond label. But the internationally sourced wine didn’t click with consumers, so the exercise lasted just one vintage.
Even so, the creative effort is proof that global connections are valuable to inspire viticulture and winemaking in the Pacific Northwest.
Andy Perdue, former wine columnist for The Seattle Times, now is mostly retired. He lives in the heart of Washington wine country with his wife, Melissa, and their daughter, Niranjana.
troll down the aisles of any Northwest wine shop, liquor store or supermarket, and you’ll encounter shelves loaded with red wine blends. In the past decade, they’ve become so prolific and popular that at any regional wine competition, they outnumber every other category of entries.
White blends, on the other hand, are downright scarce. For example, in the recently concluded 23rd annual Platinum Awards by Great Northwest Wine, there were about 680 entries. Only 23 white blends were among them, compared with 122 red blends.
As someone with many more vintages past than vintages future, I’ve recently concluded I’ve little need to spend much time perusing all those reds. I likely have more than I will consume, even if I live for a couple more decades. Whites are another matter. My wife and I now drink far more whites and rosés than reds. Consequently, white blends have become a fascinating new field of discovery.
So, as a counterpoint to all those winter-season recommendations you’ll see for hearty reds and inner-warming Port, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite white blends made in a variety of styles, many of them inexpensive and consistent award winners.
Bordeaux inspired
DeLille Cellars 2021 Chaleur Blanc, Columbia Valley ($42) leads with Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Sèmillon. You’re most likely to find the 2021, but don’t shy away from a bit older version. It’s great with seafood, chicken, turkey or on its own. It’s rather refined from its time in French oak and layered with subtle complexity from underpinning acidity and minerality.
L'Ecole N° 41 2021 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Luminesce ($24), a bright blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sèmillon, offers aromas of Key lime, grapefruit, gooseberry and stone fruit, joined by fresh peaches, honeydew and lemon on the palate with a squirt of salinity at the end. This one calls for oysters on the half shell, scallops, shrimp, mahi mahi or halibut.
SRhone inspired
Brian Carter Cellars 2019 Oriana, Yakima Valley ($25) is a blend of Viognier (49%) and Roussanne (41%) with a bit of Riesling to bolster its fruit profile. Like all Brian Carter blends, his Oriana (golden lady in Latin) slides seamlessly from the front to the back of the palate. Eric Degerman, co-founder of Great Northwest Wine, describes this version as “well-measured as it rolls out fresh peach, guava and nectarine, but wet stone and minerality give it a spot at the dining table rather than the back patio.” He suggests “scallops on a bed of mushroom risotto” as a pairing.
Barnard Griffin Winery 2021 Côtes du Rob Blanc, Columbia Valley ($28) with 90% Viognier and 10% Roussanne. During the years, the percentages have varied — in 2017, it was 85% Viognier, 15% Roussanne, for example — but the quality is always excellent. This bottling leads off with aromas of apples, mango, cardamom and a hint of lemon, then on the palate adds a dash of lime and a bit of apple banana. It’s a great food wine with scallops, most chicken dishes or a risotto.
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2021
Shepherd’s Mark, Horse Heaven Hills ($28) presents Roussanne (43%), Viognier (38%) and Marsanne (19%). Marsanne tends to be the silent partner in Rhône-style whites because it’s a variety that blends seamlessly and seldom stands out. However, experience of tasting ANC’s Marsanne reveals it can add depth, fleshiness and even a touch of elegance to Roussanne and Viognier, as it does here. Shepherd’s Mark, named for the stone cairns that sheepherders of a century or so ago dotted the Horse Heaven Hills with, displays white peach, mango, pineapple and pear on its nose, then honeysuckle, lemon and melon on the palate.
Gehringer Brothers 2021
Gewürztraminer-Schönburger, Golden Mile Bench ($19), from Walter Gehringer’s 50/50 blend of Germanic grapes grown by his brother, Gordon, catches your attention with aromatic hints of spice and grapefruit from the Muscat heritage of the Schönburger grape, a cross of Pinot Noir with a Chasselas-Muscat Hamburg cross. It’s a versatile wine that pairs well with a variety of foods such as ambrosia salad, most chicken dishes, lightly spiced pork
and Asian dishes. While no longer available at the winery, it may be available in some bottle shops. If not, the 2022 should arrive next spring.
Thurston Wolfe 2021 PGV, Columbia Valley ($16) in Prosser, Wade Wolfe is among a handful of Northwest winemakers who can claim more than 40 years working to craft fine wines from the region’s grapes. His widely acclaimed PGV is 51% Viognier from the Horse Heaven Hills and 49% Pinot Gris from Crawford Vineyards in the Yakima Valley. It’s a staple on many Northwest restaurant menus. It delivers aromas of peach and tropical fruit, carries flavors of lime and mango, then finishes with bright acidity and minerality. It’s a great aperitif and seafood wine, especially with oysters on the half shell, shrimp or scallops.
Huston Vineyards 2021 Chicken Dinner White, Snake River Valley ($16). Gregg Alger’s blend of Riesling (83%), Muscat Blanc (13%) and Roussanne (4%) presents a delightful nose of tropical fruit, then green apple, apricot and honeysuckle on the palate. Asian fare featuring ginger and lime, sushi and, as the name implies, chicken go delightfully well with this superb sipper.
This rather simple phrase in French is anything but simple in meaning. Literally, tête de cuvée (tet du coo-VAY) means “best of the cuvée.” The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia defines it as the first flow of juice from grapes, noting, “It’s the easiest juice to extract and the highest in quality, with the best balance of acids, sugars and minerals.”
Other common uses of the term derive from this concept. It is applied to the best barrel(s) from a harvest, an outstanding vineyard, or, in Champagne, to the first press of the grapes.
echnophiles have embraced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) in televisions. Now, Pacific Northwest enophiles can see OLED technology on the labels of wine bottles as Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards in Roseburg, Ore., is helping to lead the way, starting with its acclaimed 2019 Deux Barrique Tempranillo.
“It helps promote the specialty bottling of Tempranillo and allows us to grab the person's attention and tell the story behind the wine,” says owner/winemaker Stephen Reustle.
OLED is a remarkably efficient technology, made with organic thin films between two conductors. When an electric current is applied, a bright light appears. A light fingertip touch to a specific spot on the label illuminates a particular portion of the innovative label. This extremely
Tthin label (less than 0.5 millimeters total thickness) is completely flexible, foldable, rollable, programmable, cool to the touch, waterproof, shockproof and durable. No app or plug source is needed for the bottle to light up.
Trailblazing and innovation seem inherent in Reustle, a CPA who achieved success on the East Coast with a marketing company prior to chasing a dream to become a West Coast winemaker. In 2003, he became the first in the U.S. to plant and commercially grow Grüner Veltliner, the white variety famously linked to Austria. His debut release, from the 2005 vintage, wowed judges and earned critical acclaim. Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards was named the 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest Magazine.
Reustle worked with German-based Inuru, which states that its OLED products are manufactured without using rare earth metals. According to Inuru, its OLEDs make the product and the supply chain green because its LED uses an organic semiconductor rather than silicon.
Initial inventors of the patented OLED technology were longtime Eastman Kodak employees Steven Van Slyke and Ching Wan Tang, who began developing it in 1979. Although a new approach to bottle labeling, OLED technology has been around since 1997 for a range of applications, including a car stereo display by Pioneer — the first OLED application — and later for a Kodak EasyShare digital camera.
Today, OLED technology is commonly used in high-tech TVs by Sony, LG and others, com-
puter monitors and cellular phones. For these high-tech products, OLED displays reportedly offer increased efficiency compared with liquid crystal displays while reducing power/fuel consumption and greenhouse emissions. The technology recently expanded to watches by Garmin and Nubia.
In the beverage industry, Bacardi’s Bombay Sapphire gin bottle with an OLED display was introduced in 2016, developed by Inuru and another German company, Karl Knauer KG. Three years later, the same collaboration produced OLED labels for Coca-Cola Co., which won several packaging and marketing awards for its use of the technology on limited edition soft drink bottles.
Reustle’s implementation is believed to be the first on a wine bottle, but the industry use of OLED display products is projected to increase by three times during the next five years.
“Since we were the first application of this technology on wine bottles, there was a learning curve for us and the vendor,” Reustle says.
An Inuru representative traveled to the winery to help apply the labels by hand. Reustle says the technology for OLED wine labels will continue to advance, including adaptations that account for temperature sensitivity.
“In this case, you would put your wine in the refrigerator, and the light would illuminate at the perfect temperature to serve the wine,” Reustle says. “In my opinion, this would move the technology from gimmicky to practical.”
That feature, Reustle predicted, and other improvements would prompt more wineries to seek out and soon embrace OLED labels.
“
According to Inuru, its OLEDs make the product and the supply chain green because its LED uses an organic semiconductor rather than silicon."ELLEN LANDIS The touch of a finger uses OLED technology to illuminate “Deux Barrique” on a special bottle of Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards 2019 Tempranillo. PHOTO COURTESY OF REUSTLE-PRAYER ROCK VINEYARDS
Some of you read that headline and thought, “Yup, agreed, I’m ready.” Others want a bit more information before being convinced.
“Wine school” is a great idea if you want to work in the wine industry, learn more about your industry or if you employ someone who would benefit from enrolling and learning a bit more.
My column for the Fall 2022 issue listed options for obtaining wine education. This piece will take a closer look at Washington State University’s Wine Tasting Room Certificate Program, which is a non-credit course specific to the Washington wine industry.
In contrast, the two other entities I wrote about — the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and Certified Wine Specialist (CWS) programs — offer credentials focused on the global wine industry and are internationally recognized.
Having all three on your résumé is impressive and shows dedication. If you are considering all three, then I would recommend starting with the WSU certificate. It is the least-expensive option ($249) and involves the shortest time commitment — eight hours.
The WSU certificate is an online class and uses the Canvas platform. Canvas is a popular software program used for teaching online that doesn’t require purchase by students and conveniently offers an app. Students will access their Canvas program with a link and a code after registration. They work at their own pace through four “modules” (think of these as lessons or book chapters), which are designed to deliver about eight hours of instruction. Students demonstrate their knowledge by passing a multiple-choice exam and receive a certificate of completion.
It’s important to know the WSU training certificate program content was created with assistance from a team of industry professionals, including winery owners and managers. I’m proud to note that I was on the steering committee that contributed to the curriculum under the direction of Joan Giese, director of lifelong learning for the WSU Tri-Cities Carson
College of Business.
“We would like to be an education partner with the wineries, to help train people in an efficient way and make the tasting room experience the best it can be in the state of Washington,” Joan explained.
Our committee agreed it was important to include the most crucial basics that a tasting room associate needs to know, which is recognizing the importance of everyone on a direct-to-consumer team to converse with guests on topics such as American Viticultural Areas, the Missoula Floods and what style was used to craft the wines. Honestly, the biggest challenge was keeping it to eight hours.
explored for beyond eight hours. For example, students are taught about the state’s 20 AVAs, which in layman’s terms means, there are 20 growing areas in the state that are federally recognized as different and unique from the surrounding area, based on criteria that include climate, elevation, aspect and terroir. This is a great example of how deep a subject such as AVAs can be. Some terms that define an AVA require study and comprehension before they can be applied to the concept of AVAs.
Other examples of covered topics that could be a stand-alone course include how wine is made, styles of winemaking, what makes Washington wine unique, how to deliver great wine service and food-and-wine pairing suggestions.
Jack Costa, a recent graduate of WSU’s wine business program and a former tasting room associate, found value in the class.
“This tasting room course was designed not only to solidify your fundamental knowledge of wine, but also equip you with the skills necessary for becoming a successful hospitality and sales professional,” he says.
Jack and I agree tasting room associates set themselves up for success when they are prepared to chat with guests about many aspects of the industry. Some guests do their homework before a trip to wine country and arrive hoping a tasting room educator can share more knowledge on topics important to customers.
There were many points of checking in with the steering committee, which was beneficial in keeping “course development on track,” she said. “Midway through the design, someone realized we had not included information on wine flights, wine faults or wine flaws.” Those topics were added to the program prior to its launch in November 2021.
Something that has surprised Joan in this first year of course offerings is the reach of the program. Out of the 76 registered students, addresses ranged across the state.
Another impressive trend Joan mentioned is seeing several wineries send multiple students. It seems some wineries have adopted this training as a critical step in onboarding their team and have set a higher standard of required knowledge for new and existing employees.
The WSU course gives an overview of information, but each subject could easily be
Good news is that the future of the certificate program at WSU seems bright. Joan, a professor who has taught business and marketing at schools such as the University of Oregon, Kansas State and the University of Montana, reports the team at WSU is at work on a digital supplement as an additional resource to the wineries who have sent students. And plans are in the works to develop a Part 2 where students train using role-play scenarios that occur in tasting rooms, preparing them to handle difficult situations like a pro.
Now, are you ready for wine school?
April Reddout is a professional wine judge and hospitality consultant who was the wine program director at the Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in Prosser, Wash., and then the guest services manager for Col Solare on Red Mountain. She can be reached at ReddoutWine.com.
“
We would like to be an education partner with the wineries, to help train people in an efficient way and make the tasting room experience the best it can be in the state of Washington,” Joan explained.”
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and its team have experienced turbulent times in recent years, but Sept. 7 sparked some celebra tions wheNorthwest. And talented winemakers remain in place to do the work that matters most to consumers.Uciis et volectium aut andae
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Chris James Cellars is an award-winning family owned and operated vineyard and winery that produces unique and interesting wines in Carlton, Oregon. In 2015, we produced our first lots of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. We have since expanded our wine selection to also offer hand-crafted lots of Dolcetto, Lagrein, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sparkling Wines, and more. Visit us at our estate tasting room in Carlton, Oregon, or at our 3rd Street tasting room in McMinnville, Oregon.
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For a teen in the late 1960s, in Martinez, Calif., there was much to do, much to see. A war was happening, college campuses were on fire … hippies abounded. But for one young man, only fermentations were on his mind.
“One of my very early forays into winemaking as a high-school student was making wine out of tomatoes,” says Rob Griffin, Washington’s longest-tenured winemaker (46 vintages, au currant). “The resources available to me in Contra Costa County, California, in the 1960s were books in the library on home-winemaking, written by quaint British ladies who made things called hedgerow wines, using sloes. I had no idea what a sloe was. But I happened to have a lot of tomatoes.”
The idea of winemaking isn’t likely on the minds of most high school juniors, especially those without a winery that already bears their surname.
“Ironically enough, it wasn’t for the alcohol — which is a natural assumption, but in my case it was just a native fascination with the process and the ability to alchemically change one thing into another,” he recalls. “I played around with brewing beer, the very first thing I made was mead — honey was reasonably available in my family kitchen — I think I made a grand total of half a gallon. It took forever to ferment, but it was interesting for me to observe the process.”
Napa Valley was ramping up — around 40 wineries called it home — but the region was still several years away from the grand reckoning at the Judgment of Paris, that blind tasting in 1976 that hoisted American winemaking onto the big stage.
“I had an uncle with a vineyard in the Napa Valley, which gave me some exposure to the winemaking process,” he says. “I remember a particularly exciting tour of Beaulieu Vineyards. My uncle was great friends with André Tchelistcheff, who gave us a tour of the facility.
“Beaulieu Vineyard at that time was
an old, Prohibition-era California winery that was a little rough around the edges. André was wearing a sparkling white Panama suit with a matching hat, walking around — stuff spraying everywhere, open-top tanks being pumped over, didn’t get a drop on him.”
When it was time to apply to colleges, Rob wanted little else than to go to University of California, Davis, and enroll in the winemaking program.
“Getting into Davis has always been difficult, but I think because I made it very clear that winemaking was my intention; I actually got in,” he says proudly. “In my class there were two Wentes, a couple Mondavis and many other people who had reason to assume they’d have employment upon graduating.”
Post-Davis, Rob took a job thinning shoots in the Buena Vista vineyards of Sonoma, eventually making it into the lab.
“From a practical standpoint, you could
have considered me assistant winemaker at that point.”
Restless with the position, Rob took a meeting with Bill Preston — a tractor salesman from Washington state who made his way down to California in a station wagon. He was searching for a winemaker for his new winery, then the second biggest in Washington state after Château Ste. Michelle.
“As a junior at Davis, I had taken my spring break and driven up to Washington and nosed around a bit. It was very cold, snow on the ground. Miserable. Why I came here is anybody’s guess … from the verdant beauty of California,” Rob says, a hint of a smile. “I think in retrospect, it wasn’t a bad move, but it was a case of taking the main chance and letting the dice fly high, to quote Caesar.”
The dice landed in Pasco, where Rob was tasked to babysit (ie: fix, finish, blend) an inherited vintage and start down his own winemaking path.
“I worked a ton, and there was a ton of work to do,” he says. “It was basically a farm operation, and on a farm you work until you drop dead.”
At 24 years old, he finished a Pinot Noir that won an Oregon competition and resulted in Washington wines being banned from entering. His ’77 Chardonnay won the Grand Prize at the Seattle Enological Society’s annual wine competition.
“The feedback and recognition was significant,” he says.
But it was just the beginning.
His winemaking was lauded in the L.A. Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, while Preston became a common mention in any glowing wine reviews of the Pacific Northwest’s newest releases. A calling to make his own wine, for himself and without the shadow of someone else’s brand, ultimately necessitated a move in 1983 to the general manager/ head winemaker position for Hogue Cellars in Prosser. The same year, he and wife Deborah Barnard began their eponymous winery, Barnard Griffin.
Barnard Griffin grew on the side, until its size and scope demanded full attention in the early ‘90s. The brand was in need of a home and a winemaking facility, and since Rob and Deborah’s own family had doubled in size, dreams of bursting back into the California
wine scene were no longer terribly relevant. Washington was it.
They purchased their Tulip Lane property in 1996, where the winery sits to this day, having expanded both its production in 2008 and its hospitality sectors in 2012.
Throughout a career spanning five decades, Rob’s winemaking has continued making headlines, most recently with rosé of Sangiovese — an electric pink juggernaut that delights all who give it a try. Rob’s mission to produce good wine people could access rings true even in this horrifically inflated present we’re wading through.
“Barnard Griffin has always been wine that people could afford, that’s as good quality as we can make it,” Rob says. “The wine is the show. The product has always over-delivered.”
The winery is entering its 40th year of production, still family-owned, but with two extra names on the masthead; daughters Elise Jackson and Megan Hughes.
With such an early start to a lifelong career, picking a wine that set him on this path is akin to arguing whether it is the chicken or the egg? Come hell or high water, Rob Griffin was going to be a winemaker.
“If there was one … it was when I was a ju-
nior or senior in high school. My older brother gave me a bottle of Louis Jadot Moulin-à-Vent. It was so exciting and adult to have my very own bottle. It was a genuine, quality wine that showed me the potential and nuance and art side of it all. That was a revelatory thing for me.”
Few get to spend their lives in the job they dreamed of as a child. Doing even remedial math, one could safely assume Rob is of retirement age. But why retire from this?
“I don’t know how to do anything else,” he jokes. “It’s a family-business, it’s a business in general. I enjoy winemaking — a lot. The whole process is infinitely fascinating to me. I’m out here dragging hoses around and killing myself during harvest, complaining about it, but I still like it. That’s the dynamic, fun part of the business.”
And, when you’ve built a life around your passion, the fun never has to end.
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.
NAMPA, Idaho — Is there ever too much of a good thing in retail? In some cases, yes, but how that growth is managed sets folks apart.
There is growing demand throughout Idaho for the award-winning wines coming out of our winemakers’ cellars. And the economist in me says, “If the demand exceeds the supply, you can raise prices or increase the supply, but that all depends on the elasticity of your demand and supply curves.”
With all the competition in the beverage world, boosting prices may not work out well.
In the Lewis-Clark Valley, one highly decorated producer had no more wine to sell for a couple of months. The demand outstripped the supply.
Farther south, Earl and Carrie Sullivan at Telaya Wine Co., gambled on the supply side and with the continued and growing demand for their wines. They made an aggressive move to bump production by 250%, which translates into an annual production for Telaya surpassing 11,000 cases — vaulting it among the top five largest wineries in Idaho.
As a result, the Sullivans brought in 217 tons of grapes this fall, a massive leap beyond the 87 tons they crushed from the 2021 vintage at their stylish Garden City winery along the banks of
the Boise River.
“We have been blessed with this location and our club members’ and the general public’s support of our local brand,” Earl told me after all of his fruit was in the cellar. “Due to the increase in volume of customers and club members, we needed to find a way to continue to increase production while keeping the quality that Carrie and I are so focused on.”
While Telaya needed more fruit to slake the thirst of their supporters, the Sullivans also needed more space to process fruit and age wine. These factors led them into a conversation with Winemakers LLC, the group behind Skyline and Sawtooth vineyards and Telaya’s
source for a majority of its Idaho program.
During the summer, those discussions turned into negotiations as Telaya sought to lease the former Sawtooth production facility south of Nampa.
Longtime wine lovers in the Snake River Valley will remember it as the winemaking facility built in 1988 by pioneering Brad Pintler. He sold his family vineyards and Pintler Cellars in 1999 to Corus Brands and Dan Baty, who rebranded it as Sawtooth Winery.
In 2003, Baty and Andrew Browne founded what is now Seattle-based Precept Wine, a company that Wine Business Monthly Magazine ranked earlier this year as the 11th-largest in the U.S at 3.2 million cases and includes Ste. Chapelle and Sawtooth wineries. Sister company Winemakers LLC, owned by the Baty family, oversees some of the Northwest’s largest vineyards, including Sawtooth and nearby Skyline — a breadbasket for the Idaho wine industry. Boise’s Meredith Smith, who got her winemaking start at Sawtooth, moved the production of those wines to Ste. Chapelle when she took over that cellar in 2016.
“We want to be good stewards of the industry and taking a facility that was dormant and putting it back into production is good for us,” Earl said, “but it also shows growth in our industry, which is good for everyone.”
In order for Telaya’s expansion to make sense, the Sullivans also needed Winemakers LLC to allocate more fruit to Telaya and commit to plant more vines. Dale Jeffers, longtime vineyard manager at Skyline/Sawtooth, described it as “a win/win for everyone.
“Telaya gets more space and fruit, while we get this production site up and running again with someone we trust managing the process,” Jeffers added. “If you don’t use an asset like this, it will just fall apart.” The Sullivans subsequently made a series of upgrades to the vinification facility and equipment as well.
While going up to a custom crush facility in Washington state was an option, the lack of control and oversight was not a risk the Sullivans wanted to take on. Nor were they willing to shut off the supply of wine to their customers.
It took the Sullivans, who launched Telaya in 2008 with 50 cases, about three years to dial in their Garden City production facility, which they built in 2016, so they expect the next two harvests to be more comfortable.
However, the proximity to the Skyline and Sawtooth vineyards paid immediate dividends. And thanks to Jeffers and Winemakers LLC viticulturist Jake Cragin, the Sullivans got their white grapes picked and in the press by 6 a.m. almost every morning, avoiding excessive oxidation.
“Working with Dale has been both fun and educational,” Earl says. “He
is a walking encyclopedia of information on systems, processes, etc., and without him it would have been much harder.”
That growth also prompted Telaya to increase its payroll by hiring Cassidy Leath, who is completing her certificate in enology and viticulture via the University of California, Davis. She joined lab manager Django Laighléis and facility manager Jack Ahart. Leath and Ahart also live in Nampa, which made it easier for them to devote time out at “Telaya West.”
The Sullivans plan to create some special events at Telaya’s larger home in Canyon County, but Telaya’s riverfront location in Garden City will remain their main location for the foreseeable future. A new deck for the patio is waiting for a quality framing crew to become available.
Another factor of importance surrounding the expansion and growth of Telaya will take place in the cellar. The Sullivans plan to devote more inventory and time in barrel and bottle prior to their release to the public, but the vast majority of Telaya wines (60% red) will continue to be sold directly through their current tasting room.
Among the scheduled highlights for 2023 are the “Dueling Whites,” which will provide opportunities to taste side by side examples of Viognier from Sawtooth and Williamson vineyards as well as Grenache Blanc off Emerald Slope on the Oregon side of the Snake River AVA and famed Boushey Vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley.
“Our focus is to increase the quality of our wine and hospitality so that we are the industry leaders in both areas as well as to build a portfolio that is known outside of Idaho for quality,” the Sullivans say. Wine judges, critics and consumers believe Telaya is well on its way. Wine Press Northwest Magazine named Telaya as the Idaho Winery of the Year in 2016. The Telaya 2018 Sawtooth Vineyard Syrah won best of show at the 2021 Cascadia International Wine Competition.
Last spring, the Sullivans used fruit from acclaimed Discovery Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills to earn the award for best Cabernet Sauvignon at the Cascadia. Two months later, Telaya made national headlines when Yelp users ranked Telaya as the top-rated Idaho winery.
All this leads back to a toast from Earl’s Irish roots, “Do thuras chun!” — To the journey!
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.
PENTICTON, British Columbia — At one point in Canadian beer history, almost all of the suds sold above the 49th parallel were in bottles. Tall, short or ‘stubby,’ glass was the industry standard.
Now? Nearly 90 percent of craft beer, except for large formats, is sold in cans, according to Evan Singer, national sales manager for Vessel Packaging Co., a leader in canning craft beverages.
Vessel Packaging, established eight years ago as West Coast Canning, now has five offices across Canada and is “invested in seeing cans take off in the wine market.”
“Cans are better vessels for many beverages. They’re light proof, the seam is better, they’re lighter and infinitely recyclable — more sustainable. An attractive and growing segment of the market is looking for sustainable alternatives,” says Singer, alluding to millennial and Gen Z wine drinkers.
The perception of a ‘tinny’ taste is fading away, though more consumer education is needed. As Singer explains, that convenient can holding your beverage is lined with an inert polymer. Liners have different ratings, are
matched to the beverage inside and are rated for one year of dry storage. That means a canned wine is good for a single season.
“The shelf life is not the same as a bottle,” explains Singer. “There’s no oxygen in cans so they’re not meant for aging, and sulfites are not recommended. Not all wines should be canned.”
That said, if a winery knows its market well and recognizes the opportunity to expand its brand or create a new label, there are many possibilities.
“People are looking for wine that is more sustainable, and local is key to local consumers — not having something that has been shipped long distances,” says Singer. “And quality is key for any craft beverage.”
All of those factors came together for Stag’s Hollow Winery in the southern portion of the Okanagan Valley in Okanagan Falls. After two years of discussions, coupled with trying other wines in cans and talks with their sales agents about the potential demand for wines in cans, Stag’s started canning.
“We felt we could come out at a good price and a higher quality product, then we talked to Vessel,” says Erin Korpisto, general manager at Stag’s Hollow, “and sustainability has been
important from the beginning.”
Stag’s Hollow is a member of Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia and has engaged agri-tech company Crush Dynamics in Summerland to transform materials left over from the winemaking process into a healthy food additive.
The winery canned its Muscat Frizzanté with Vessel, which also helped with the design of the slim 250-milliliter, multi-colored cans, generally sold in flats. In 2020, 400 flats of Stag’s Hollow Frizzanté sold out in a month. In 2021, their Syrah Rosé was available in cans, and the 2022 vintage of the winery’s Tragically Vidal — a double gold winner at the 2022 Cascadia International Wine Competition — will join them.
“The alcohol is a bit lighter, and these wines are great for active lifestyles and the ease of having them for outdoor activities,” says Korpisto, who points out that while younger demographics are coming for canned wines, there was a recent milestone 75th birthday party where the Frizzanté was a hit with all.
Those party hosts wanted to greet guests with a sparkling wine. Rather than deal with heavy bottles and popping corks, everyone was given a cold can of Frizzanté for this summer party. Skepticism about canned wine disappeared. Rumor has it that a few guests soon visited Stag’s Hollow to get their own flats.
Shipping flats of wine required some adjustments for those who bought online. After some trial and error, the simplest solution for shipping a flat turned out to be taping a second piece of cardboard from another flat to the top. Still, there is much less weight and packaging for the consumer to deal with.
“Sustainability is becoming so much bigger,” Korpisto says. “It might not be the driving force to purchase our wines in cans, but it is growing quickly. Once we tell people about the lower impact of canned wine, it builds brand loyalty.”
Vancouver Island winemaker Bailey Williamson of Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard near Duncan in the Cowichan Valley agrees.
“When people are aware of our sustainability practices, it reinforces their loyalty and they will purchase again,” Williamson says. “Of course, we want that, but you should be doing it
because it’s the right thing to do — not just to make hay from it.”
For Blue Grouse, one of the right things to do is use lighter glass. Another is to limit the types of bottles used for the final products.
“I’ve rationalized my glass to five styles, and almost all of it eco-friendly,” explains Williamson.
Because of their weight and often the need for long-distance transportation, bottles can be a winery’s single biggest
greenhouse gas contributor. A solution is lightweight recycled glass from the Ardagh Group’s Seattle facility rather than standard glass that’s often sourced and shipped from overseas.
Ardagh, a global company with 65 production facilities, continues to expand the reach of its ECO Series sustainable bottle. This fall, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the Pacific Northwest’s largest wine company, announced that it has transitioned into the ECO Series for its Columbia Valley tier for Château Ste. Michelle as well as the Columbia Crest, 14 Hands and H3 brands.
Comparisons vary, but for Château Ste. Michelle’s $9 Columbia Valley Dry Riesling, an Ardagh representative told Great Northwest Wine that the ECO Series bottle is 17% lighter so it requires less fuel to transport it. And total production of the 2021 vintage was 500,000 cases. That line uses 25 percent less glass than a typical wine bottle and requires less fuel to transport it. Plus, its production generates less carbon dioxide during manufacturing, further reducing a winery’s carbon footprint. And in the case of Blue Grouse, the majority of its wines are sold within a 100-kilometer radius of the winery.
Williamson visited the Seattle plant that manufactures his glass, describing its production as “cool to look at. It’s mesmerizing,” adding, “it means a lot to us to purchase it here and go see the facility. Quality control is a higher
FEATURE
Founded in 2019 by Spain’s Familia Torres and California’s Jackson Family Wines, IWCA is a working group of wineries committed to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry. The International Wineries for Climate Action also is a member of the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. Membership is open to any winery in any country that is involved in the production process from grape-growing to bottling, recognizes that climate change is a significant threat to the wine community and is willing to take action to accelerate innovative climate solutions.
IWCA employs a three-tiered membership system that allows for a diverse membership while following a science-based approach and strict requirements. More than 30 new member or applicant member wineries have joined since the organization was created. Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, British Columbia, is currently the only IWCA Canadian participant and is an Applicant Member.
Why ASTRAPOUCH® 1.5L Pouch? (list provided by Okanagan Crush Pad)
• Lightweight and shatterproof
• Easy to recycle while traveling
• Easy to open, easy to pour
• Pouches stand on their own without the need for cardboard support
• Fridge-friendly and quick-chilling
• Stays fresh for up to 4 weeks once opened
• 80% reduced carbon footprint over glass bottles
Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia
SustainableWinegrowingBC.ca
Sustainable Winegrowing B.C. is an ongoing project of the B.C. Wine Grape Council, managing sustainability certification and providing educational resources and training to help vineyards and wineries establish sustainable practices. SWBC was created by a proactive team of wine industry volunteers in the province who gathered local knowledge and expertise and learned from programs in other winegrowing regions.
Its goal to create a certification program is an effort that began in 2011 as a self-assessment program, with standards set by a governing industry panel. Grapegrowers and wineries from across British Columbia may participate as a vineyard or winery, or both, as the program offers two certification standards — the SWBC Vineyard Standard, applicable for grape-growing operations; and the SWBC Winery Standard, applicable for winemaking operations. Stag’s Hollow Winery completed winery certification in 2021.
priority to us than the cost.”
Blue Grouse maintains a riparian area around a creek running through the property, uses soil sensors, drip irrigation and geothermal power; all are parts of its philosophy of stewardship that also includes screw caps — aluminum, therefore fully recyclable.
“Unless you are a serious collector, there’s no reason to always go for cork. And you can age wines under screw cap,” he says, adding, “We’re trying to do all of these things and be proud of it all on a small scale because everybody has to do their part — and make informed decisions.”
Summerland’s state-of-the-art Okanagan Crush Pad has wines in cans. It also is experimenting with lightweight glass and a new screw cap capable of re-sealing a bottle of bubbly and keeping the effervescence lively for longer. And the OCP Astrapouches boast an 80 percent reduced carbon footprint vs. traditional glass bottles.
So, what exactly is an Astrapouch?
“It’s two bottles of wine in a pouch that stands up on its own, then flattens down to put in recycling,” explains Christine Coletta, co-owner and co-founder of Okanagan Crush Pad. Two of the family dogs, Bizou and Yukon, are featured on the Pooch Pouch packages and on cans of Pink Bubbles and Pink Rosé.
Astrapouches are lightweight and shatterproof. They cool down faster, stay fresh longer — up to a month after opening — and are easy to recycle.
“We need to leave behind the legacy of bad wine in bags,” Coletta says. “It’s the same quality as in the bottle, but it takes a long time to educate people. Think about how long it took us to learn about recycling. It takes time to change peoples’ perceptions, but younger consumers moving into wine consumption will be open to other (alternative) packaging.”
Crush Pad is soon to release 3,500 cases of its Narrative sparkling wine in a lighter bottle and underneath that inventive screw cap. The result is a reduction of 12 pounds per case of sparkling wine, potentially reducing the overall weight of this bubbly production by up to 36,000 pounds.
That weight will be removed from transportation emissions and will ultimately reduce the cost of a bottle of wine to the consumer.
Coletta’s winery also is looking into reducing its environmental impact by not bleaching its boxes and instead uses plain cardboard. It has already used stone paper “tree-free” labels. Okanagan Crush Pad sources from 320 acres of organic vineyards certified by ECOCert, and there are 15 acres dedicated to nature conservancy and 12 reverted to wetland. That effort includes integrative pest management with
its three estate vineyards, which are organically farmed and certified. It also has joined the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), becoming its first Canadian member.
“We have been accepted as an applicant member having committed to an ISO-14064 audited baseline greenhouse gas inventory,” Coletta explains. “We have a year to meet IWCA membership requirements and become a silver or gold level member.
“The best part is that we get to collaborate with some of the most prestigious and forward-thinking wineries around the world to
explore and share best practices,” she added.
Williamson at Blue Grouse points out that while wine is a “vice,” he says, and maybe not everyone cares about the impact this particular vice has on sustainability, “We all have to do our little bit. That’s what matters.”
Allison M. Markin, a columnist and wine writer for Castanet Media, also is the driving force behind @bcwinetourism on Twitter, the bread-inspired @theleftplate on Substack and principal of AllSheWrote.ca. She resides in Penticton, British Columbia.
Critical to the success of Nota Bene Cellars in Seattle has been the careful grape sourcing and the long-term relationships with the people behind those vineyards.
The 2022 vintage marked the 21st crush for husband/wife winemakers Tim Narby and Carol Bryant. And while Narby walks those vineyards, he makes a point of staying out of the way of the growers.
“I have plenty to worry about in the cellar,” he says.
Narby grew up near Pittsburgh, Pa. Bryant was born and raised in Thailand by parents who were missionaries. She and Narby each attended the University of Washington, met in 1979 and married in 1985.
Bryant has worked as an attorney specializing in child support cases for the King County Prosecutor’s Office since 1981. He worked at Boeing from 1978 to 2013, first as a tool and production planner, then as a systems administrator in computing.
The couple’s foray into winemaking began with a home winemaking kit they received as a wedding gift, which came with a can of blackberry syrup, Bryant recalls with a smile. They graduated to wine grapes and continued their home winemaking exploits for another 16 years.
During that same period, Narby became involved with the Boeing Wine Club, making wines with fellow employees and wine enthusiasts including Chuck Jackson — who later founded Skagit Vineyard & Winery — and participating in the club’s annual competition for amateur winemakers.
“One thing that came out of that,” said Bryant, “is that when you’re consistently among the upper group of winning wines, you start thinking, ‘Maybe we can do this commercially.’”
In 2001, Narby and Bryant launched :Nota Bene Cellars. The name they chose, :Nota Bene, is Latin for “note well.” The abbreviation, NB, conveniently matched the first initial in their last names.
In the winery’s early years, Bryant noted their encounters with an unexpected problem.
“When you still have a full-time job, people refer to your winery as a ‘hobby,’ even though
you desperately want it to be a successful enterprise,” she says.
So Narby eventually left the aerospace giant to dedicate his time to Nota Bene. “And the after-life is working 80 hours a week at selling wine,” he says half-jokingly.
Fortunately, as Narby embarked on his “second career” as a full-time winemaker, he built connections to some great vineyards while serving four years as the head of grape procurement for the Boeing Wine Club.
“I was the first member to buy grapes from Ciel du Cheval,” Narby says.
Narby parlayed those early ties with Ciel du Cheval owner/founder Jim Holmes, and now with Holmes’s son, Richard, into what has become an ongoing relationship since Nota Bene’s inception. His purchases have included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.
“I just love their Syrah,” Narby says. “It’s clone 99 or the Tablas Creek Clone. It’s my favorite wine to make from there.”
In 2002, Narby added Arianses Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, a source he
continues to use.
“Arianses grows some of the lushest Merlot, and owner Bruce Zunser is fantastic to work with,” he says. That vineyard’s Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot also factor into the Nota Bene program.
Along the way, nearby StoneTree Vineyard also factored into the Nota Bene program from 2006 to 2021, producing what Narby terms as “inky, black and intense fruit.”
Another favorite in the past decade has been Dineen Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills, primarily for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but there’s also been Roussanne and Viognier; combined in a just-released 2021 White Blend.
“I love working with Dineen vineyard manager Patrick Rawn,” he says. “I call him on the phone — he answers. I text him — he answers. It’s just wonderful.”
Some of Nota Bene’s more recent additions include two other Red Mountain sites — the Williams family’s Heart of the Hill Vineyard for Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tapteil Vineyard. He received Mourvèdre in 2022 and hopes Tapteil’s new owners, Woodinville-based Avennia, will sell Nota Bene some Grenache in 2023.
Narby doesn’t rush their red wines. Nota Bene typically devotes 22 months to barrel aging, followed by 10 months in the bottle prior to releasing them to club members. He and Bryant hold them even longer before offering those same reds to the public.
And while Bryant’s primary role at Nota Bene is handling all of the winery’s administrative tasks, Narby notes that she’s also responsible for critiquing the wine on the nightly dinner table, another step toward ensuring their wines are ready for release.
The couple has also launched a snazzy second label, MCM Wine Company – which stands for Mid-Century Modern – that was designed by Seattle graphic designer Warren Wilkins. MCM wines are sometimes priced a few dollars less but crafted from the same quality grapes as the Nota Bene line.
However, rather than sticking to a formula, Narby and Bryant want to showcase characteristics of each vintage and the vineyards they work with.
“What do we know about farming?” said Bryant. “Trusting someone to manage the vineyard is a big part of it. They know what they’re doing.”
Narby adds, “I want to have discontinuity from year to year because I think it’s way more exciting for nature to produce different wines each year. And making wines that are different because of disparities in vintages? It’s exciting to have those challenges.”
Nota Bene wines are available throughout the Puget Sound including Total Wines, Highland Park Corner Store and Esquin Wine & Spirits in Seattle and Compass Wines in Anacortes. Nota Bene is also among the eight wineries featured at The Tasting Room in Pike Place Market — open seven days a week.
Nota Bene Cellars
9320 15th Ave. South, Unit CC
Seattle, WA 98108
Open the second Saturday of each month 1-5 p.m. Or by appointment (206) 459-2785 NotaBeneCellars.com
Oregon sparkling wine is getting easier to find and in a variety of styles, thanks to a growth in expertise, interest and winemaking facilities. A noteworthy addition to the bubbling effervescent scene is the new Willamette Valley Vineyards facility in the Dundee Hills — Domaine Willamette.
Domaine Willamette, its winery and showpiece tasting room, were built specifically to create sparkling wines for one of Oregon’s oldest and largest producers. And the project was a long time coming.
Willamette Valley Vineyards broke ground for it in 2017 after raising money through a Preferred Stock Offering, which allows individual investors to buy limited shares in Oregon’s
only publicly traded winery.
Domaine Willamette opened to the public in September 2022. The design should feel familiar to those who have visited the winery’s flagship facility just off Interstate 5 near Salem, featuring large windows, elegant use of wood and Northwest-inspired interior design.
A striking difference is the basement room that can be seen during tours. A “starry sky” room brings the outside in and serves as the entrance to the underground cave, where the wine is riddled and aged.
Domaine Willamette will be the only venue for guests to sample and purchase these sparkling wines. The tasting room, along Highway 99 and less than a mile southeast of historic Sokol Blosser, also features Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and wines from Willamette Valley Vineyards-owned brands made with grapes from Southern Oregon and Washington.
The building’s exterior also pays tribute to the vineyard’s Biodynamic farming practices. As visitors explore the pathways leading to and from the winery, they’ll discover a small garden that grows some of the herbs and flowers used to make Biodynamic preparations. An
While Domaine Willamette has all the sparkle of something new, there are also plenty of existing tasting rooms serving excellent sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and sometimes other grapes grown in Oregon. If bubbles are on your Christmas list, here are several to sample.
BY CHERYL JUETTEN PHOTOGRAPHY captionDomaine Willamette Estate 2018 Méthode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blancs, Willamette Valley, $85: Crafted with only Chardonnay grown at Domaine Willamette in the Dundee Hills, this stunning sparkler from the winemaking team at Willamette Valley Vineyards is rich in candied apple blossom, sweet pear flesh, salty lemon and brioche, which linger long after every sip.
Domaine Willamette 2018 Estate Méthode Traditionnelle Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, $75: Showing only the palest hint of pink, this wine has intense notes of cherry, lemon and raspberry thanks to its 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir, and its toasty, nutty notes from the 20 months it spent on yeast lees before disgorgement.
Anne Amie Vineyards 2017 Estate Marilyn Brut Rosé, Chehalem Mountain, $45: Fruit for this sparkler was sourced from high-elevation sites in Anne Amie’s Twelve Oaks Estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. Rich aromas and flavors of strawberries, cherries, rhubarb, lemon drops and blossoms abound in every glass.
Argyle Winery 2018 Blanc de Noirs, Willamette Valley, $30: Oregon’s first facility dedicated to sparkling wine. Nate Klostermann, only the second winemaker in Argyle’s history, focused on Spirit Hill Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills for this blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Pinot Meunier. Crisp aromas of fresh red apple give way to an almost apple pie richness in the mouth, as lemon, white flowers and stone fruit play a supporting role.
King Estate Winery 2018 Brut Cuvée, Willamette Valley, $40: Brent Stone’s cellar team and longtime vineyard manager Meliton Martinez combine for this sparkling effort with Pinot Noir (60%) and Chardonnay from the King family’s Biodynamic estate southwest of Eugene. Lime skin and yellow apple on the nose are joined by flavors of cherry, pear, brioche and slate on the palate.
Remy Wines 2021 Black Heart Series Blanc de Noir, Willamette Valley, $75: Remy Drabkin, the newly elected mayor of McMinnville, worked for Argyle in the early stages of career and brings that experience with sparkling wine to her eponymous brand. This wine, made with Pinot Noir off her estate in the Dundee Hills, carries notes of lemon, cherry, nectarine, rose and seashells. A percentage of
the sale of each bottle is donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Statera Cellars 2021 Pétillant - Naturel Sparkling Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $29: It’s been nearly a decade since winemakers Luke Wylde and Meredith Bell first joined forces to celebrate Oregon Chardonnay. And this label produces only Chardonnay. Their latest pét-nat is a 50/50 blend from neutral French oak and stainless steel fermentations that come together for final fermentation in the bottle. That accounts for the moderate level of bubbles, aromas of pear and apple, then creamy flavors of marzipan and toast.
Sophia McDonald, based in Eugene, Ore., has provided coverage of the Pacific Northwest wine industry for more than three dozen newspapers, magazines and trade
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNE AMIE
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMAINE WILLAMETTE
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMAINE WILLAMETTE
OOD RIVER, Ore. — On the same day
Karl and Coco Umiker dropped bins at Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, their Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021 Crawford Vineyard
Albariño earned a double gold medal and best of class at the 10th annual Great Northwest Invitational Wine Compe-
The next day, Oct. 6, 2022, their Albariño emerged from the sweepstakes as the judging’s Best White Wine before laying claim to Best of Show. The Invite recruits a number of the West Coast’s most influential wine buyers to nominate entries and then judge them at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Ore.
“From my experience judging competitions, a lot of times a wine that’s refreshing will really stand out to you,” Coco
said. “I remember a Pinot Gris from Wild Goose (in British Columbia) won something like two years in a row. Those aromatic whites or rosé can be just so much fun to drink.”
The Best Red Wine of The Invite went to Wapato Point Cellars near the shores of Lake Chelan for its 2018 Cabernet Franc. That wine came into The Invite as an early favorite after winemaker
Oscar Castillo used the Franc from the Hansen family’s Cougar Crest Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley to capture best of show at the esteemed 2022 Sunset International Wine Competition.
Maryhill Winery and winemaker Richard Batchelor led The Invite by amassing nine gold medals for the family-owned producer with bistro/tasting rooms in Goldendale, Woodinville, Spokane and in Vancouver across the Columbia from Portland.
Umiker has been seen as one of the Pacific Northwest’s top talents with red wines for a decade — no woman winemaker has won more Platinum Awards (41) from Great Northwest Wine panels — and that form held true again at The Invite.
Judges awarded double gold medals and best of class for the Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2019 Malbec and 2019 Reserve Carménère. The 2018 Heritage Series Louis Delsol Cabernet Sauvignon, produced strictly with grapes from the Lewis-Clark Valley, received a double gold. And her 2020 The Wine Project, a Petit Verdot-driven blend pulling from both Idaho and Washington, grabbed a gold medal — giving the Umikers a total of five medals gold or better.
They are quick to credit the vineyard work by Charlie and Connie Crawford for Clearwater Canyon’s acclaimed Albariño program, which begins with the fascinating canopy provided by the Geneva Double Curtain trellising system often associated with growing Concord juice grapes.
“I’ve never seen a husband and wife so equally invested with sweat equity in a
vineyard as Connie and Charlie,” Coco says. “And they are awesome humans, which is very important to us.”
That diligence explains why the Crawfords have a growing demand for the Spanish variety, a list of more than a dozen winemakers throughout the Northwest. Their customers produced several of the top wines in Great Northwest Wine’s comparative tasting of Albarino last summer.
“We had been looking at a new white wine for our portfolio and did a lot of research, and every time we tasted an Albariño we were impressed,” Coco said. “There are so many great ones — Palencia, Coyote Canyon and Pend d’Oreille in Sandpoint — so we began watching closely some of those we liked the best and a number of them were coming from Crawford, including Barnard Griffin and Pend d’Oreille. We got in touch with them in 2018, asking, ‘Do you have any to sell?’ And each year, we try to weasel a little bit more out of them.”
The Umikers made 277 cases of the 2021 Crawford Vineyard Albariño and sold through
their entire production — Albariño and everything — prior to summer’s end. In fact, Wine Press Northwest magazine's 2020 Pacific Northwest of the Year had no bottles of anything ready to sell this September and October. The Umikers plan to make about 375 cases of the 2022 Albariño and increase their overall wine production,
“In 2024, we’re on target to be right at 5,000 cases, and that’s where we want to hold,” she said.
That year will mark the 20th anniversary of Clearwater Canyon Cellars, which the Umikers launched when they were on college campuses as researchers and competitive cyclists while entering the world of wine production. They made a couple hundred cases and took on a handful of business partners, who they would buy out within the next few years. (Some remain as wine club members.)
The Umikers spent much of their winemaking history at a Port of Lewiston facility that wasn't intended for winemaking or wine touring. In spite of that, they developed a loyal following of folks who appreciated the Umikers’s work with Carménère and Malbec and wines from prized sites in Washington such as Phinny Hill, Verhey and Crawford, as well as their estate vineyard on their Century Farm in the Lewiston Orchards.
They first planted it in 2003 and built their estate winery next to those vines in 2016. One
of the key attributes of the new vinification facility was it gave Umiker the availability to use refrigerated tanks, critical to white wine production. And in the spring of 2016, she judged the Cascadia International Wine Competition, where Victor Palencia won best of show with an Albariño from the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley.
"To do something like this now among the likes of L’Ecole, Long Shadows and Gehringer Brothers, I’m very proud to have our wines do that well,” said Coco.
Still, the 2021 growing season will be best remembered for more than stellar grapes from the Crawfords. It is when the Umikers became parents of their newborn daughter.
“That was the first vintage that Stella helped us make,” Coco says. “I think you make better wine when you are happy, and Stella has brought so much joy to me and Karl. It seemed crazy to think that I would have a hard time finding the time to do what I do as a winemaker and have the time for her, but you create space and say ‘No’ to stuff that’s not important.”
Just three weeks after The Invite, the Umikers entered that sold-out Clearwater Canyon 2021 Crawford Vineyard Albariño into the 23rd Platinum Awards. It went on to earn a Double Platinum and share honors as the topranked white wine of that tasting, too.
Grenache, the darling of Châteauneufdu-Pape in the Southern Rhône, has long been a preferred drink for Columbia Gorge winemaker Rich Cushman.
In the minds of Great Northwest Wine judges, the example Cushman crafted for Mt. Hood Winery from the 2018 vintage ranked as “The Best of the Best” — the No. 1 wine at the 23rd annual Platinum Awards.
“I’ve always thought Grenache can make a reliably tasty and nicely structured wine,” Cushman says. “There is a renewed interest in it, but I’ve always been a fan of Grenache. It’s similar to Pinot Noir in that it’s not over the top with tannins. And tannic wines are not something that I really care for.”
Vibrant, expressive and balanced often describe Cushman’s wines, and they continue to earn high praise via regional competitions.
In 2016, Cushman’s work for the Bickford family turned Mt. Hood into the Oregon Winery of the Year for Wine Press Northwest. Three years later, another of his clients, Stave & Stone Wine Estates, was named the Oregon Winery to Watch.
This year, nine wines Cushman made for Mt. Hood received gold medals at the 2022 Cascadia International. Among those was the Best Red — a 2018 Barbera. The 2019 Estate Pinot Noir ended up best of class. And the 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Grenache earned a double gold medal.
“2018 was across the board a spectacular vintage in the Gorge,” Cushman says. “It’s so easy to make good wines in a perfect vintage.”
At the 2022 Platinum, there was also a Double Platinum for the Mt. Hood 2019 Dry Hollow Vineyard Syrah and a Platinum for the 2021 Estate Riesling from Bickford vines.
“There is more vintage variability in Grenache than others, and the harvest window for it has a tighter strike zone than with Cabernet or Merlot,” Cushman says. “I don’t want it to get too ripe because I want the acidity in a good frame. And then you have got to get nice color.”
There’s plenty of 20th century history surrounding Gunkel Vineyard, a site near the Co-
lumbia River and Maryhill Museum. It’s long been a source for some of Maryhill Winery’s top efforts, including Italian reds, and Cushman admires its sedimentary soils rather than the volcanic profile of other sites.
In recent years, Mt. Hood has only ordered the Gunkel Grenache every other vintage. In 2018, Cushman turned the 1.2 tons he got into about 1,100 bottles of wine — 94 cases.
“I thought Grenache was one of the biggest plantings Ste. Michelle had in the ’70s because it could make a reliably tasty and nicely structured wine,” Cushman said. “My sense is that Grenache is not winter-hardy, so it’s been replaced with things like Cab and Cabernet Franc because they could get through a winter on more cold-prone sites.
“But there’s more of it becoming available,” he added. “I’d love for Grenache to be a more consistent purchase for us. It’s a lovely grape, and I really enjoy working with it — but it’s been more of a wine-club wine.”
It’s no coincidence that both of Cushman’s sons also work a bit with Grenache. Peter serves as the winemaker for Jacob Williams and Wy’East wineries as well as his eponymous label. And Grenache is among the many varieties Joe grows as the managing viticulturist at Threemile Vineyard, an impressive young planting near The Dalles.
“Those grapes at Threemile already are in huge demand,” Rich says. “I’m hoping for a little bit of the Grenache, and I really want to get my hands on their Grenache Blanc.”
At this stage, Cushman — Class of 1970 from what was known as Wy’East High School — continues to give assistant winemaker Eli Pynch more responsibility for the 10,000 cases they work on together, 65% of which is for the Mt. Hood label. And the Bickford family continues to provide them with a comfortable and expansive winemaking facility.
“Everything we need is at their facility, which includes a cold room and five forklifts to handle all the fruit from their orchards. They harvested 1,000 tons of pears this year,” Cushman said.
He already handed off all cider production to Pynch, which has freed up Cushman to hike, ski, swim and travel overseas more often. And earlier this year, Cushman sold his 40-year-old Riesling vineyard and the tasting room he built alongside Interstate 84 for his Viento label to Bob Morus of Phelps Creek Vineyards — a former client.
“I’m trying to slow down, but not stop,” Cushman said. “I do enjoy making wine. The puzzle and the challenge to it are fun for me.”
Besides, he’s damn good at it. That 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Grenache has been one of the Northwest’s best wines for three years now. Why? The 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Grenache was a Double Platinum during the 2020 Platinum Awards.
“I got it right this time,” Cushman said. “I like the brightness of the fruit with Marionberry and red cherries, and it’s a little bit creamy. There are some ancillary aromas like coffee and spices, but there’s no new oak in it. I didn’t think it needed it.
“That year, I did blend in 5% Syrah, just to bump the color and give it a little more body on the back end,” he added. “It’s fresh and lively and really long on the finish. I like the way it sort of dances.”
Cushman, who grew up interested in science, chuckled when he learned that his Grenache narrowly edged out the Brian Carter Cellars 2016 Le Coursier Bordeaux-Style Red Wine as the top-rated wine of the 2022 Platinum. Carter and Cushman were schoolmates at Oregon State University, and a wine tasting class helped push Carter post-graduation to the University of California-Davis to pursue a winemaking career. Those elective credits changed the course of both lives — and the Northwest wine industry is better for it.
"Brian was a year ahead of me, so the next year I took that same class and then I went down to Davis, too," Cushman says. “We’ve been good friends ever since.”
Maryhill Winery’s tasting room offers an elevated view of the Columbia River and the opportunity to experience wines from the first producer to record 100 Platinum Award winners in the 23-year history of the judging.
This fall, winemaker Richard Batchelor won eight Platinums — more than any other winery — which gave owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold a total of 103 since they started in 1999 at the eastern edge of the Columbia Gorge near Goldendale, Wash. Using the Platinum as a guide, Batchelor is making the best wines of his career, having garnered 42 Platinums in the past four years and 94 during the previous 10 years.
“I’m kind of a broken record on this, but it speaks to the quality of the fruit grown in Washington and the Columbia Valley, and Richard is such a great steward who takes care of those grapes,” Craig Leuthold says. “We went from making 25 different wines in 2008 — the year before Richard got here.
“We added three wines in 2009, which started an evolution of our program,” Leuthold added. “The next year, we grew by 15 more wines because I recognized after that first vintage that Richard had a special talent.”
Seven of the eight Platinums this fall were for red wines from the 2019 vintage. Three of those highlighted the New Zealander’s touch with Syrah. His highest-scoring wine, with 97 points, was the 2019 Classic Zinfandel — which retails for $21 a bottle.
Six of Maryhill’s Platinums were vineyard-designates, led by the Double Platinum given to the Klipsun Vineyard Syrah. Art den Hoed’s Painted Hills Vineyard accounted for a Tempranillo and a Primitivo.
Historically, Maryhill has shown consistently high standards with Syrah (13 Platinums), Cabernet Sauvignon (12), Zinfandel (7 winners), Cabernet Franc (7), Malbec (7), Sangiovese table wine (6), rosé (6) and Cinsaut (5).
“I’ve trusted him with all of these varieties, and it’s amazing to me how he keeps up with it all,” Leuthold said.
Maryhill’s first Platinum, back in 2004, was for a Zin from nearby Gunkel Vineyard. Prior to that, Maryhill made headlines in California by winning best of class with its Zin program.
“We actually had one of the judges from that competition come up to the winery and question where the grapes were from,” Leuthold said with a chuckle.
The Leutholds credit having a bistro at each of their four tasting rooms across Washington state with helping Maryhill withstand the downturn of the pandemic. And now, after two smaller vintages, Batchelor will be using the 2022 harvest to ramp up production again.
“Yields were up quite a bit this year, especially on the whites, so we’ll be slightly over 90,000 cases from 2022,” Leuthold said. “We’ve only been over 90,000 two other years, but this time it was without adding a new vineyard source.”
On the heels of Maryhill in Platinum awards won is venerable Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery along British Columbia’s Golden Mile Bench. The higher hurdles of getting wines across an international border during a pandemic explain why Walter and Gordon Gehringer haven’t already broken the century mark for career Platinums. They are now at 97 after winning five, and each was made with a different aromatic white variety.
Stephen Reustle in Southern Oregon’s Umpqua Valley maintains his hold on the No. 3 ranking after five Platinums boosted his total to 53.
The leading Walla Walla Valley producer
in the history of the Platinum continues to be Zerba Cellars in Milton-Freewater, using four Platinums in 2022 to move into a tie for fourth with Château Ste. Michelle.
There’s no one close to supplanting Coco Umiker as "The Empress of the Platinum.” The Lewiston, Idaho, whiz recorded seven Platinums this year, giving Clearwater Canyon Cellars a total of 41 and moving to No. 6 on the all-time list. No other woman winemaker has won more than 15 career Platinums. This year, two of Umiker’s seven Platinums were for white wine. And for the second time in three years, she used Crawford Vineyard in the Yakima Valley to win a Platinum for Albariño.
Brian Carter also continues his remarkable run. His seven Platinum winners places him inside the top 10 on the all-time Platinum list with 33. Of this year’s seven Platinums, five were Double Platinums. He also makes the wines for Bayernmoor Cellars, so the pair he picked up for the Harris family for the first time meant Carter produced at least nine Platinums in 2022. (There are a number of Northwest wineries that he’s signed nondisclosure agreements with, so there may be more.)
Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River, Ore., with Sonoma-based winemaker Michael Sebastiani still at the helm, emerged with seven Platinum winners as the investment in grapes from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills and Columbia Valley continues to reap rewards for owners Robb and John Bell.
Eight wineries around Lake Chelan combined for 25 Platinums in 2022. Leading the Lake Chelan wine community continues to be Tsillan Cellars, a testament to the vision of Dr. Bob Jankelson and decades of work by vineyard manager Bal Flores and the transition to head winemaker Garrett Grubbs. Tsillan Cellars won five Platinums this year and moved to No. 11 on the all-time list with 31 in its history.
Our editorial team and the Pacific Northwest wine industry have come a long way since we created the Platinum Awards back in 2000. "Platinum” is a designation that gets tossed around by myriad competitions now, but 23 years ago, we believed we were the first — and credit goes to event founder Andy Perdue for that. We were newspaper men and not in the business of trademarking.
A year ago, there were 191 wines judged to be worthy of Platinum out of 528 submissions, with 66 of those earning Double Platinum acclaim — which signifies the judges were in unanimous agreement. This year, there were 219 Platinum winners out of 679 entries, with 68 of those as Double Platinum.
The hope is to next year surpass the pre-pandemic record of 749 submissions in 2019. Regardless, this year’s increased participation of 151 from the previous judging is the largest influx from one year to the next in Platinum history — a reflection of the coordination by Publisher Jerry Hug.
• This is the third time that Stephen Reustle has produced either "The Best of the Best” or the Best White Wine of the Platinum.
• DeLille Cellars, our reigning Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, has earned a Platinum in each of the past three years for both its flagship D2 Red Wine and its stately Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain.
• Dunham Cellars earned a Platinum for the third time in the past four years for its flagship Trutina Red Wine.
• Olympic Peninsula winemaker Don Corson reaffirmed his status as one of the Northwest’s top talents with Cabernet Sauvignon, earning a trio of Platinums for his reserve program, a showing that spanned three vintages and reached back to 2012. His 2018 reserve effort from Dionysus Vineyard along the White Bluffs finished as the No. 1 Cab of the tasting. Overall, he’s won seven Platinums for work with Bordeaux reds in the past three years.
• Cardwell Hill Cellars, our editorial team’s 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year, received four Platinums — all for Pinot Noir, giving Dan Chapel a total of 16 for his career.
• King Estate Winery, our editorial team’s 2021 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, continued its remarkable run under winemaker Brent Stone. His team added four Platinums in 2022, giving them a total of 16 in the past four years.
• Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, the 2022 Washington Winery to Watch, used the prized Red Mountain red grapes to again impress judges with four Platinum winners from the 2019 vintage. Two of those were Double Platinums. Self-taught winemaker Mark Lathrop leaped onto the all-time Platinum leaderboard with 11 career Platinums — all in the past two years.
• Lake Chelan showpiece Mellisoni Vineyards also received four Platinums, two of them grown by Ed Kelly at Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope. Rob and Donna Mellison vaulted
into a tie for No. 20 overall on the all-time Platinum scoreboard.
• Napa-based winemaker Chris Daniel of Chris Daniel Winery in Quincy, Wash., who produced "The Best of the Best” in 2021, continued his remarkable run with three Platinums, which gives his family a total of 11 in the past four years.
• Christopher James Barnes of Chris James Cellars in Carlton, Ore. — our reigning Oregon Winery of the Year — added validation with three Platinums to match his output of last year.
Eric Degerman is the owner and CEO of Great Northwest Wine LLC. He can be reached at eric@GreatNorthwestWine.com
Abeja (Walla Walla, Wash.), Appassionata by J. Christopher Wines (Newberg, Ore.), Arbor Crest Wine Cellars (Spokane, Wash.), Bayernmoor Cellars (Stanwood, Wash.), C.R. Sandidge Wines (Manson, Wash.), Château Faire Le Pont (Wenatchee, Wash.), Chelan Ridge Winery/High Hawk Cellars (Manson, Wash.), Côtes de Ciel (Walla Walla), Del Rio Vineyards (Gold Hill, Ore.), EFESTĒ (Woodinville, Wash.), Four Feathers Wine Services (Prosser, Wash.), Golden Ridge Cellars (Walla Walla, Wash), Huston Vineyards (Caldwell, Idaho), Kerry Hill Winery (Wilder, Idaho), Lagrioth Winery (Manson, Wash.), Neher Family Wines (Milton-Freewater, Ore.), Öömrang, Inc. (Stanwood, Wash.), Parejas Cellars (Clarkston, Wash.), Pike Road Wines (McMinnville, Ore.), Southern Cross Winery (Richland, Wash.), TruthTeller Winery (Walla Walla, Wash.), Two Bad Labs Vineyard (Lewiston, Idaho), Whitman Hill Winery (Zillah, Wash.), Winescape (Spokane, Wash.
Brian Carter Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. (7)
Cathedral Ridge Winery, Hood River, Ore. (7)
Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Lewiston, Idaho (7)
Thurston Wolfe Winery, Prosser, Wash. (7)
Westport Winery Garden Resort, Aberdeen, Wash. (7)
Prayer-Rock Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore. (5)
Tipsy Canyon Winery, Manson, Wash. (5)
Tsillan Cellars, Chelan, Wash. (5)
Those with four Basalt Cellars, Camaraderie Cellars, Cardwell Hill Cellars, Chelan Ridge Winery/High Hawk Cellars, Coyote Canyon Winery/ H/H Estates, King Estate Winery, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, Mellisoni Vineyards, Palencia Wine Co., Winescape, Zerba Cellars.
Those with three
Bluebird Hill Cellars, Chris Daniel Winery, Chris James Cellars, Hamilton Cellars, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Moon Curser Vineyards, Mt. Hood Winery, Spangler Vineyards, Spoiled Dog Winery, The Bunnell Family Cellar, Yakima Valley Vintners/Yakima Valley College
Those with two Airfield Estates, Ambassador Wines of Washington, Bayernmoor Cellars, C.R. Sandidge Wines, Château NoElle Vineyards & Winery, Côtes de Ciel, Del Rio Vineyards, DeLille Cellars, Four Feathers Wine Services, Iris Vineyards, Lagana Cellars, Mercer Estates, Michael Florentino Cellars, Milbrandt Vineyards, Port Townsend Vineyards, Rolling Hills Vineyard, Siren Song Wines, Succession Wines, T2 Cellar, TruthTeller Winery, Watermill Winery
Those with 10+ career Platinum Awards after 2022
Cathedral Ridge Winery — 14
Château Faire Le Pont — 11
Yakima Valley Vintners / Yakima Valley College — 11
Double Platinum • 98 points
Mt. Hood Winery 2018
Gunkel Vineyard Grenache, Columbia Valley $34
It’s uncommon for the same exact wine to receive more than a Platinum Award more than once. However, here is rarefied air. The 2018 Gunkel Vineyard Grenache earned a Double Platinum in our 2020 judging. Two years later, it not only repeats, but also ranks as the No. 1 wine in the field of 697 entries. That’s because it’s a lush, layered and opulent drink offering notes of dark cherry, rose petal, blueberry, red currant, baking spices and white pepper — all cast within a long, smooth finish. “Thank God I got to be a judge at this competition,” one panelist remarked. Indeed, this Grenache is a unicorn. (96 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold medal).
Double Platinum • 98 points
Brian Carter Cellars 2016
Le Coursier Bordeaux-style
Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $39
One of the Northwest’s top producers of proprietary blends is the one behind the Best Red Blend of the 2022 Platinum, and Woodinville’s Brian Carter used his Right Bank-Bordeaux expression to achieve such excellence. He leaned on Tedd Wildman’s StoneTree Vineyard near the top of the warm Wahluke Slope for much of this blend of Merlot (61%), Cabernet Sauvignon (16%), Cabernet Franc (11%), Malbec (8%) and Petit Verdot. Other contributors included Olsen and Dineen vineyards in the Yakima Valley and E&E Shaw — a Red Mountain site recently purchased by Tinte Cellars. There’s amazing freshness to the nose of blackberry and Montana huckleberry that gradually
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.
releases notes of dried herbs, black olive and oak nuances. Inside, there’s boysenberry and blueberry with a remarkable note of pie cherry for brightness and finish of black licorice. “It’s really balanced, extremely complex and so solid from front to end,” said one judge. “Keep opening bottles of this over the years and you will be really happy.” (448 cases, 14.4% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Camaraderie Cellars 2018
Dionysus Vineyard Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $45
Olympic Peninsula winemaker Don Corson has won at least one Platinum for his Cabernet Sauvignon program in each of the past three years, and this effort from Sagemoor’s historic
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.”
Dionysus Vineyard stood atop our judging as the highest-ranking Cab. This work from a site established in 1971 exudes endless layers of dark fruit akin to black currant, black cherry and dried strawberry with an opulent mouthfeel, suave tannins and a finish of remarkable depth. A number of Corson’s older Cabs are available for purchase on his website, so there is opportunity to experience the depth of this Port Angeles program. (194 cases, 14.4% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021
Crawford Vineyard Albariño, Washington State $22
Proven to be among the Pacific Northwest’s most brilliant winemakers, Coco Umiker takes this brilliant Spanish grape to the next
level, and judges believed there was no white wine at the Platinum that was better than this. Her work with Albariño from the Crawford family’s vineyard in a cooler site in the Yakima Valley shows tropical aromas and flavors that pick up notes of Fuji apple and minerality. A slice of Mandarin orange makes for a long finish. Such a finish with this grape was not a shock considering her 2019 Crawford Vineyard Albariño garnered her a Double Platinum in 2020 — six months after CCC was named Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. (277 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of show/best white/best of class/double gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Southern Oregon’s Stephen Reustle continues to burnish his reputation for producing wines that display appropriate varietal character, and this Sauvignon Blanc is so spot-on that it could stand up to cross-examination in court. The nose displays a hint of smoke, honeysuckle and lime, then it shows off flavors of lime, lime zest, minerality and a lick of oyster shell. Pair it with oysters and halibut. (295 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (best of class/double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
For the second straight year, Christopher James Barnes — the winegrower/winemaker behind our reigning Oregon Winery of the Year — has produced the No. 1 Pinot Noir of the Platinum. For this bottling, he decided to give his blend of Dijon 777, 828 and Pommard clones an extra year in bottle than he normal-
ly does for this reserve program. While most of the fruit came off his widely diversified estate plantings along Old Wagon Road west of Carlton, there remains a connection to last year’s prized Pinot — Muska Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. That fruit, after 28 months in neutral barrels, leads to complex dark blue fruit notes of Marionberry jam and black cherry. They pick up accents of maple and chocolate, leading out with boysenberry juice. Suggested pairings include pork, duck and cedar-planked salmon. (150 cases, 15.8% alc.) Award: Savor NW (double gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
The Leutholds made an early statement in the Washington wine industry 20 years ago when their Zinfandel from nearby Gunkel Vineyard took a best-of-class award at a large California competition. One of the top-scoring wines during the 23rd Platinum is this Maryhill Zin under their “Classic” tier — and still with Gunkel grapes. It offers some of what lovers of California Zin desire with notes of blueberry jam, moist raisins and jerky, but it's bright with Craisin, and there’s added complexity with honeycomb and dusty leather. (1,177 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Prayer-Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Green Lizard Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $36
In each of the past five vintages, the guru of Grüner in the United States has earned a Platinum for his Green Lizard program. Stephen Reustle names it for the mascot of Austria’s famed Wachau Valley, and he crafts this in a style that references the lots of Grüner Veltliner grapes that were the ripest at harvest. As a result, this
tier is arguably the most approachable and expressive of his Grüner lineup. It opens with white pepper, starfruit and quince aromas that lead to a beautifully balanced drink of Bartlett pear and Golden Delicious apple. The fruit, spice blend and citrusy notes make this really pop on the palate for a long and pure example. (320 cases, 12.6% alc.) Awards: Critics Choice (platinum), Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Camaraderie Cellars 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $45
Don Corson entered the oldest Cab in this year’s Platinum. As such, his decade-old selection of his best barrels from that classic vintage was the first to be evaluated. And it proved to be one of the best — earning a unanimous vote for Platinum and a lofty score from judges. There’s a rewarding sense of maturity and complexity with its profile of cherry gastrique and toast with tertiary savory notes of black olive and oyster mushrooms. (115 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Chris James Cellars 2021 Estate Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Yamhill-Carlton $32
Even though he says this white Bordeaux grape presents challenges for him, Chris Barnes has earned a Platinum or better with an expression of Sauvignon Blanc the past two years. Here, it is sparkling in more ways than one. Presented under crown cap, it’s ebullient with fruitiness akin to Granny Smith apple, star fruit and citrus as the beautifully tiny bubbles and touch of residual sugar (3%) combine for a great mouthfeel that’s balanced. Suggested fare includes grilled mango chicken. (91 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Tsillan Cellars 2021 Dolce Donna
White Wine, Yakima Valley $28
Much of Dr. Bob Jankelson’s prized program is estate-grown, but this Muscat-Riesling blend is the rare instance when his winemaking team — now led by Garrett Grubbs — works entirely with fruit from the Yakima Valley. The aroma is perfumy with orchard blossom and classic tropical fruit tones, and the flavors match. Think of a grapefruit cocktail that includes melon and cinnamon spice. The trick is that it is super fruity yet remarkably dry (0.3%), balanced by tangerine juice and a slaty finish. “This is everything a white blend should be,” a judge remarked. Look for it in the winery’s stylish new tasting room in Woodinville’s tony Woodin Creek Village. (410 cases, 12% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
2019 Mermaid Merlot, Rattlesnake Hills $32
It’s rather fitting that the reigning Washington Winery of the Year — and home to the International Mermaid Museum — tops the charts of the Merlot category at the Platinum from esteemed Elephant Mountain Vineyard above the Yakima Valley. The nose is as alluring as a siren’s call with rose petals, black currant, blueberry and oak spice, which encourage a deep dive into its huge fruit of blackberry, black cherry and dark plum. Bold tannins give it what one panelist described as a “kick-ass backbone” and scream for a slab of prime rib. (300 cases, 15% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Double Platinum • 95 points
High Hawk Cellars 2015 Reserve
Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley $89
A year ago, Bill and Candace Swayne purchased Chelan Ridge Winery. In addition to that label created by previous winemaker Lynn Munneke, the Swaynes also have launched this tier and hired Chelan Valley winemaker Jeff Crowder. Petit Verdot was a very strong category at this year’s Platinum, and the Swaynes can boast theirs was the highest-ranking PV. Born on the Royal Slope, this often assertive red Bordeaux releases aromas of dark cherries, sweet cedar and a potpourri. Its palate is a beautiful concentration of black cherry and plums with notes of cayenne pepper, white pepper, leather and eucalyptus. And while the tannins are indeed prevalent, they are not overwhelming. (120 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Double Platinum • 94 points
Yakima Valley Vintners 2017 Red Backpack Red Wine, Columbia Valley $28
The winemaking students at Yakima Valley College, led by educators Trent Ball and Brad K. Smith, graded out with three Platinums from this year’s judging of Northwest gold medal winners. This blend changes with each class of future winemakers, but this formula of Petit Verdot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon fills a Pee-Chee portfolio with notes of brambleberries, Bing cherry and Jolly Rancher grape candy, joined by a sense of smoked meat and mint, leading to a bit of Pepperidge Farm Toasted Marshmallow Milano cookie. (26 cases, 13.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 98 points
Brian Carter Cellars 2021
Abracadabra Rosé, Yakima Valley $25
Master blender Brian Carter charted Double Platinum with both of his Abracadabra bottlings, and this Sangiovese-based pink ranked as the No. 1 rosé of the judging. The Woodinville producer’s reliance on bright red varieties from standout vineyards such as Boushey and Lonesome Spring Ranch also includes Grenache, Tempranillo and Graciano, making for a bright and refreshing drink of raspberry, strawberry and white peach that’s nicely balanced with fruit and tanginess as the residual sugar (0.4%) is essentially below the threshold of perception. Enjoy with salmon, chicken, turkey and green salads. “When people want rosé all day, this is the wine,” said one judge. (630 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Bellingham Northwest (double gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars 2018
Dionysus Meritage Red Wine, Columbia Valley $55
Spokane winemaker Kristin van Löben Sels relies heavily on the Dionysus blocks at historic Sagemoor Vineyard for this Meritage-style approach with Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (9%), Malbec (5%) and Petit Verdot. The graduate of the University of California-Davis famed winemaking program crafts a wine built for the cellar, but there’s already so much to enjoy, starting with toasted hazelnuts and cinnamon before leading to the centerpiece of cherry jam and hibiscus. The sinewy tannins linger while still allowing for the fruit to shine and make for a delicious finish of toffee. (300 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Best Buy! Of the Gehringers’ 97 career Platinums, 11 have been with this remarkable but obscure white variety from Alsace that is sometimes labeled in that region as Pinot Blanc. While it is often sublime, Walter and Gordon Gehringer create a magical setting, starting with remarkable florals of cherry blossom, apricot and sliced Asian pear. The approach to the palate is clean and crisp, featuring grapefruit, Key lime and white peach. A favorite of the wine trade, it’s a conversation piece that is ideal for white meats, Asian fare, crab cocktail or a bowl of potato and leek soup. (1,600 cases, 12.9% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class, double gold), All-Canadian (gold)
As much as Stephen Reustle is known for his Grüner program, the New Jersey transplant also has now earned seven Platinums for his work with estate Pinot Noir. It makes up 7 of his 40 acres and includes three Dijon clones, Pommard and Wädenswil. Judges applauded this entry for the palate delivering on the aromatics — dusty raspberry, bright cherry and pomegranate with earthiness, tobacco and underlying truffle notes. The amazing mouthfeel and elegance prompted the comment of “a perfectly executed Pinot.” (320 cases, 13.1% alc.) Award: San Diego International (gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Westport Winery 2019 Courage
Sagrantino, Yakima Valley $33
Never afraid to take a risk, the Roberts family brought in this rarely seen and busty Italian red — native to Umbria — but grown at Inland Desert Nursery near Red Mountain. They’ve teamed up and turned it into greatness. Concentrated aromas of red currant, cherries and granola lead to bright flavors of blueberry, raspberry and pomegranate. “Bold, yet elegant!” exclaimed one judge. (97 cases, 15% alc.) Awards: Los Angeles Invitational (best of class, double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Airfield Estates Winery 2021
Sangiovese Rosé, Yakima Valley
$18
Best Buy! The Miller family and their winemaker, Travis Maple, used fruit from their historic 800-acre vineyard to produce two of the tastiest bargains in the 23rd annual Platinum. Their expression with this Italian red is bursting with aromas and flavors and does so in uber-dry fashion. Raspberry, cherry and watermelon provide beautiful layers as sensations of tangerine, grapefruit and pink peppercorns make for a rewarding finish. (2,109 cases, 12.9 alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Airfield Estates Winery 2021
Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley
$17
Best Buy! National distributors are telling Northwest vintners that Sauvignon Blanc is drawing more attention from entry-level wine drinker. Here’s an ideal landing spot. Classic aromas of gooseberry and lemongrass lead to a palate that’s bright and happy with Granny Smith apple, starfruit and lovely pink grapefruit. And if you order a case before Jan. 1, the
Miller family will ship it to you for free. (6,117 cases, 12.7% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019 Heritage Reserve Red Wine, Red Mountain $45
Coeur d’Alene business executive Mark Lathrop and his #RedMtn campaign continue to make his club members happy and validate our selection of Liberty Lake Wine Cellars as the 2022 Washington Winery to Watch. Within two years, this self-taught winemaker amassed 11 Platinums, and this is the second straight time he’s gone Platinum with his blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. it’s a sultry red that offers up notes of cassis, black cherry and smoked meat with strawberry cream on the midpalate and blueberry cobbler and caramel in the finish. (120 cases, 13.7% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Prayer – Rock Vineyards 2021 Estate Selection Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $32
In homage to the grape’s origins in Austria’s Wachau Valley, Stephen Reustle uses the German term — hefe means yeast — for lees aging to educate and describe his approach to this Grüner. And in terms of our event, it’s his best expression of the grape because this marks the fifth consecutive vintage to have won a Platinum. Upon reflection, typicity with notes of chamomile, white pepper and minerality leads to a pleasing mouth feel as it gathers up POG juice, white peach and underlying fresh-cooked pasta. The finish offers kiwi and honeydew melon. (315 cases, 13.6% alc.) Award: Critics Choice (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
The Bunnell Family Cellar 2019
Painted Hills Vineyard j. lightfoot
Artist Series Malbec, Columbia Valley
$46
Six of Ron Bunnell’s Platinum winners are vineyard-designated wines from Art den Hoed’s planting near Mabton, Wash., and this time he used that site to record the highest-rated Malbec in the Platinum. It’s a wine filled with blue and black fruit that is joined by baking spices, moist earth, crushed brick and a long trail of caramel. (120 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Tsillan Cellars 2019 Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon, Lake Chelan
$44
Two decades ago, it would have been unthinkable to grow award-winning Cab in the Lake Chelan Valley. That’s why Dr. Bob Jankelson is a visionary, and here’s another bottle of proof, which is his second Platinum for Cabernet Sauvignon, but his first Double Platinum. Black cherry, blackberry, vanilla and toasted cherry wood lead into the palate, where they combine in a balanced approach. Enjoy with grilled meat or the rack of lamb at Sorrento’s Ristorante, Jankelson’s restaurant overlooking Lake Chelan. (270 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
$37.99
Purdue grad Brian Roy makes the wines for this brand built by the orchard-focused Brown family. Recent investments by Wenatcheebased Foreman Fruit Co., explain why a Walla Walla Valley winery now also operates a tasting room in historic downtown Wenatchee.
This ranks as one of the most expressive and fascinating Cabs in the Platinum with a classic theme of cherry and chocolate with underlying notes of cardamom, French vanilla, black truffle, papyrus and green peppercorn. (453 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Blakeslee Vineyard Estate 2018 Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains
$52
One of the Willamette Valley’s most underrated winemakers, Jim Sanders, took over this program from the esteemed Robert Brittan, and this high-ranking Pinot Noir adds to our argument. Pommard clones dominate this former home to filbert groves and Christmas trees in what’s now Laurelwood District appellation near Newberg, Ore. That clonal selection begins to explain the approachable nature of this Pinot Noir, redolent of rose petals, black cherries and ripe strawberries carried along by vanilla cream. (300 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Brian Carter Cellars 2017 Solesce
Red Wine, Columbia Valley $60
This most recent Left Bank-Bordeaux expression from Brian Carter focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon from two sites with deep roots on Red Mountain — E&E Shaw and Klipsun. This is also the second consecutive vintage that Carter earned a Platinum for his Solesce, which is his flagship Bordeaux red blend, and the fourth time in his career. It offers notes of Red Vines licorice, vanilla cream, Earl Grey tea and minerality as nicely integrated tannins allow for full enjoyment of ripe strawberries, black cherry and chocolate cake. (318 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Savor NW (double gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Côtes de Ciel 2014 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Block One Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $65
The Holmes family can claim a role as pioneers in the modern Washington wine industry, a status they began carving out along the dusty slopes of Red Mountain in 1975. It was only in 2012 when the family began to hold back some of its prized fruit for its own brand. Charlie “Wine Boss“ Hoppes provided guidance along the way, and Richard Holmes takes the winemaking lead. This three-barrel effort of Cab from a warm, but not historically hot, vintage provides a sense of black cherry and Craisin, backed by buttered toast, vanilla bean, black pepper and cup of cappuccino. (74 cases, 14.7% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Dunham Cellars 2019 Trutina Red Wine, Columbia Valley $29
A product of Robert Campisi’s second vintage as the head winemaker at Dunham, this edition of Trutina lives up to its translation from Latin — balance. An expression of Right Bank-Bordeaux in style, the blend of Merlot (48%), Cabernet Sauvignon (43%), Malbec (8%) and Petit Verdot is the flagship for Dunham and widely available. It’s highly aromatic with blueberry, blackberry, toast and spice notes, and the entry to the palate is plush, building across the beautiful backbone of tannins. While pure and elegant now, there’s more to take in down the path. (9,850 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Elevation Cellars 2014 Monolith Red Wine, Columbia Valley $41
Woodinville’s Steven Stuart earned a Platinum five years ago for Merlot. Here, the former
competitive skier from Colorado leads with his Cabernet Sauvignon. The additions of Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%) touch off an avalanche of descriptions, starting with black cherry, dried plums and forest floor. That fruit makes its way to the finish line, picking up black pepper, cinnamon and a cup of espresso along the way. (480 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
King Estate Winery 2021 Pinot
Gris, Willamette Valley $19
Best Buy! The Kings of Pinot, quarterbacked by winemaker Brent Stone, have now scored five Platinums in the past four years with Pinot Gris. The estate along the Territorial Highway accounts for 51% of this bottling and nearly a dozen other sites also come into play for this consistently classic expression featuring orange blossom, Asian pear, starfruit and kiwi while picking up seashells and fresh-cut celery. (110,000 cases, 13.3% alc.) Awards: Critics Choice (gold), Oregon Wine Awards (best of show), International Women’s (gold), Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!), Seattle Times Top 20 Northwest Wines (No. 2)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Maryhill Winery 2019 Klipsun
Vineyards Syrah, Red Mountain $50
While this historic vineyard on Red Mountain might be best known for Cab, Maryhill has won more Platinums for Syrah — 13 — than with any other grape. Here’s a bottle loaded with dark black fruit, an enticing blend of allspice and nutmeg, a suave midpalate of creme brûlée and brown rice, and age-worthy English Breakfast tea tannins. (260 cases, 15% alc.)
Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Season Cellars 2018 Malbec, Southern Oregon $30
Scott and Jennifer Henry come from Southern Oregon wine royalty, and some of their famous neighbors in the Umpqua Valley have helped put Malbec on the map in the Northwest. This effort ranked near the top of the Platinum. It weaves a toothsome tapestry, starting with an incense of jamón Ibérico, hazelnut, Marionberry and plum that picks up eucalyptus and black pepper. The balanced nature of the tannins keeps the focus on the fruit and delicious spice components. Suggested pairings include Eggplant Lasagna. (70 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 94 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2017
Last Best Wife Reserve Petit Verdot, Columbia Gorge $48
The long-term joint effort in the Columbia Gorge by Sonoma hired gun Michael Sebastiani and erudite owner Robb Bell peeled off a career-best seven Platinum Awards this fall, and this work with Petit Verdot led the way. The bold Bordeaux red is intense with its bouquet of Hawaiian hibiscus, patchouli, cola and coconut, an assortment that leads to black currant, black cherry and plum. They splash around seemingly endlessly because the wine’s structure is impeccably balanced, no small feat with PV. (500 cases, 13.3% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Abeja 2019 Merlot, Columbia Valley $50
Sagemoor’s Dionysus Vineyard contributed to an assortment of Platinums in 2022, and it led the way on this effort by Dan Wampfler and his wife, Amy, who also blended Dionysus with grapes from its sibling planting Bacchus, historic Ciel du Cheval on Red Mountain and
Abeja’s own vineyards. Dark cherry and currant fruitiness join with truffle and a sense of summertime in the rainforest. New French oak made up about a third of the barrels, so that influence adds hints of caramel and fresh-brewed coffee but doesn’t subtract from the fruit. Suave tannins are carried along by pomegranate juice. Suggested pairings include braised beef, mashed potatoes and a shallot compote. (688 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Unanimously Outstanding! / double gold)
Double Platinum • 97 points
Northwest Wine Academy graduate Chris Loeliger, a recent transplant to Walla Walla, angled toward Right Bank Bordeaux with this, his first career Platinum. The blend of Merlot (69%) Cabernet Franc (21%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Petit Verdot ranks among the most expressive wines of the three-day judging. Dark cherry, violets, a hint of mint and pipe tobacco lead to round flavors of huckleberry and plum. The oak and tannins make for a silky structure that finishes with raspberry jam and leather. “Everything is in the right place. I would like more of this, please!” requested one judge. (136 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Basalt Cellars 2019 Rim Rock Red, Washington State $24
Lewis-Clark Valley native Rick Wasem earned Platinums this year and last for his Rim Rock Red blend, only this vintage took the Clarkston, Wash., pharmacist up to Double Platinum. While it leads with Merlot (54%), Cabernet Franc and Malbec, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot play significant roles, too. The influence from the barrel is beautifully decadent
without being overly toasted, imparting mocha, vanilla, coffee bean and allspice. Yet, there’s ample flavors of blueberry, black cherry and blackberry. (377 cases, 13.5% alc.) Awards: International East Meets West Wine Challenge (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Bayernmoor
Vineyard Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge $30
The Harris family has devoted its vineyard plantings across its magnificent 100-acre estate in Stanwood, WA to Pinot Noir, so they now focus their attention on one of Washington’s most acclaimed cool-climate vineyards — historic Celilo. And helping to guide them is consulting winemaker Brian Carter. Those efforts resulted in the top-scoring Chardonnay of the Platinum. Surlie aging for 10 months in 25% new French oak only begins to explain the tones and texture as Mandarin orange, Irish butter and lemon Christmas cookies, plus a scrape of cinnamon bark and a balancing lick of lime zest. (117 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Brian Carter Cellars 2017
For the second time in the past three years, Brian Carter used his tribute to the innovative winemakers in Tuscany to produce a Platinum winner. Sangiovese from two venerable sites — Solstice and Boushey — form the base of this blend, and Solstice also contributes a sizable amount of the Cabernet Sauvignon (19%) involved. The addition of Syrah (15%) from Olsen Vineyard adds fleshiness to the midpalate. There’s a potpourri of perfume as cinnamon, anise, rose petal and forest floor lead into a delicious delivery of dark cherry, plum and eucalyptus that’s finished with strawberry fruit leather and tangy crabapple. Enjoy with salmon
or tomato-based dishes. (493 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Lagana Cellars 2018 Eritage
Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley $38
Interest in Cabernet Franc as a stand-alone variety picked up steam in Washington thanks to the work of Myles Anderson and Gordy Venneri, founders of Walla Walla Vintners. The owners of Lagana Cellars — Jason Fox and Todd Bernave — both worked at “The Vintners,“ so this stellar effort is no surprise. And the style at work here is a bit reminiscent of Walla Walla Vintners, tilting toward elegance and fruit rather than leafy and lean. Lovely blueberries and dried cherries are presented with a kiss of oak, a pinch of dried herbs and beveled tannins that make for a balanced Franc. (149 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Mt. Hood Winery 2021 Estate
Riesling, Columbia Gorge $26
Oregon State University grad Rich Cushman created his own brand, Viento, in large part as a passion project centered on Riesling. His interest in the noble grape of Germany explains his success with Riesling for Mt. Hood Winery. Here is his fourth Platinum for Riesling in the past decade, and they’ve been with various styles. This is particularly fascinating for combining Old World and New World profiles in the same bottle. Not only is there orchard fruit, but it’s joined by river rock and lemon juice all the way through. The finish of minerality and lime peel beautifully checks the residual sugar of 2.5%. (124 cases, 11.2% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Rolling Hills Vineyard 2019
Tempranillo, Snake River Valley
$36
Spain’s early-ripening Tempranillo continues to show itself to be well-suited for Idaho’s Snake River Valley, and Mark Pasculli has proved to be a quick study. He and his family began rehabilitating the vines on the estate he purchased in 2016, and the awards have been pouring in quickly. Aromas of ripe Rainier cherries, breakfast bacon, violets and sweet cedar lead to a stream of fruit — black cherry, raspberry and plum — that’s tethered with suave tannins for an elegant finish. With just two barrels produced, here’s to hoping Pasculli and his children can manage more. (49 cases, 13.6% alc.) Awards: Idaho Wine Competition (best of class, double gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Tipsy Canyon Winery 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Columbia Valley $28
A growing number of experts throughout the Northwest are paying attention to the buzz surrounding Lake Chelan, and the recent arrival of Mark Garvin certainly is adding to that. His wines earned five Platinums this fall, led by this sophisticated rosé from Pinot Noir. There’s varietal correctness, starting with the light salmon color, following with the theme of rose petal and jasmine, along with boysenberry and strawberry fruit rollup. In the background, there’s a rub of saddle leather and truffle with a full mouthfeel that includes cantaloupe and white peach. (316 cases, 13.3% alc.) Awards: Wenatchee (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Winescape 2018 Merlot, Columbia Valley $32
In less than 20 minutes, a drive from downtown Spokane will get you to Winescape and a world away on the South Hill — pro-
viding a new and relaxing experience for Lilac City wine lovers. Microbiologist-turned-winemaker Philip Butterfield strikes a perfect pitch with this Merlot, a variety that he’s used to win best-of-class at the Washington State Wine Competition. There’s a purity and brightness to the wine which blends blueberry and boysenberry flavors into a structure that’s plush and round because of superbly integrated tannins. And it includes an ideal amount of herbaceousness for food applications. “This is as good as it gets,” remarked one judge. (210 cases, 15.3% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Zerba Cellars 2018 Cockburn
Vineyard Estate Barbera, Walla Walla Valley
Cecil Zerba’s winemaker, Brent Roberts, blended in some Zinfandel (17%) to take this Barbera to another level. There’s a sense of jamminess with the mix of rich cherry and boysenberry, joined by savory and herbal notes. The integration of oak and well-balanced tannins provides some panache and leads to a gorgeous finish. While the Italian red varieties typically scream for food, its structure makes this remarkably approachable. Suggested pairings include mushroom dishes, lamb-based stews and lavender-infused dark chocolate. (243 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Ambassador Wines of Washington 2019 Estate Envoy Red Wine, Red Mountain $48
The trio of vineyard manager Dick Boushey, winemaker Mike Macmorran of Mark Ryan acclaim and Napa-based consultant Tom Rinaldi team up to produce a handful of red blends from Red Mountain estate vines that have
entered their third decade. Per tradition, this blend leads with Cabernet Sauvignon (43%), followed by Merlot (32%) and Cabernet Franc, and there’s a seemingly endless list of complementary aromas and flavors. Brambleberries, plum, vanilla, coffee and black pepper are joined by sage and forest floor in a well-structured and stately red. (225 cases, 14.3% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Brian Carter Cellars 2018
Abracadabra Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley $25
A year ago, Brian Carter was awarded a Platinum for this blend of nine varieties that’s led by Syrah and incorporates significant contributions from Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Malbec. After receiving a double gold in October from West Coast wine buyers at the Great Northwest Invitational, the same 2018 Abracadabra earned a return trip to the Platinum, and it showed even better than a year ago — going Double Platinum and picking up an extra point on the 100-point scale. It opens with red raspberry and cherry aromas with cedar bark and a meadow breeze. There’s intensity on the palate with black plums and black pepper, which present pleasing acidity and well-managed tannins that allow for a finish of anise. (280 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Chris Daniel Winery 2018
Malbec, Columbia Valley $35
Last fall, Chris Daniel Stewart’s Malbec from Ed Kelly’s Stillwater Creek Vineyard on the Royal Slope finished as the No. 1 wine of the Platinum. The Napa-based winemaker returned with another stellar effort with Malbec — his third straight vintage of earning a Platinum for Malbec. Stewart became enchanted with Malbec while making wine in Chile, and
he appreciates the way this Bordeaux ripens ahead of Cab. He continues to capture the dark purple fruit notes that he seeks, and the work in their Quincy, Wash., cellar by his father, Michael, preserves notes of orange oil, white pepper and leather as well as a sweet blend of cinnamon and vanilla. (78 cases, 15.2% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Wenatchee (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Gehringer Brothers Estate
Winery 2021 Private Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley $15.99
Best Buy! One of the Northwest’s premier Pinot Gris vineyards is along British Columbia’s Golden Mile Bench, where the Gehringer family has earned five Platinums for its work with this white grape from Burgundy. Aromas of peach blossom, honeysuckle and clover honey lead to luscious flavors of grapefruit, starfruit and lime juice. Its energizing acidity makes this an ideal foil for seared scallops. (2,500 cases, 13% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class, double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Iris Vineyards 2018 Areté Chardonnay, Willamette Valley $34.99
Early in 2022, Eugene winemaker Aaron Lieberman used a Pinot Gris to capture best of show in McMinnville for proprietor Pamela Frye, so it wasn’t a surprise that this Chardonnay from Frye’s Chalice Vineyard went Platinum — or Double Platinum. The Areté tier takes a reserve angle, which explains the beautiful pear, Golden Delicious apple and buttery caramel approach. But the Lieberman’s desire of age-worthy acidity explains the underlying hint of green tea that carries into the finish of ginger. (160 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Kiona Vineyards and Winery
2018 Estate Reserve Red Wine, Red Mountain $65
The third generation of winemakers is firmly entrenched at Kiona with Tyler Williams now running the cellar. His father, Scott, has shifted his focus to managing the family’s vineyards, so he deserves plenty of credit for this blend that’s heavy with Red Mountain Cab, but there’s some Petite Sirah at play, too. With input from enologist Melissa Whitaker, they bottled an intense red that’s focused on black currant and black cherry, vanilla bean and tannins akin to espresso grounds. Pomegranate acidity will keep this revving in the garage for years to come. (709 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019
Scooteney Flats Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon, Red Mountain $40
For the second straight year, Mark Lathrop transformed Cab off Scooteney Flats into a Double Platinum. Aromas of black fruit, anise, dusty sage and crushed brick swirl into a mouth-filling drink of boysenberry and Bing cherry that includes fresh cedar, baking spice and eucalyptus. Black currant skins, moist earth and caramel combine for a lengthy finish. (170 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold), Bellingham NW (double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Michael Florentino Cellars 2014 Primitivo, Wahluke Slope $28
Italian reds have captured the imagination of owner Brad Sherman and co-winemaker Jared Whelchel, and StoneTree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope has been a prized resource for
these varieties. Brambleberries, candied apple and sagebrush aromas lead to a firecracker of a palate, exploding with cranberry, pomegranate cinnamon and ginger, capped by a lick of barbecued meat. This year’s Primitivo and Zinfandel categories were the strongest in the history of the Platinum, yet all but one were more expensive than this. (114 cases, 15.9% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
$38
The 2022 Platinum class for Syrah was dominated by delicious entries from the 2019 vintage, and this was one of two to go Double Platinum. It might have been predictable, too, considering that winemaker Rich Cushman’s work from the 2018 vintage off this site near The Dalles, Ore., earned a Double Platinum at last year’s judging. This is suave with aromas of fresh-baked blackberry pie dusted with cinnamon and cardamom, and it includes some complexity in its hint of cherry tomato. On the palate, the blackberries are joined by blueberries and black currant, then its long finish closes with smooth black currant tannins, leaving the sipper ready for another splash. Serve it with seared venison steaks dusted with thyme, kosher salt and cracked black pepper (168 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima
Valley $32
Nearly half of Karen Krug’s 15 career Platinums have been for work with estate Pinot Noir on Whidbey Island, yet she flashes her versatility again by notching her second Platinum for Cabernet Sauvignon. It also casts a spotlight on the vineyard work by Charlie and Connie
Crawford, whose grapes earned multiple Platinums this year. These four barrels of Cab exude layers of deeply ripe purple fruit, sweet herbs, cigar box, a deft touch with oak and a sophisticated structure supported by an age-worthy level of alcohol. (91 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2021
PGV Pinot Gris - Viognier, Columbia Valley $16
Best Buy! Wade Wolfe began his PGV blend with the 1998 vintage, and it’s turned into his flagship wine — thanks in large part to its earned wine list placement at Anthony’s Restaurants via longtime wine director Lane Hoss. Wolfe’s decades of working with Crawford Vineyard maintains consistency, and here it’s a 50/50 split. The steely approach accentuates the blend of Fuji apple, white peach and apricot as the burst of Meyer lemon in the finish easily deals with the barely perceptible residual sugar (0.6%). While Wolfe approaches it as an aperitif, it’s also ideal with fish tacos. “It’s just a classic, well-made white wine,” one judge stated. (3,500 cases, 12.5% alc.) Awards: Bellingham NW (best of show, double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Zerba Cellars 2018 Estate
Zinfandel, Walla Walla Valley $50
The 2011 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year picked up a pair of Double Platinums this fall for Italian reds, and winemaker Brent Roberts pushed the legal limit of Barbera (25%) in order to still label this as Zinfandel (75%). Perhaps that’s what made this among the most layered and hedonistic wines of the 23rd Platinum. Fanciful aromas of campfire marshmallow, dark cherry, cinnamon and grilled maple breakfast sausage led to a palate that’s vibrant with cola, black pepper and brown sugar, lead-
ing to a finish of macerated black cherry and vanilla.(180 cases, 16.1% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 94 points
Palencia Wine Co. 2017 El Viñador Petit Verdot, Wahluke Slope
For the second time in three years — and consecutive vintages — Victor Palencia earned a Platinum for work with Petit Verdot under the reserve tier that pays tribute to his vine-tending father. His relationship with historic Rosebud Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope shows here in this robust red Bordeaux grape. Plum, black cherry and spiced rum are met by sturdy tannins and juicy acidity. (130 cases, 14% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 93 points
The May family began planting Discovery Vineyard, overlooking Crow Butte Park and the Columbia River, in 2005, and Ron Bunnell helped highlight its greatness early on with a Double Platinum for a vineyard-designate 2010 Syrah. A number of other all-star winemakers now line up for Cab from Discovery, and this recent release is another reason why. The aromas are of dark plum, sweet black cherry and a sense of sunshine. On the palate, sweet cherries and vanilla are joined by baking spices, cassis and tobacco shavings. It’s juicy, resolved and finished with ganache. (122 cases, 14.4% alc.)
Award: Cascadia International International (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Coyote Canyon Winery 2020
Coyote Canyon Vineyard Roussanne, Horse Heaven Hills $24
Here’s the extremely rare instance where the same vintage of a white wine receives a Platinum in back-to-back years — only this year, Justin Michaud’s focus on Roussanne went from a single Platinum in 2021 to a Double Platinum in 2022. The Andrews family farms and produces standalone bottlings of the three primary white Rhône grapes, and this marks the third time for the Roussanne to achieve a Platinum. It’s brimming with attractive aromas of pina colada and dusty rose that transition to flavors of apricot and pear with a medium body and fleshy finish. “This is a red wine drinker’s white wine,“ offered one judge. (100 cases, 12.8% alc.)
Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points Iris Vineyards 2019 House Call Red Blend, Oregon $19.99
Best Buy! A big reason that a handful of wineries operating on the eastern side of the Cascades are operating tasting rooms in the Willamette Valley is because sometimes Pinot Noir consumers seek a change of pace. Cottage Grove winemaker Aaron Lieberman wanted to branch out a bit, too, so he worked with Rogue Valley sites Folin Vineyards and Cliff Creek Cellars’s Sams Valley Vineyards to create a tasty, inexpensive — and impressive — red blend. Judging at the Platinum is not conducted by price, so this blend of Cabernet Franc (50%), Malbec (32%) and Merlot got tasted alongside others costing more than twice the price. Violets, rose hips and cherry pipe tobacco hint at the Franc, leading to suave flavors of cherry compote, dark plum and dried herbs. It’s a bright, balanced and nicely priced table wine. (510 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
Michael Florentino Cellars 2014 Tempranillo, Snipes Mountain $28
Snipes Mountain stands out in the middle of the Yakima Valley, and the way it collects heat makes it a worthy site for Tempranillo. Co-winemakers Jared Whelchel and Brad Sherman blend in Grenache (20%), giving it more of an Iberian Peninsula feel that comes through in the wine. The nose of black currant, leather, red bell pepper and minerality funnels into flavors of ripe strawberry and caramel as bottle-aged tannins have become so well integrated that the finish is surprisingly silky for a Temp. (114 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 96 points
VanArnam Vineyards 2019 Tango Blend, Yakima Valley $35
Much of the VanArman program comes from estate fruit, yet here winemaker Branden Seymour pulls in Tempranillo from Angiolina Farms to include with estate Malbec (46%) and Syrah (27%) for this new label. The 26 months in oak result in the sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice that take this wine of cherries, cassis and chocolate to the next level. (100 cases, 13.8% alc.) Awards: Bellingham NW (gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Bona Vita Red Wine, Red Mountain $40
Russ Hamilton and his late wife, Stacie, paid homage to “the good life“ — bona vita — with the name of this proprietary blend that’s traditionally used Malbec as its foundation, backed by Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and equal amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Their neighbor — Charlie Hoppes — and his production team at Wine Boss conjure up aromas of nutmeg, oak toast, blackberries and
blueberries and flavors of the same berries from front to back. Lush, almost velvety, tannins are accented in the finish of chocolate and spice. (400 cases, 15.3% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class, double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Southern Cross Winery 2018
Estate Syrah, Columbia Valley $34
Fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young know what inspired Matt and Debbie Driscoll to name their entry into the wine industry. And wine lovers who remember how superb the Syrah program was at the shuttered Olsen Estates will know why the Driscolls named Kyle Johnson to make this Syrah, a product of the family’s young planting along Sunset View Lane — two miles east of historic Sagemoor Vineyard. The juice brings a nose of plumeria, blueberry cotton candy and Big Red gum, then the smooth palate comes on with fig, plum jam, Marionberry and toasted walnuts. The wines are poured in Richland at Iconic Brewery, where the Driscoll’s son, Todd, is the brewmaster and trained in winemaking. (84 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Savor NW (double gold)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2021
Crawford Vineyard Albariño, Yakima Valley $22.50
In 2015, when Wade Wolfe won his first Platinum for Albariño, he was the first in the competition’s history to win a Platinum with Albariño grapes that weren’t estate. This marks his fourth Platinum with Crawford Vineyard Albariño. The Prosser winemaker has 45 years of winemaking experience in Washington, so he’s got this dialed in — a bright and crisp
example that hints at apricot and Bosc pear aromas, followed by a bit of fleshy white peach, a big squirt of Mandarin orange, and a finish of apple and lemon juice. “It is absolutely delicious,“ one judge said. (205 cases, 13%) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold) Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Double Platinum • 95 points
Tipsy Canyon Winery 2019
Melange Rouge Red Wine, Washington State $36
After years of membership as a winemaker in the Boeing Wine Club, Mark Garvin was ready to spread his wings and build an estate winery overlooking Lake Chelan near Manson. Judging by the Platinum Awards this year, he’s already taken off, earning five Platinums, including the Double Platinum for this blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The role of Malbec takes center stage with its contribution of plum and fig, followed by fun notes of bubblegum and anise. The balance displayed by Garvin comes through in the structure and oak, leading to a delicious finish of caramel, coffee and dates. (249 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (gold) Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 98 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery
2019 Conglomerate Cabernet
Sauvignon, Snipes Mountain $30
Traditionally, historic Upland Vineyard contributes Cabernet Sauvignon to Wade Wolfe’s Geologist blend. Here, the unique qualities of fruit from a block planted in ancient Columbia River conglomerate deposits prompted Wolfe
to devote a single barrel to produce a special wine, and it proved to be one of the top-ranked Platinums in our judging. Restrained use of oak focuses attention on the enduring current of dark cherry, blackberry and huckleberry. Smooth tannins are carried along by blueberry juice for an enduring finish. (23 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 96 points
EFESTĒ 2019 Estate Grenache, Red Mountain $45
Professional golfer-turned-winemaker Mark Fioré turns Grenache from Angela’s Vineyard along the northern reaches of Red Mountain into the first Platinum for this Woodinville winery pronounced F-S-T, the initials of the founding families - Ferrelli, Smith and Taylor. Here’s a feminine and stellar example as red currant, Chelan cherry and lingonberry aromas and flavors carry through with a lusciousness that doesn’t overwhelm the delicate minerality found in the finish. (230 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2019 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $40
The 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year again proved to be a standout during our year-end judging of gold medals, and this reserve release from Dan Chapel’s estate in Philomath was the highest-scoring Pinot Noir among the four Platinums he won. Here’s a blend of the four clones he grows — Pommard, Wädenswil and Dijon 115 and 777. The nose of woods, earth and cherry pie commands your attention and tells you what will be in the glass. There’s den-
sity, complexity and balance to the juicy red fruit. “This is going places,” remarked one panelist. (210 cases, 13.3%) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Certified sommelier Brad Binko left the East Coast restaurant trade for the Walla Walla Community College winemaking program, and this work with Carm represents his fifth Platinum in the past five years. Dark purple fruit, tobacco leaf and white pepper aromas lead to rich flavors of boysenberry and President plum and a savory note that’s easy to enjoy because of the refined tannins and long finish. “From the dreamy aromatics to the long finish, this has all that you want,” one judge said. (225 cases, 14% alc.) Award: SavorNW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Some of Brian Carter’s magic is in the showing of his library wines at West Coast competitions, and this 10-year-old interpretation of Right Bank-Bordeaux gave the Oregon State grad two Platinums for his Le Coursier program in our 2022 judging. It oozes with plum, blueberry, vanilla bean and allspice, and the panel marveled at its beautiful texture. It’s extremely well-made and a showy wine at this stage. (765 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Best Buy! For the second time in three vintages, Maine winemaker Aaron Peet uses Riesling to add to Cellardoor’s Platinum
total, now 18. He came to appreciate Pacific Northwest grapes as a student in Walla Walla Community College’s Institute of Enology and Viticulture, and he purchased this lot from the Yakima Valley’s den Hoed family. Attractive from the first whiff, it brings a blend of apple and banana, wet concrete and a faint hint of petrol for varietal typicity. Inside, there’s lovely peach and pear, framed by rocking acidity along the lines of lemon/lime sorbet, giving it a vibrant and tangy finish. (414 cases, 11.7% alc.) Awards: San Francisco International (best of class, gold medal)
Platinum • 94 points
Bench $34.99
Veteran winemaker Mark Hopley has the wine program humming along at this showpiece property between Oliver, British Columbia, and Oroville, Wash., and this is a classic methode Champenoise approach with Pinot Blanc. There’s pleasing yeastiness and Granny Smith apple in the nose, and skillfully created mousse brings along nectarine and lemons for a long, bone-dry finish. Ask for the mussels at Terrafina, Hester Creek’s acclaimed on-premise restaurant. (300 cases, 12.2% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Huston Vineyards 2021 Chicken
Dinner White Wine, Snake River Valley $16
Best Buy! One of Idaho’s most popular wines rises to the top of its category at our “best of the best” judging and delivers to Gregg and Mary Alger their first career Platinum. Riesling (83%) forms the foundation, but there’s Muscat Blanc (13%) to super-charge the aromatics and Roussanne (4%) for body-building. It’s both perfumy and zesty, a mix of Ruby Red grapefruit, Mandarin orange and Key lime
that tucks inside a puff of petrol for complexity. This wine is available as a bag in a box, and it deserves treatment as anyone’s house white. (1,271 cases, 13.6% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Wine Invitational (best of class, gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Maryhill Winery 2019
Les Collines Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley $52
Maryhill owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold, who have a soft spot in their hearts for this vineyard established by Norm McKibben, agree with our assessment of this Walla Walla Valley Syrah. Complex aromas of plumeria, tropical fruit punch, graham cracker and green peppercorns transition into intense dark black fruit flavors. There’s some hedonism to the structure of sarsaparilla, black licorice and vanilla bean, along with cherry cordial finish. (359 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Maryhill Winery 2019 Art den
Hoed Vineyard Tempranillo, Columbia Valley $52
Art den Hoed’s Painted Hills Vineyard, nestled between the Yakima Valley and Horse Heaven Hills, produced a trio of Platinums this year. Here is Richard Batchelor’s interpretation of the famous red grape of Spain, and it marks the third Platinum for Painted Hills Temp in the past years for Maryhill. Judges praised the fruit profile and didn’t dwell on the tannin structure. Instead, notes of Bing cherry, blackberry and black currant make for an oh-so-long juicy finish. (296 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Palencia Wine Co.
Victor Palencia came into the Platinum with his Albariño program having earned the most gold medals in 2022, and both of his qualifiers scored a Platinum — giving him seven in his career with the Spanish white. This is his flagship Albariño, and he pulls from renowned Evergreen Vineyard and Spanish Castle. It brings big aromatics of white peach, orange Creamsicle and tropical fruits. Boatloads of white peach along with Granny Smith apple and tangerine take you to the crisp finish of tropical fruits and more white peach. (1,000 cases, 12.6% alc.)
Awards: Cascadia International (best white wine, best of class, double gold), Seattle Wine (double gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Westport Winery Garden Resort
2019 Surfer Syrah, Rattlesnake Hills $31
While the label serves as an homage to co-owner Blain Roberts, depicting him during his days as a competitive surfer, the juice inside the bottle is a tribute to Elephant Mountain Vineyard — the source of four of Westport’s seven Platinums in 2022. It’s both complex and hedonistic with its waves of macerated cherries, plum and vanilla bourbon, joined by pleasing herbal touches of green peppercorns and tobacco. (200 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Chardonnay, Okanagan Falls $50
Okanagan Valley winemaker Benoit Gauthier has the benefit of sourcing this Chardonnay from estate vines with Dijon clones 76 and 95, and the interest and investment in this program includes a barrel program of 100% new French oak. Yet this Chardonnay doesn’t come across
as overoaked. Among the fun notes for this wine were fresh churros — the deep-fried Mexican pastry with cinnamon — but there’s also a sense of grassiness, sautéed butter, wind-blown loess and kiwi fruit. (250 cases, 14% alc.)
Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (gold), All Canadian Wine Championships (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Appassionata 2017 Andante Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills $135
While he’s more famous in the Northwest for his Eroica Riesling partnership with Chateau Ste. Michelle, it was actually a deep interest in Oregon Pinot Noir that first lured Ernst Loosen to our corner of the planet. In 2005, he first produced an Appassionata Pinot Noir with J. Christopher Wines. This past summer, he formally unveiled Appassionata Estate, a 40-acre project in Newberg. Appassionata is a reference to Beethoven — just as Eroica is — and this Pinot Noir is not released until five years beyond its vintage. Loosen and Tim Malone of J. Christopher teamed up for a stunning example that blends fruit from Abbey Ridge and Bella Vida vineyards into a cherry bomb in its approach, picking up accents of pencil shavings, light baking spices and a long finish of boysenberry compote. (150 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Moon Curser Vineyards 2020 Malbec, Okanagan Valley $34.99
Perched above Lake Osoyoos near the Crowsnest Highway, New Zealand-trained founding winemaker Chris Tolley and Christian Scagnetti continue to wow critics for their brilliance with varieties that many consumers are unfamiliar with. Malbec is among those. Theirs offers intense tones of purple fruit — black currant and blueberry — along with violets, age-worthy tannins and a finish of cocoa. (513 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: All Canadian Wine Championships (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Three of Cups 2017 Heart of the Hill Vineyard Le Croyant Petite Sirah, Red Mountain $28
A fist in a velvet glove is how this big red native to the Rhône Valley can present itself, however Woodinville winemaker Mike Metheny has learned how to tame the tannins. Those efforts are made easier by the work done in Heart of the Hill Vineyard by the Williams family. There is volume to the purple fruit of blueberry, cassis and plum skins, but layers of dark chocolate and vanilla add to the enjoyment as pomegranate juice provides some brightness. Here is Metheny’s eighth career Platinum, all within a four-year span, and his first for PS. (165 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2016 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $40
Three vintages of Dan Chapel’s reserve program have gone Platinum, and with this bottling six years beyond its vintage, it appears to be entering its prime. His relatively cooler site in the shadow of Marys Peak, the Coastal Range high point, produces this Pinot Noir that carries hints of macerated strawberry, pomegranate and cola, as well as dried herbs and pink peppercorns. (250 cases, 13.5%) Awards: McMinnville Classic (gold), San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018
Elephant Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $38
The decision to source from some of the most decorated vineyards in Washington continues to reward consumers of Robb Bell and the critics who judge his wines. Here, it
includes Joe Hattrup’s Elephant Mountain. More than a dozen vineyard-designate wines from the Yakima Valley site have gone onto Platinum in recent years. Here’s a classic Washington Cab offering dark strawberries, black cherry and dark chocolate within a superb structure. (400 cases, 14% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018 Merlot, Columbia Valley $36
Fourth-generation winemaker Michael Sebastiani’s experience with crafting Merlot in Sonoma translates to more success for this Hood River winery, but his job was made much easier by working with Merlot from Elephant Mountain Vineyard near Yakima, Wash. It’s beautifully structured, dense and earthy with blueberry, dark plum and Marionberry. A pinch of sage adds a nice herbal component. “It’s super drinkable,” added one judge. (550 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class, gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Château Faire Le Pont Winery
2018 Grenache, Columbia Valley
$42.99
Three years ago, retired military helicopter pilot Doug Brazil produced the “Best of the Best” of the Platinum — a 2015 Cab. This gives the Wenatchee winemaker 11 career Platinums, four of those for Rhône reds. Praise came for its dense red fruited approach featuring cherry, raspberry and red currant, picking up mint, allspice and fennel during the ride. “There’s great fruit from front to back, with great acidity and perfect balance,” said one judge. “It’s a markedly nuanced wine.” (120 cases, 15.1% alc.) Award: Wenatchee (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
C.R. Sandidge Wines 2020 Caris
Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50
Ray Sandidge took a decidedly different angle to this blend with a Right Bank Bordeaux view — going with Cabernet Franc (68%) as the dominant grape with Merlot (32%) in the minority. Florian Candied Cherries, Herbes de Provence, cassis and moist earth are the hallmarks of this bottling that began with grapes from fascinating StoneTree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. Enjoy with Sandidge’s recipe for Mushroom Cobbler. (200 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Hester Creek Estate Winery 2021 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, Golden Mile Bench $17.99
Best Buy! Western Canada’s first Master of Wine — Barbara Philip — has long believed Pinot Blanc deserves to be revered in British Columbia. Here’s a Platinum Award to add to her argument. Its aromas include wonderful white peach, honeydew melon, crushed lemon and fresh-cut green apple. Those same fruits are present on a palate that finishes with brightness. Pair this with scallops or Dover Sole. (2,500 cases, 12.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class, double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
High Hawk Cellars 2017
Redtailed Reserve Petit Verdot, Columbia Valley $125
This newcomer to the honor roll of Platinum Award recipients made a remarkable statement with its Petit Verdot program by going Platinum with its bottlings from both the 2015 and 2017 vintages. As is typical for this traditional blender grape, it makes for a muscular yet restrained standalone wine that offers fascination in its tones of cigar leaf, chai spices and bay rum amid the theme of raspberry chocolate cake. (32 cases, 15.2% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Domaine Holesinsky 2020
Gertschen Vineyard Buhljolais
Rosé of Syrah Snake River Valley
$14
Best Buy! Locals in this section of Idaho refer to this region as Magic Valley, and James Holesinsky, who has been working with this site near the town of Buhl for more than a decade, credits the soil’s elevated level of potassium for his success with Syrah. The offrosé from it earned a Platinum for the second straight vintage for our 2022 Idaho Winery of the Year. Think of Cherry Nibs and raspberry with an underlay of lemon verbena and orange oil, bringing a nice herbal note. Strawberry freezer jam seals the deal. (200 cases, 11.5% alc.) Awards: Experience Rosé (gold), Drink Pink (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019
Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain
$38
It’s rather amazing that Mark Lathrop’s director of marketing — his wife, Sarah — won’t even allow him to release this Platinum-winning Cab Franc to their wine club until February 2023. Perhaps there will be some left for the general public. Beautiful and expected notes of Herbes de Provence mix with Bing cherry and vine-ripened blackberry for a vibrant and balanced expression. “Nothing is over the top,” noted one panelist. (146 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Long Shadows Vintners 2018
Pedestal Merlot, Columbia Valley
$65
Of all the international collaborations involved with the late Allen Shoup’s dream project, the association with Pomerol superstar
Michel Rolland might be the most famous. The Sagemoor Group’s 40-year-old Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope is a key Merlot resource for this bottling, which combines power and balance in remarkable fashion. Integration from the 85% new French oak barrels makes for the spice rack of cardamom, clove and cinnamon that’s sprinkled over the boysenberry, black plum and cherry enrobed in bittersweet chocolate. (2,890 cases, 15.2% alc.)
Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Milbrandt Vineyards 2018
Ravenscliff Vineyard Single Vineyard Series Malbec, Wahluke Slope $42
Folks driving along the western flank of the Wahluke Slope can glance up and spot this planting for Butch Milbrandt that provides native ravens a view of the Columbia River and Sentinel Gap. Here marks the first Platinum for this vineyard, but it’s the third in the series for Milbrandt. This soars with dark purple fruit chai spices and the fruit concentration and tannin profile akin to Baker’s chocolate pushes into the finish of strawberry jam and Luxardo maraschino cherry juice. (400 cases, 14.5% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Pike Road Wines 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, $16
Best Buy! Whenever the Campbell family enters its Pinot Gris into a competition, gold medals are on the horizon. Five years ago, associate winemaker Heather Perkin took best of show at The Invite with her Gris, and the consistency is astounding. The aromatics are through the roof and land on the palate — a combination of papaya, Granny Smith apple and Bartlett pear that’s finished with Mandarin orange and ginger powder. (5,715 cases, 13% alc.) Awards: Great Northwest Invitational (best of class, double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Plumb Cellars 2018 Damn Straight Red Wine, Columbia Valley $48
Co-owner/winemaker Gary Kagels angles this proprietary blend down the Left Bank of Bordeaux with its construction of Cabernet Sauvignon (37%), Cabernet Franc (25%), Merlot (25%) and Petit Verdot for this downtown Walla Walla winery’s third career Platinum. What this dangles for enjoyment are suggestions of blueberry preserves and plum sauce, joined by espresso ground tannins, dark chocolate, a sense of moist earth and a lick of caramel. (192 cases, 14% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Port Townsend Vineyards 2019 Syrah, Columbia Valley $35
The thoughtful approach to this Syrah gathers up fruit from three vineyards a fair distance apart — historic Portteus in the Rattlesnake Hills, Minnick Hills in the Walla Walla Valley and Firethorn, an Echo, Ore., site first planted by retired NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. This takes on a profile of a cooler-site Syrah with its purple fruit, subtle spice blend led by black pepper, leather and tobacco. There’s delicious elegance to its juicy finish of pomegranate and blueberry. (250 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Quiddity Wines 2019 Audentes Syrah, Rattlesnake Hills $35
Northwest Wine Academy graduate Greg Peiker makes the Platinum honor roll for the second straight year, and this effort with Syrah from Elephant Mountain reflects his second commercial vintage since retiring from Microsoft. A bit of savory bacon, white pepper and a restrained amount of funk disperse from the pop of boysenberry that dances on the palate. (165 cases, 15.3% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Siren Song Wines 2018 Ancient Stones Vineyard Chantal's Block
Grand Cru Estate Selection
Cabernet Franc, The Rocks
District of Milton-Freewater $64
Chef/winemaker Holly Brown and her husband, Kevin, shared ownership of this 40acre site with Bob Betz, the famed Master of Wine, and Siren Song’s work with it resulted in a Platinum for the third straight vintage with Cabernet Franc. That’s remarkable stuff, and it proves this AVA offers more than Syrah. There’s a beautiful feminine approach here in its red cherry, red currant and cola profile, which brings lovely spices and features fruit over herbaceousness. (294 cases, 14.2%)
Award: Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Spangler Vineyards 2018
Carménère, Southern Oregon $39
Patrick Spangler’s passion for Bordeaux shows with this Carménère that’s remarkably complex with berries, red bell pepper and mint that expands on the palate with velvety smooth tannins and ends in savory barbecue notes. (139 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2021 Old Vine
Chenin Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills $18
Best Buy! Stimson Lane brought Wade Wolfe to Washington state in 1978 to help with its growth. Three years later, McKinley Springs Vineyard planted its Chenin Blanc, and thankfully, Wolfe continues to champion this under-appreciated grape from the Loire. There’s a lovely greeting of Pink Lady apple and honey and whiffs of hay and granite that lead to white peach and a beautifully long citrusy finish. (140 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Yakima Valley Vintners 2018
Dean's List Merlot, Yakima Valley
$30
No other winemaking school in the Pacific Northwest has scored as many Platinum Awards as Yakima Valley College. After this year, the program based in Grandview has a dozen Platinums, and six are from its reserve program — denoted as “Dean’s List.” This is the third Platinum for work featuring Merlot, and it shows remarkable elegance with its food-friendly approach. Black fruit, pepper and sweet herbs with a gorgeous core of blueberry compote make it complex and long. Enjoy with leaner cuts of beef and anything off the grill. (26 cases, 13.6% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Platinum • 93 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2021
Necessity White, Columbia Gorge
$32
Longtime consultant Michael Sebastiani is based in Sonoma, so he relies on the day-today work in the cellar by Tyler McCafferty and Francisco Chairez. Their diligence is particularly necessary in white wines, and they shine with this blend of Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris that delivered another Platinum for owner Robb Bell. The nose of orange Creamsicle, white peach and alyssum carry onto the palate, where a lick of lime makes it crisp, clean and refreshing. (430 cases, 12.6% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018
Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $36
This Hood River producer only needed to drive as far as The Dalles and Volcano Ridge for these Zinfandel grapes. Fun aromas of cotton candy, peaches and cream and Graham crackers lead to sweet cherry flavors, Red De-
licious apple and baking spices. “It’s a tongue dancer — hitting all corners of the palate with a long balanced finish,” summed up one judge. Suggested pairings include Asian barbecue and curries. (418 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: McMinnville Classic (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars
2020 Heritage Series Louis Delsol
Cabernet Sauvignon, Lewis-Clark Valley $36
Two years ago, Karl and Coco Umiker’s homage to Louis Delsol, the Frenchman who established the Lewis-Clark Valley’s first vineyard in 1872, won a Platinum. At our 2022 judging, both her 2020 and 2018 vintages of this Heritage Series Cab went Platinum, which means four of her past five releases of Delsol have earned a Platinum. This latest release is highly aromatic as anise, cardamon and hyacinth lead to a balanced drink of black cherry, cassis, Baker’s chocolate, sarsaparilla, vanilla and Aussie-style black licorice. (240 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Bellingham Northwest gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Coyote Canyon Winery
2019 Coyote Canyon Vineyard
Tempranillo, Horse Heaven Hills
$33
For the second straight year, Justin Michaud’s Tempranillo from the vineyards of Mike Andrews in the hills south of Prosser, Wash., turned Platinum. There’s the dustiness so often found in wines from the Horse Heaven Hills as well as Chinese five-spice aromatics, black plum and a savory farewell of Kalamata olive. (70 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class, gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Del Rio Vineyards NV Jolee Semi-Sparkling Rosé, Oregon $15
Best Buy! The Wallace family recruited Loire Valley native Jean-Michel Jussiaume to the Rogue Valley in 2008, and he’s taken their 460-acre estate to new heights. Their continued success with this fun and lightly fizzy rosé named for the winery’s matriarch is matched by its explosive growth and creation of its own Jolee tier. While Muscat and Riesling combine for most of this pink wine, the involvement of Cabernet Franc provides the color and stream of strawberries. Mandarin orange acidity keeps it clean and makes for a charming finish. (11,338 cases, 10% alc.) Award: Drink Pink (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Errant Cellars 2018 Henry's Red, Columbia Valley $25
Even though this bottling represents her third Platinum in as many years, Megan Couture-Bates’s blend of Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Syrah (20%) and Cabernet Franc might be her most meaningful. It serves as a tribute to her late grandfather, Henry Neumann, an engineer who worked on the Columbia Basin Project. On the first pass, it’s a berry patch, but there’s much more to come with notes of anise, forest floor and snap peas. The tannins are easy to enjoy, and it’s finished with a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. (55 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Wenatchee (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Cabernet Franc, Red Mountain $40
The Hamiltons have earned acclaim for their Cabernet Franc off Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, but here the Wine Boss tandem of Charlie Hoppes and Mitch Venohr focused on Bel Tramonto — the Hamilton estate
vineyard — for this gorgeous effort. It begins with vanilla and spice from the oak, backed by cherry and chocolate notes that all meet on the palate, which is smooth and long. (78 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Block 12 Sèmillon, Golden Mile
Bench $21.99
These vines are in their third decade of life, which makes them on the younger side at Hester Creek, where they continue to nurture plantings from 1968. Their Sept. 16 harvest came at 22 Brix, and the stainless steel approach preserves aromas of lemon rind, ribbons of honey and saline. The burst of lemon in the mouth with perky acidity balances the ripe nectarine and creamy tangerine flavors. It’s an ideal seafood wine, so pair it with seared scallops or crab salad toasts. (350 cases, 12.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Weinbau Vineyard Cabernet
Franc, Columbia Valley $54
There’s more to King Estate than Pinot, and winemakers Brent Stone and Spencer Spetnagel team up now to create more than 60 bottlings, which sometimes involves grapes from Washington state. This work with Cabernet Franc spotlights historic Weinbau Vineyard, and the sun-bathed Wahluke Slope site accounted for two Platinums this fall. No variety struggles to ripen here, resulting in a wine of concentration featuring black currant and plum fruit flavors, but there’s still the expected herbal tones reminiscent of green bean and pine. The structure reflects that ripeness, leading to a finish of vanilla cream and allspice. (217 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Six Nation Global Wine Challenge (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Kriselle Cellars 2021 Albariño, Rogue Valley $30
Scott Steingraber was the senior project manager for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge project, and while he quickly followed the path in Southern Oregon for Tempranillo created by the esteemed Earl Jones, it took this Rogue Valley winemaker time to build his own Albariño program. A pair of golds at West Coast competitions and a Platinum here proves his talent. This is a tantalizing effort featuring lime, lychee and banana with Granny Smith apple acidity and a touch of salinity. (337 cases, 13.9% alc.) Awards: Sunset International (gold), Oregon Wine Experience (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Malaga Springs Winery 2016
Cabernet Franc, Washington $34
Wenatchee Valley vintner Allen Mathews graduated from Oregon State University’s microbiology program, and later in life the commercial fisherman designed and built a remarkable tasting room that features wines from his estate plantings. This is his second Platinum for Franc, which brings notes of violets, green pepper, strawberry and cranberry. Its spicy and peppery approach does not get lost amid the tannin structure that’s taut but not overwhelming as a finish of cassis allows the wine to achieve balance. (150 cases, 15.6% alc.) Award: Wenatchee (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Maryhill Winery 2021 Otis
Vineyard Proprietor's Reserve
Albariño, Columbia Valley $26
In 2013, the Tudor family acquired Otis Harlan’s historic vineyard in the Yakima Valley, and they established some new varieties at the request of producers such as Maryhill. Albariño was unheard of in the New World when Harlan bought the vineyard in 1952, but it has recently helped Maryhill attain a Platinum twice in the
past three years. It’s a gorgeous example with honeysuckle, peaches and pears, which are joined by ginger, minerality, jasmine tea and Key lime in the finish. (1,925 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Maryhill Winery 2019 Elephant
Mountain Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon, Rattlesnake Hills $52
Joe Hattrup’s remarkable site above the Yakima Valley has been featured as a vineyard-designated wine for eight recent Platinum winners by Maryhill winemaker Richard Batchelor. And for Cab, this is the second time in three years. The 21 months in 85% new French oak helps build enticing aromas of Mexican molé spices to go along with a dark black fruit core, fennel and a finish of black pepper. (276 cases, 15.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Maryhill Winery 2019 Art Den
Hoed Vineyard Painted Hills
Primitivo, Columbia Valley $42
It makes delicious sense that Maryhill’s success with Zinfandel carries over to Primitivo, which in Italian language references its early-ripening qualities. There’s density in every direction of this grape native to the Adriatic region as layers of blackberry and Bing cherry are joined by hints of roasted meat and fennel pollen. Tannins akin to Turkish coffee grounds and Craisin in the finish make for a fascinating ride. (278 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Maryhill Winery 2019
Proprietor's Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley $46
Three of the Leutholds’s longtime vineyard sources — McKinley Springs (Horse Heaven Hills), Les Collines (Walla Walla Valley) and
Tudor Hills (Yakima Valley) are woven into a wine of predictable complexity by winemaker Richard Batchelor It’s filled with dark blue fruit, cinnamon and leather, with a finish that blends espresso, green tea and black currant juice. (331 cases, 15% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Moon Curser Vineyards 2021
Arneis, Okanagan Valley $26.99
The fact that Arneis in Italian translates to “little rascal” probably makes it even more endearing to fun-loving and sometimes irreverent folks at Moon Curser. Their expression with this white grape accents the yellow orchard fruit and jasmine notes. Melon and kiwi fruit add some fleshiness to the midpalate, then there’s a zesty finish of Meyer lemon that still allows for appreciation of some minerality. At this point, it could be viewed as the standard for the variety in the Northwest because of its critical success, structure and scale of production. (534 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: All Canadian Wine Championships (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Port Townsend Vineyards 2019
Mourvèdre, Rattlesnake Hills $37
Ben Thomas’s homecoming to Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula came after nearly a decade of making wine at acclaimed Montinore Estates in the Willamette Valley. His skill with Rhône varieties generated a pair of Platinums this year, including this Mourvèdre from Joe Hattrup’s unsung Sugarloaf Vineyard — a sister planting of Elephant Mountain. This can serve as a guidepost for the grape in Washington as it captures the delicious earthiness associated with it, including its red fruit profile of boysenberry and Craisin, which are joined by Earl Grey tea, smoky black pepper and more Craisin. Suggested pairings include Tuscan bean soup and roasted pork. (33 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Rolling Hills Vineyard 2018 Bleu Mascot Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley/Snake River Valley $36
The Pasculli family honors the life of their beloved golden retriever — Bleu — with this blend of Malbec (51%) and Cabernet Sauvignon that includes Walla Walla Valley grapes. Consulting winemaker Angela Shaltry played a role in this sultry, herby and balanced drink of black cherry and blackberry that picks up sage and black peppercorns. A Snake River Valley animal shelter receives 10% of the proceeds of these sales. (303 cases, 14.02% alc.) Awards: Idaho Wine Competition (best of class, gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Spoiled Dog Winery 2019 Pinot Noir, Puget Sound $36
The Krug family credits the young Hezel Family Vineyard near Bayview Road on Whidbey Island for this remarkable work with their clonal selection of Pommard and Dijon 667 and 777 that helped Spoiled Dog go Platinum for Puget Sound Pinot last year and this year. Bright cherry and cranberry give this a sense of Burgundy that persists through a full midpalate and long finish that includes notes of pencil shavings. (71 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Yakima Valley Vintners 2017
Senioritis Red Wine, Columbia Valley $28
Judging by the blend, this group of students must have been thinking of summertime trips to Spain and Puglia as they turned in an assignment featuring Tempranillo (53%) and Primitivo (47%) that our Platinum panel hopes earned them an A grade. Our notes focused on a theme of strawberry and Marionberry with a sense of smoke and deliciously long trail of maple and molasses. (43 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Zerba Cellars 2018 Winesap
Vineyard Estate The Rocks Syrah, The Rocks District of MiltonFreewater $60
This bottling signals the second vintage for Brent Roberts spearheading the winemaking at Zerba Cellars, but the Washington State University grad certainly knew about working with Syrah out of The Rocks from his time at Gramercy Cellars in the Walla Walla Valley. His work here shows skill as he ushers the funkiness into the shadows. Instead, the focus stays on dark plum, figs and blackberries as the balanced structure makes room to appreciate additional notes of buttery cinnamon toast, cured meat and a lick of black olive. (120 cases, 15.1% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 96 points
40:31 Wines 2018 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $42
The craftsmanship of winemaker Jim Sanders was recognized twice during this year’s Platinum Awards, including this effort with estate Pinot Noir from Shari and Bill Price’s Ten Peaks Vineyard near McMinnville, Ore. They named their winery brand for a verse in the book of Isaiah, and this heavenly blend of Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777 reveals crushed rose petals, time in a grove of Western red cedar, wild strawberries and Rainier cherries. Suggested pairings include sausage lentil soup, grilled lamb and roasted turkey. (200 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: McMinnville Wine Classic (gold)
Platinum • 96 points
H/H Estates 2019 Coyote Canyon
Vineyard Bozak Reserve Red Wine, Horse Heaven Hills $49
This Bordeaux blend remembers a prized bull who roamed the Andrews ranch before it became a vineyard, and the wine leads with Cabernet Sauvignon and shows elegance from the start. Violets, blueberry compote and blackberry are met by sage and black pepper, finished with fine-grained tannins and bright cherries. (75 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: International Women's Competition (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
(100 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Camaraderie Cellars 2019
Dionysus Vineyard Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $45
brand. A year after that wine’s release, Rob Wallace hired Jean-Michel Jussiaume, and his latest work with this Rhône variety is scintillating. Orange blossom, white peach and Rainier cherry carry into a finish of rhubarb compote, pink watermelon and a twist of lemon peel. (1,700 cases, 12.6% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Neher Family Wines 2020
Principal Red, White Bluffs $32
Basalt Cellars 2018
Wine, Yakima Valley $28
This fortified blend of Syrah and Petit Verdot provides much of what red Port-style enthusiasts seek, a sipper that’s dark but not ponderous or cloying. Lewis-Clark Valley vintner Rick Wasem achieves all of those as strawberry jam and cherry syrup are wrapped up inside nicely integrated alcohol and carried to the long finish with brightness to balance the residual sugar (10%). (120 cases, 18.5% alc.) Award: Great American International (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2019
For the second vintage in a row, Neil and Sue Shay, along with Nick Cheatham, can take pride that their South Block project produced a Platinum Award from Great Northwest Wine. It’s a blend of Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777 all harvested by Oct. 1 and pulled at 22 Brix, which indicates they are looking for longterm success in the cellar. Yet, it’s obviously showing beautifully already. Graham cracker, rose petals, cherry compote and fresh strawberry build the complex mouthfeel and structure that bodes well for the future. "Every time I taste this, I get more flavors," said one judge.
The first wine Don Corson made was a hobby effort with Cab from the 1981 vintage, and practice has made him close to perfect of late — scoring five Platinums in the past three years with Cab. This most recent release from one of Northwest’s oldest plantings offers a remarkable sense of elegance and power as notes of black cherry, cassis and dried herbs pick up plum and strawberry jam on the back end for a lingering finish. (194 cases, 14.4% alc.)
Award: Sunset International (double gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Chelan Ridge Winery 2015
Cabernet Franc, Lake Chelan $65
Founding winemaker Lynn Munneke left a cellar of award winners for new owners Bill and Candace Swayne, and this Cabernet Franc is a product of the 11-acre vineyard Munneke and her husband established above the north shore of Lake Chelan back in 2003. It’s an expressive example, loaded with cherry and cassis, cigar box and sweet tobacco with underpinnings of leather, jasmine and a sense of earthiness that includes light toast and vanilla extract. Consider this when ordering the Honey Pig wood-fired pizza at the Chelan Ridge on-premise restaurant. (125 cases, 14.8% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Del Rio Vineyards 2021 Estate
Grenache Rosé, Rogue Valley $19
Best Buy! Oregon icon Ken Wright helped shine a spotlight on Del Rio Vineyard during the George W. Bush administration with vineyard-designate Syrah under the Tyrus Evans
Thoughts of Gordy Venneri staying retired from winemaking were dashed when members of his extended family encouraged the Walla Walla Vintners co-founder to help oversee the project launched by the late Dick Neher, a former state legislator and longtime principal at Walla Walla High. Venneri brought Bunchgrass winemaker Roger Cockerline out of retirement, too, and their teamwork on this Merlot from stately Sagemoor vines resulted in the Neher’s family’s first Platinum. It’s a big delivery of black currant and Bing cherry that shows remarkable integration considering the youthfulness of the black tea tannins. A trail of cranberry sauce and dark chocolate combine for a long finish. A few bottles from these tiny lots are available in the Clay in Motion Pottery Studio gift shop in Milton-Freewater, Ore. (70 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia, Invitational
Platinum • 95 points
Palencia Wine Co. 2019 El Viñador Syrah, Red Mountain $45
Last year, Victor Palencia’s reserve Syrah from the 2018 vintage earned a Platinum. A year later, his 2019 got into the Platinum, and it followed suit. The nose is a greeting with beautiful dark blackberry and blueberry joined with a whiff of toasted oak. That oak is nicely integrated on the palate as mocha, and those dark purple fruits come across as slightly jammy while picking up some savory notes. An
injection of pomegranate adds brightness and length. (100 cases, 14.8% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Puffin Wines 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $24
Cannon Beach wine merchant Steven Sinkler continues his remarkable stretch of success with Pinot Gris, earning a Platinum with five of the past examples of Pinot Gris. While it starts with his fruit sourcing, there’s also Sinkler’s hired gun on this project — Ray Walsh, the New Zealand winemaker who spent more than a decade at King Estate. They team up for a highly agreeable Gris, filled with stone fruit, honeysuckle and a precise delivery of Key lime juice for fruit/acid balance. (120 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Belle Fiore Winery 2019
Montepulciano, Rogue Valley $37
In Italy, Montepulciano ranks No. 2 in terms of production, behind only Sangiovese. While they aren’t the same, there are some similarities, particularly in its bright fruit notes of Montmorency cherry, boysenberry and plum and ability to age. Rob Folin captures that for Belle Fiore owner Edward Kerwin, adding spice box notes, light herbs and orange oil. There’s really nice richness as a result of the beautifully managed tannins. (251 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Château NoElle Vineyards & Winery 2018 Gamache Vineyard
Unity Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $44
Snohomish Valley winemaker Tom Wilson has produced a Platinum winner from his estate Pinot Noir vines, but he’s relied on Gamache
Vineyard in the White Bluffs of the Columbia Valley for the other three Platinums he’s won in the past three years. Here’s a Cab brimming with black and blue fruit aromas that are joined by cardamon and tobacco leaf. On the jammy palate, there come Cherries Jubilee and strawberry, which carry past the superbly managed tannins for a long finish. (30 cases, 14.5% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars
2019 Phinny Hill Vineyard Coco's Reserve Carménère, Washington State $42
Of the 41 career Platinums awarded to Coco Umiker, 11 have been for her work with Carménère — the relatively obscure red Bordeaux. In fact, her first-ever Platinum came in 2013 from the cool 2011 vintage. All of them have been via Phinny Hill Vineyard, planted by the late Dick Beightol. Umiker manages the tannins and herbal charms of this variety within its profile of blueberry, toast, white pepper and sage. Cola and black licorice emerge in the balanced finish of this example from her reserve tier. “This is the most ‘Carmy’ wine in the flight,” remarked one judge. “The sage is there, but it’s not vegetative.” (143 cases, 15.1% alc.)
Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2021 Umiker Estate Vineyard Lochsa
Chardonnay, Lewis-Clark Valley
$22
Once the Umikers built a wine production facility with refrigerated tanks on their family’s Century farm, they began developing their white wine program. As a result, this Chardonnay ranks among their most memorable efforts to this point — their first estate-grown white wine to earn a Platinum. Inviting aromas of orange blossom, apples sautéed in butter and light
oak lead to a bright drink of orchard fruit with touches of lemon verbena. (188 cases, 13.7% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery 2021 Dry Rock Vineyard Unoaked Chardonnay, Golden Mile Bench $14.99
Best Buy! Throughout their history together, Walter Gehringer has abstained from using oak on the grapes his brother, Gordon, grows across their estate at the southern end of the Okanagan Valley. Six of their Platinums have been with unoaked Chardonnay, a delicious testament to the approach that hints of tree-ripened Honeycrisp apples and wonderful citrus, backed by a midpalate that offers some fleshiness. It’s a vibrant example that’s very consumer friendly — including the price. “I could see myself drinking a lot of this,” noted one judge. (600 cases, 13.1% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class, gold)
Platinum • 94 points
King Estate Winery 2018 Estate
Biodynamic Domaine Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $60
The Pacific Northwest wine industry’s leaders in Demeter-certified winemaking prove once again that Biodynamics practices — scoffed at by some — can lead to the production of some of the region’s most delicious wines. These four barrels resulted in Pinot Noir filled with fruit and charm as aromas of red berries, forest floor and spice lead to a strong pulse of Rainier cherry and Craisin. Supple tannins make for a long and fruity finish. (100 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: Critics Choice (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Mellisoni Vineyards 2019
Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot, Royal Slope $60
One of the turning points in the trajectory
of Rob and Donna Mellison’s breathtaking passion project overlooking Lake Chelan has been the deepening relationship with the Alberg family’s Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Frenchman Hills. The balance displayed in the wines grown by vineyard manager Ed Kelly helped Mellisoni Vineyards toward the award for Washington Winery of the Year in 2021. Here’s another example that shares notes of cherry preserves, vanilla and cedar, backed by tobacco and slate. This marks the second time in three vintages for their Merlot program to go Platinum. (123 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award:
Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Grigio,
A decade ago, Rob Mellison and his pharmacist wife Donna celebrated winning their first Platinum — which was for Pinot Gris. The vines that produced these grapes were just coming to life when the Mellisons announced they had earned Washington Winery of the Year from Wine Press Northwest magazine. Donna’s chemistry background shows in the balance of this Pinot Gris that’s a dazzling array of Granny Smith apple, lime and limestone, resulting in a refreshing finish. (146 cases, 13.6% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Red,
The federal government established the Lewis-Clark Valley in 2016, making it a bistate American Viticultural Area, and Mark Wysling of Parejas Cellars worked both sides of the Snake River for this straightforward blend. His Merlot (70%) came from Arnett Vineyard in Clarkston, Wash., while the Cabernet Sauvignon was off Sweetwater Vineyard east of Lewiston, Idaho. It’s a bold offering of olallieberry, blueberry and Western serviceberry that includes pinches of Herbes de Provence
and leads out with a creamy finish. While Wysling continues to vinify on the Yakima Valley College campus in Grandview, Wash., he pours these wines in downtown Clarkston. (41 cases, 13.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Pomeroy Cellars 2019 Lucia
No. 47 Red Wine, Yakima Valley $45
Family touches are all over winemaker Dan Brink’s bucolic winery north of Vancouver, USA, and the magic behind this proprietary blend — which has gone Platinum with the past two vintages — is his friendship with the Shiels family of Côte Bonneville fame and their DuBrul Vineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills. Brink’s formula here is Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (22%) and Syrah, and it’s a layered and balanced wine with Cherry Coke, tanned leather, freshly snapped green beans and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Brink’s great-great grandmother taught in Lucia Falls School District N° 47. (103 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Mercer Estates Winery 2019
Spice Cabinet Vineyard Robert
Willis Reserve Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills $55
Ever since Great Northwest Wine named a Spice Cabinet Vineyard Malbec from Mercer Estates as its No. 1 wine of the year in 2013, we’ve never been surprised by the greatness that site provides. This year, Ashley Stephens — the fourth winemaker at Mercer Estates in the past decade — is credited with turning another Spice Cabinet Malbec into Platinum. It’s an ideal and easy-drinking example of the Bordeaux red, flowing with purple fruit akin to black currant and blueberry with soft tannins and shaved tobacco in the finish. (172 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Spoiled Dog Winery 2018 Penn Cove Red, Yakima Valley $30
This year’s panel was repeatedly impressed with the viticultural practices of Charlie and Connie Crawford, whose grapes directly resulted in four Platinums — including this blend of Merlot (56%), Cabernet Franc (37%) and Malbec. Karen Krug and her son, Jake, stitched those lots into a Right Bank Bordeaux interpretation that offers pleasing oak, dark red fruit and chocolaty tannins. (117 cases, 13.8% alc.)
Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2020
The Teacher Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $27.50
Here’s another Platinum for the Wolfe family’s annual tribute to the late Stan Clarke, one of the most important educators and the man who foretold of the rise of Cabernet Sauvignon in Washington state. This blend from Dead Canyon, McKinley Springs and Destiny Ridge results in the third Platinum for The Teacher, and its profile is a bit of a throwback as cassis, dusty Bing cherry and caramel include a hint of cherry tomato and dried sage. It is one of Thurston Wolfe’s most widely available offerings, and Total Wine stocks it. (660 cases, 14.5%)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Tipsy Canyon Winery 2019
Malbec, Columbia Valley $38
Antoine Creek Vineyard along the Columbia River upstream from Chelan Falls has been a contributor to Mark Garvin’s rapid rise in the Washington wine industry, and the Manson winemaker has displayed a flair for Bordeaux reds. Black cherries and dark plum pick up allspice, dried parsley and carob nibs, which come together for a suave yet juicy expression of Malbec. (93 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Savor NW (double gold)
A decade ago, University of Georgia graduate Doug Brazil received a Platinum for his work with Mourvèdre. His latest award-winner from our panel was applauded for its hints of plum chutney, boysenberry, beautiful spice thread throughout and backbone of tannin that leads into a finish of cocoa. Enjoy with the Monte Cristo or pan-seared steelhead in a beurre blanc sauce at the on-premise Château Grill. (120 cases, 15.6% alc.) Award:
Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Gamache Vineyard is known among winemakers for its ability to ripen a wide range of varieties, especially cooler-climate grapes and those from Rhône. Here’s another example of its potential with Syrah, an offering of blueberry preserves and Christmastime spices, backed by mocha and white pepper. (25 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
The story behind this ongoing, multi-vintage tier begins with several barrels of red wine that were held back from the 2015 vintage, setting the table for Coco Umiker’s inaugural Waha. Next, 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.” The resulting formula of Waha II is an eight-variety blend that leads with Malbec (51%), Petite Sirah (21%), Merlot (11%) and Carménère. At the Platinum, it wowed judges with its remarkable texture that brings hints of baby powder, daffodils and the dark blue fruit that mimics blueberry sauce and black currant jam, joined by moist earth, caramel and nicely structured tannins. (387 cases, 14.8% alc.)
Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2020 Renaissance Red, Lewis-Clark Valley $25
The name of this proprietary red serves as Karl and Coco Umiker’s tribute to the rebirth of the wine industry in the Lewis-Clark Valley, which was destroyed when Nez Perce County went dry in 1910 — a decade before the rest of the U.S. fell under the official grip of Prohibition. This bottling of grapes only from the L-C Valley marks the fifth consecutive vintage that “Ren Red” has gone Platinum, starting with the 2016 vintage, and the Umikers have only raised the price of their flagship wine by $2 since the string began. Unlike the previous vintage, Malbec (50%) leads this blend backed by Cabernet Sauvignon (36%), Syrah (5%), Carménère (4%), Merlot (3%) and Cabernet Franc, and it’s redolent of rose petals carried along by an ocean breeze, red licorice, Karmelkorn and cardamon, backed by boysenberry and a buttery-smooth structure that almost melts in the mouth. (475 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Convergence Zone Cellars 2018 Squall Line Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $33
Snoqualmie Valley winemaker Scott Greenberg picks up his third Platinum in three years, thanks to these lots of Cab he hauled across Snoqualmie Pass from vineyards that are rep-
resented repeatedly throughout each Platinum — Phinny Hill, Coyote Canyon and Boushey. It’s a classic Cab with notes of cherry and cola, cigar box and allspice, forest floor and orange oil, all tied up with plum skin tannins (68 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Côtes de Ciel 2016 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Counoise, Red Mountain $35
One of the West Coast’s leading Rhône Rangers, Doug McCrea, found Ciel du Cheval to be a playground for his innovative work. Now, it is second-generation grower Richard Holmes using varieties such as Counoise to add to his family’s fame. This grape benefits from the heat and extended growing season on Red Mountain, and this wine offers a rush of dark red fruit and a lot of enjoyment — including a hint of framboise in the finish. (123 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Tipsy Canyon Winery 2019
Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $45
Mark and Tami Garvin invested in 8 acres above Lake Chelan in 2013, and they’ve been relying on vines within a short drive of their winery to get started. They worked with three sites — nearby Amos Rome in Manson and sites on opposite sides of the Columbia River in Double D and Native River — for what turned into one of the most decorated Cabs entered into this year’s Platinum. Chocolate-covered cherries, plum and Marionberry pick up barrel spice, and age-worthy tannins, which are rinsed by cassis. (206 cases, 14.9% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Wenatchee (gold) Savor NW (gold) Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Tsillan Cellars 2019 Estate Syrah, Lake Chelan $42
A decade ago, this showpiece site overlooking the south shore of Lake Chelan used a Syrah to win its first Platinum for a red wine. Here is their seventh Platinum for Syrah, proving that Tsillan Cellars ranks among the Northwest’s leading producers of Syrah. It’s a classic example of a cooler-climate approach with tones of blueberry pie, cured meat, roasted beets and a finish of licorice. (276 cases, 14.7% alc.)
Award: Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Zerba Cellars 2019 Cockburn Vineyard Estate Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley $50
Jon Cockburn Vineyard is the Zerba site in the Blue Mountain foothills, and it’s shown itself to be a consistent site for this early-ripening Spanish red, producing a trio of Platinums over the years, starting with the 2007 vintage. The deployment of 50% new American oak barrels doesn’t distract from the superb and fruit-forward approach of black currant, dark blueberry and dried strawberry. There’s a sense of earthiness on the midpalate, followed by plum-skin tannins that make for a long, mouth-filling finish. (273 cases, 15.1% alc.)
Award: Oregon Wine Experience (double gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Aluel Cellars 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $45
As a result of their relationship with winemaker Bart Fawbush of Bartholomew, Seattle vintners Alex Oh and Samuel Hilbert now have earned at least one Platinum in each of the last five consecutive years from our panels. This is the second time in three years for Cabernet Sauvignon. This presentation of blackberry cobbler, cinnamon toast and Baker’s chocolate provides delicious balance, and it is available
at their tasting galleries on Capitol Hill and Ballard. (75 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Ambassador Wines of Washington 2019 Estate Diplomat Red Wine, Red Mountain $50
Allison Engman and her three business partners have Cabernet Sauvignon planted across their three vineyards on Red Mountain — Ambassador, Sunset and Annex — but the secret sauce to this lighter-style red blend is Syrah (23%) from the 22-acre namesake site. The profile is dominated by cherries, both Bing and Rainier, and is joined by mint and mocha, while the finish of plum juice makes it easy to revisit. These wines are poured at their Warehouse tasting room in Woodinville and the new Woodin Creek tasting room. (325 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Kerry Hill Winery 2019 Monarch
Tempranillo, Snake River Valley
$35
Portland-based entrepreneur Mindy Mayer’s path to the Idaho wine industry is inspirational, and this estate-grown Tempranillo was in barrel two years ago when Kerry Hill was named Idaho Winery to Watch. Hat Ranch winemaker
Tim Harless notches his first Platinum with this work for Mayer, and the wine opens with cherries, vanilla and chai spice. Inside, it’s loaded with cherry pie filling and loganberry, making for a juicy finish that’s capped by a nip of blueberry skin. (150 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Idaho Wine Competition (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Moon Curser Vineyards 2020
Touriga Naçional, Okanagan Valley
$43.99
Several years ago, winemaker Chris Tolley
amazed our Platinum panel with his Carménère, so it makes sense that his dry expression with this Port variety would achieve Platinum, too. The extraction and tannin management achieved is remarkable as they make this jammy with blackberry, blueberry and plum tones. Add white pepper to the spice box, too. The combination explains why it would pair so well with a plate of cured meats (145 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: All Canadian Wine Championships (double gold), Wine Align National Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Palencia Wine Co. 2021 El Viñador Albariño, Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley $25
Both his flagship and this reserve style of Albarino merited a Platinum in 2022, and the influence of Evergreen Vineyard in this bottling is both fascinating and apparent with its touches of salinity and minerality. Tropical notes in the nose include Key lime and add in dollop of applesauce, and there’s a sense of ripe mango and more lime in the palate. (130 cases, 13.3% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Westport Winery Garden Resort
2019 Bella Sangiovese, Rattlesnake Hills $37
Bella has gone through several iterations since the Roberts family launched her as an homage to the Twilight character, yet the vineyard sourcing has remained rather elite. Recently, they’ve focused on Sangiovese from Joe Hattrup’s Elephant Mountain Vineyard. It’s a delicious expression that lovers of Chianti will appreciate, brimming with bright red fruit and a profile that showcases acidity rather than tannin. At Westport’s on-premise SeaGlass Grill, see if the Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Pesto and Prawns is on the menu. (237 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Twice in the past four years this gateway wine that swirls blueberry juice — years ago, it was huckleberry — into Gewürztraminer has been awarded a Platinum. And while the label is a whimsical guess at how Bigfoot’s wife might help a winemaker on the crushpad, this is a well-constructed wine. The blueberry flavors are nicely integrated and nothing dominates, allowing for some of the Gewürz’s natural spiciness to come through. The sugar/acid balance is spot-on, making for a very pleasant quaffer. (139 cases, 10.5% alc.) Award: West Coast Wine Competition — East Meets West (gold)
Platinum • 96 points
CheValle Vineyard Pinot Noir, Lake Chelan $38
Chelan Valley winemaker Jeana Steiner and her debut release of rosé from Mourvèdre off the Dufenhorst family’s Double D Vineyard wowed critics in 2020. Here, she turned Dijon clone 114 Pinot Noir from another Dufenhorst site into her first Platinum Award, amazing judges with a wine so delicate yet so expressive. It sings beautiful fruit notes of wild strawberry, golden raspberry and red currant while yielding space to forest floor and savory truffle. Upon reveal, one judge was gobsmacked to learn that it wasn’t from the North Willamette Valley. (91 cases, 14.71% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Chris Daniel Winery 2018 Petite
Sirah, Columbia Valley $32
Washington State University’s Wine By Cougars program recently featured Napa-based winemaker Chris Daniel Stewart, Class of ’11, and rightfully so after receiving 11 Platinum
Awards from us in the past four years. He and his father, Michael, collaborate closely year-round, and the attention to detail at their Quincy Wash., winery led to their Petite Sirah program earning a third Platinum with these three barrels. It’s redolent of Chukar Cherries and huckleberry jam while delivering the persistent blueberry-skin tannins that PS lovers embrace. (69 cases, 14.6% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
L’Ecole N° 41 2019 Pepper
Bridge Vineyard Apogee Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley $57
Marty Clubb hired Marcus Rafanelli as winemaker not long after these berries arrived on the schoolhouse campus in Lowden, and they are the final blend together — Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (25%), Malbec (10%) and Cabernet Franc. Alluring spice notes, cassis, blackberry and plum cake reveal a purity of fruit, accented by beautiful oak management and a structure that’s inviting while also rewarding patience. (1,030 cases, 14.5% alc.)
Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Succession Wines 2021 Viognier, Columbia Valley $30
A number of winemakers have hauled home gold medals for the Viognier they made using Antoine Creek Vineyard fruit — a site that’s a stone’s throw from the Columbia River downstream from Pateros, Wash. Succession winemaker Brock Lindsay manages Antoine Creek, and that home-field advantage produced a Platinum. There’s no oak involved, and he keeps the fruit profile clean and crisp by capturing flavors akin to lemon curd, Asian pear and lingering starfruit. (283 cases, 13.3% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018
Syrah, Columbia Valley $38
Another of Washington’s most respected vineyards — McKinley Springs in the Horse Heaven Hills — joins fruit from award-winning Moody Vineyard near the confluence of the Deschutes and Columbia Rivers for this graceful Syrah. Ginger spice and black fruit tones pick up earthiness and black pepper ahead of its bright finish of red currant and Craisin. (500 cases, 14% alc.) Awards: Savor NW (best of class, double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Gehringer Brothers Estate
Winery 2021 Classic Riesling, Okanagan Valley $14.99
Best Buy! The Gehringers have won 27 Platinums just for their Riesling program, an enduring tribute to their winemaking and winegrowing education in West Germany. This continues to be one of the New World’s most remarkable examples of this noble grape. It is fresh, fruity and steely with a blade or two of grass as white peach, Bartlett pear and lemon/ lime combine to pop in the mouth. Don’t let the listed residual sugar (1.3%) mislead. It’s seriously spectacular. (2,400 cases, 12.9% alc.)
Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Liberty Lake Wine Cellars 2019
Scooteney Flats Vineyard Petit
Verdot, Red Mountain $33
Red Mountain-focused Mark Lathrop achieved Platinum twice in 2022 with Bordeaux varieties that he didn’t enter into our 2021 judging, an achievement that shows a knack for working beyond Cabernet Sauvignon. Tones of blackberry jam, cocoa butter, spice box and cigar leaf funnel into a finish of cassis and cherry cordial for a rich reward. Older entries of Petit Verdot pulled down Platinums in this judging, and it will be fascinating to watch
this youthful bottling continue to evolve. (119 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold), Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Mercer Estates Winery 2021
Small Lot Sauvignon Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills $18
Best Buy! Spice Cabinet — the vineyard behind Mercer’s Platinum-winning Malbec — also contributed to this Sauvignon Blanc along with Culloden Vineyard. Ashley Stephens, a Washington State University microbiology grad, has crafted a stunning Sauvignon Blanc from her first vintage as Mercer’s head winemaker, building a floral, fleshy and juicy example that hints at nectarine and cantaloupe before finishing with a burst of yellow grapefruit. (201 cases, 12.5% alc.) Award: International Women's Competition (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Spangler Vineyards 2018 Claret, Southern Oregon $29
In the spring of 2018, this former floor trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange was awarded Oregon Winery of the Year. That same vintage led to Patrick Spangler’s second Platinum for his Claret program, a historic name for a Bordeaux blend that he’s surprised — and delighted — more winemakers don’t embrace because he’s a standout with it. For this vintage, it’s dominated by Merlot (83.5%) with touches of Cab and Cab Franc. It’s stately and complex with blackberry, smoked plum, golden raisins and dried moss undertones, backed by age-worthy tannins and finish of allspice and grenadine. (268 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Las Vegas Global Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Petit Verdot as well as StoneTree Vineyard
on the Wahluke Slope share the spotlight in this blend by Brian Carter, and it’s the third time in the 11-vintage history of Trentenaire for it to achieve Platinum. He launched it a decade ago as a tribute to his time in the Washington wine industry, using the French term for 30 years, and it’s become a core offering. Notes include cassis, a walk through a misty forest of evergreens, and toasted bread as the palate brings Marionberry jam, expectedly bold tannins and a delicious finish of Montmorency cherry. Carter enjoys it with a sizzling steak served at his new Woodin Creek bistro with grilled onions and tomatoes. (388 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (best of class/double gold), Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
DeLille Cellars 2019 D2 Red Wine, Columbia Valley $50
Each year, this ranks as one of Washington’s top wines, and Wine Spectator recently selected it No. 30 on its Top 100 list of the world. Here is the sixth time, and the third time in the past three vintages, for DeLille to earn a Platinum with its Right Bank-Bordeaux expression produced with the help of eight of Washington’s most well-known vineyards. The winemaking tandem of Jason Gorski and Nick Bernstein build a nose of cassis and deep plum that includes cinnamon, burnt caramel and black pepper with a lift of fresh herbs. On the palate, black raspberry and green pepper dominate with a touch of oak influence. It’s superbly balanced and a candidate to age — should you so choose. (15,250 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold) Seattle Wine Awards (gold), TEXSOM (gold), Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Four Feathers Wine Services
2021 HUE Rosé Wine, Washington State $11.99
Best Buy! One of the Northwest’s largest
vineyard and winery operations began to create brands for its deep list of custom-crush clients. Head winemaker Frederique Vion grew up in Provence, which begins to explain why this rosé went Platinum. Even though it’s a blend of Merlot, Cab and Syrah, it’s bright and refreshing in its character of Montmorency cherry, honeydew melon, Mandarin orange and Meyer lemon. (728 cases, 12.1% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Milbrandt Vineyards 2021 Family Grown Pinot Grigio, Columbia Valley $16.99
Best Buy! The pixie dust of the whites grown in the Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley often leads to gold medals. They routinely turn into Platinum. This Pinot Gris produced by Kendall Mix in the Columbia Basin conjures up notes of starfruit, honeysuckle and a springtime rain shower, capped by a crisp and clean finish of lemon zest. (5,500 cases, 12.8% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Puget Sound winemaker/distiller Christine Stoecklein’s fascination with Siegerrebe — a cross of Gewürztraminer and Madeleine Angevine — seems well-founded with this early effort produced with young plantings across her 100-acre estate that looks out across Camano Island. It’s loaded with white peach, Pink Lady apple and dried apricot, which are ushered along with charming brightness that serves it well as a palate cleanser. Hers is a program worth following as she’s also producing Kerner and Silvaner as well as Müller-Thurgau. (400 cases, 12% alc.) Awards: Las Vegas Global Wine Awards (chairman's award), Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
It was Cabernet Franc that earned Patrick Spangler his first Platinum Award in 2006, and this talent with Bordeaux varieties now can claim five career Platinums just for Franc. During harvest, he chases 25 Brix of ripeness with this sometimes too-herbal red, and he prefers some of his smokiest barrels for Franc. Both explain this profile, which brings a theme of black cherry with a pinch of leafiness, some toasted oak, polished tannins and long trail of boysenberry. (205 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Brock and Erica Lindsay continue to build upon the success that prompted us to name their Lake Chelan project as the 2018 Washington Winery to Watch, and this Syrah from Candy Mountain Vineyards serves as another example of their special touch with Rhône varieties, marked by their Platinum for Viognier this year, too. Its lovely dark red profile conjures up thoughts of black cherry and boysenberry jam, backed by a tremendous frame of structure that leaves room for violets, black peppercorns and sexy leather. One judge described it simply as “killer stuff.” (219 cases, 14.6% alc.) Award: Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
The winemaker/restaurateur duo of Ron and Susan Bunnell feature the work of Woodinville oil painter Jamie Lightfoot on the bottles of this new tier of wines. Inside each is a masterpiece that spotlights one of Washington’s top vineyards. In the case of the Syrah, his canvas is Red Heaven. It’s not a cool-climate expression,
but rather brimming with blackberry and black currant, sprinkled with chai spices and includes a pinch of tobacco and a scrape of vanilla bean. The Bunnells entered both bottlings of their 2019 Artist Series into two of the West Coast’s largest competitions. Each won a gold or better. This fall, they both went Platinum. (120 cases, 14.5% alc.) Awards: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold) Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
The Beightol family’s planting has factored into Thurston Wolfe’s The Geologist blend since that troublesome cool 2010 vintage, and here it is spotlighted as a standalone bottling dedicated to club and tasting room purchases. As expected from the Horse Heaven Hills, there’s dustiness to the black cherry and black currant profile. Underlying notes of forest floor and toasted granola are accessible amid the power-laden structure of the plum skin tannins, but there’s still room to appreciate the finish of orange oil. (72 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Winescape 2018 Field Trip Red Wine, Columbia Valley $36
Both Phillip Butterfield and his wife, Patricia, were professors in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University in Spokane, so it made sense for them to name this proprietary blend Field Trip as they built their South Hill winery less than seven miles from the downtown campus. They made two significant stops for the Cabernet Sauvignon in play here, Heart of the Hill on Red Mountain and the Dionysus planting at Sagemoor on the White Bluffs. It’s filled with cherries and blueberries while also offering dried oregano, white pepper, slate and caramel. (200 cases, 15.3% alc.)
Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Camaraderie Cellars 2018 Grâce Red Wine, Columbia Valley $45
Among the four Platinums won in 2022 by Don Corson, this one is focused on Merlot rather than Cabernet Sauvignon — a proprietary blend with a Right Bank approach leading with Merlot (30%), Cabernet Franc (28%), Petit Verdot (20%) and Malbec (12%). The fragrant red berry aroma carries onto the palate in a mix of raspberry and Bing cherry flavors. Supple tannins and a lick of umami lead out with a sheen of orange oil. (336 cases, 14.5% alc.)
Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2016
Estate Monet Blocks Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $40
The Chapels purchased the original 20-acre Monet Vineyard in 1999 after a hiking trip to Switzerland, and among the clones they established there were Pommard and Dijon 777. This bottling is a 50/50 blend of them. Among the aromatics is a sense of the cool morning breeze sliding down the foothills of the nearby Coastal Range, which sets up the palate for a flow of Marionberry pie and Baker’s chocolate. (205 cases, 13.8% alc.) Awards: McMinnville Classic (gold), San Francisco Chronicle (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Gehringer Brothers Estate
Winery 2021 Ehrenfelser, Okanagan Valley $14.99
Best Buy! Back in 2002, the Gehringer brothers notched their first career Platinum via this cross of Riesling and Silvaner — developed in the Rheingau city of Geisenheim where Walter Gehringer went to school. Here is their 17th Platinum with that early-ripening grape. It opens with a sweet perfume of apricot, white peach and honey. The honey continues, lightly coating the palate and adding flavors of fresh apple, tangerine and white flowers. Enjoy as an
aperitif or pair with Thai take-out. “It’s more enjoyable than many Rieslings,” offered one judge. (2,900 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
T2 Cellar 2020 Red Willow
Vineyard Sangiovese, Yakima Valley $35
Todd Threlkeld got his start in winemaking by trying to figure out what to do with the plums in his yard. That led him to South Seattle College’s Northwest Wine Academy and yearround work in that cellar alongside longtime winemaking educator Peter Bos. This bottling represents his fifth commercial vintage and his third Platinum in two years, and these tiny lots are sold at his Sodo facility. Sangiovese from the Sauer family’s famed vineyard is tough to get but easy to work with. The gorgeous nose of strawberry and bramble fruit includes spices and cherry blossoms. Inside, there’s a stream of boysenberry, red currant and pomegranate, all carried along by smooth tannins, which are boosted by a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), giving it a Super Tuscan feel. (23 cases, 15.1% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Tsillan Cellars 2021 Sempre
Amore White Wine, Columbia Valley $28
Pinot Gris leads the aromas and Riesling takes over on the palate of this refreshing and delicious style that’s now won three Platinums in its history. There’s no oak to cloud the perception of facial powder, peach and spiced pear, which is capped with a burst of Key lime. “I love the acidity, and it’s so balanced with that long finish of lime zest,” one judge said, who suggested seafood or chicken. (410 cases, 13% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2019 Zenith Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $54
The Shays have collected seven Platinums in the past four years from our panels, and this work with prized Zenith Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills is the first vineyard-designate from beyond the Bluebird Hill estate to go Platinum. It’s a 50/50 clonal blend of Pommard and Dijon 777, and the stunning aromatics take one back to Burgundy with forest floor and delicate red fruit. Bright cherry and raspberry flavors pick up some savory notes, backed by an amazing structure and seemingly endless finish. (100 cases, 13.6% alc.) Award: McMinnville Wine Classic (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Chelan Ridge Winery 2017 Leo & Willie’s Merlot, Lake Chelan $47
The Swaynes pay tribute to the pair of canine greeters at their winery — Leo and Willie — with this Merlot credited to winemaker Jeff Crowder of nearby Radiance Winery in Manson. Estate vines with a sweeping view of Lake Chelan lead to a drink redolent of dark cherry, elderberry and milk chocolate with the tannins that are nicely resolved to provide a lengthy finish. “It’s everything you want in a Merlot,” said one judge. (75 cases, 14.8% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
DeLille Cellars 2019 Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $75
Great Northwest Wine magazine’s reigning Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year uses this Cab from four sites on Red Mountain — Grand Ciel, Upchurch, Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun — for the Four Flags label’s third Platinum in the past three vintages. It presents a marvelous balance of fruit and oak (85% new French barrels) as cassis, Bing cherry, mocha, cinnamon
bark and leather waft in the nose and play out across the palate. “It is fruit-driven and beautifully built with refined tannins that make it very consumer friendly,” offered one judge. (2,025 cases, 14.2% alc.) Awards: Cascadia International (gold) Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 95 points
Puffin Wines 2019 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $30
Cannon Beach Wine Shack proprietor Steve Sinkler collaborates with several winemakers across the five wines that make up his Puffin Brand lineup. For this Pinot Noir, it’s Sean Allen of Pudding River near Oregon’s state capital. And the fruit is 100% Pommard from Allen’s estate. Filled with finesse, it shuffles out layers of raspberry, red currant and cranberry juice that include cedar, coriander and saffron. Of the 10 career Platinums for Puffin, here’s the first for Pinot Noir that is not rosé. (150 cases, 13.4% alc.) Award: Oregon Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon, Red Mountain $60
Patent law attorney Larris Harris nurtures a 6-acre vineyard of Pinot Noir at his estate in Stanwood, WA, but he’s also developed a fondness for Cabernet Sauvignon. That explains his attraction to historic Klipsun, a 120-acre vineyard planted in 1982, and he uses this coveted Red Mountain site to produce a classic Cab. Its baseline is one of steady notes that hit on cassis, black cherry, light toast and sage for a centered and complete wine. “This is what I want in a Cab,” declared a judge. And it serves as an attraction for the Harris family’s young satellite tasting gallery in Woodinville’s upscale Woodin Creek development. (290 cases, 14.1% alc.) Awards: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Bitner Vineyards 2018 Syrah, Snake River Valley $46
Internationally renowned bee researcher Ron Bitner likes to refer to the wines designed for him by Greg Koenig as “my retirement plan.” This Syrah is the sixth Platinum in six years for this Sunnyslope producer, whose Plum Road estate offers a Chamber of Commerce view of the Snake River Valley. Its inviting nose gathers up blackberry, cured meats, allspice and clove components, and they flow across the palate with delicious elegance. (92 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Clearwater Canyon Cellars
2018 Heritage Series Louis Delsol Cabernet Sauvignon, Lewis-Clark Valley $32
Of her 41 Platinum Awards, Coco Umiker had used stand-alone bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon for five of those, starting with the 2014 vintage. Traditionally, her Louis Delsol program has involved three vineyards in the bi-state valley — Umiker Estate, Rock ‘n J and Arnett, and the results are classic Cab, starting with aromas of deep black fruits, red bell pepper and a pinch of eucalyptus. What follows are flavors of cassis, dark cherry and tobacco, framed by soft tannins and a dry yet fruity finish. (211 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Four Feathers Wine Services
2019 DarkRock Cabernet
Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills
$24.99
Rebecca De Kleine graded out as a “supertaster” during her days at Washington State University’s Wine Science Center. A decade later, this grown-up Girl Scout leads one of the West Coast’s largest bulk wine operations. Her
work in Prosser, Wash., with grapes farmed by FFWS colleague Tom Merkle is a delicious example of what that the Zirkle family’s company can provide. Here’s a Cab that’s layered and lovely with black fruit, silky tannins and juicy finish that blends sensations of blueberry and pomegranate. (1,800 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Hamilton Cellars 2018 Estate Malbec, Red Mountain $48
Charlie Hoppes of nearby Fidelítas fame has been one of Washington’s leading proponents of Malbec, and the first Platinum he produced for the Hamiltons was a 2008 Malbec. These grapes from the vines near their Sunset Road tasting room — a planting named for the Italian translation of “beautiful sunset” — creates a mood surrounding strawberry jam, candied cherries and violets. There are earthy and peppery underpinnings that include tobacco as the blend of dark red fruit makes for a lengthy finish. (390 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Mellisoni Vineyards 2019 Syrah, Lake Chelan $65
Many of their barrels are filled with juice from the Royal Slope, but Rob and Donna Mellison didn’t need to leave the south shore of Lake Chelan for this Syrah off nearby Larc Hill Vineyard Ranch. This vintage marks the second commercial harvest for this young planting, and the first Platinum with Syrah for Mellisoni. It’s an ethereal experience with enticing black plum and Marionberry featuring sublime oak integration and a delicately beautiful structure. (144 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Prayer-Rock Vineyards 2020 Estate Selection Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner, Umpqua Valley $28
Founding winegrower Stephen Reustle entered two vintages of his lees-aged Grüner, and while this is a year older, it came in as one of the most decorated wines of the 2022 Platinum. It’s remarkably lively while the midpalate brings the flavors of cantaloupe and lemon curd from the sur lie approach, and there’s still the underlying classic note of white pepper and minerality. (267 cases, 13.6% alc.) Awards: Monterey International (Platinum), Savor NW (double gold), Cascadia International (double gold), San Diego International (best of show, platinum)
Platinum • 94 points
T2 Cellar 2019 Syrah, Columbia Valley $26
A pair of well-established vineyards — Weinbau on the Wahluke Slope and 35-year-old Konnowac in the Rattlesnake Hills — are married with a small dose of Grenache by Seattle winemaker Todd Threlkeld, who has shown himself to be a talent with Rhône varieties by earning Platinums in consecutive years with bottlings of them. It’s a wine filled with charm, as the aromas jump into your face with blackberry, plum, rose petal and sweet oak, a combination that spills out on the palate in a juicy and seductive fashion. (48 cases, 14.6% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Thurston Wolfe Winery 2018
JTW Reserve Port, Washington State $20
Best Buy! Five times this anchor tenant of Prosser’s Vintners Village has registered a Platinum Award for his fortified program, and this is made in an opulent, New World style using Petite Sirah. The theme is dark, plummy and loaded with baking spices that range from
cinnamon and allspice to cardamon. Everything is lined up for balance — warm oak, residual sugar (10%) and, most importantly, the alcohol is integrated and resolved. Bring on the Stilton cheese, filberts and a roaring fireplace. (143 cases, 19% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Winning a Platinum with Riesling is something the Roberts family has managed five times in the past decade, and this work from the 2019 vintage shows no sign of slowing down. White peach, a fork of Key lime pie, minerality and lemony acidity allows it to dance on the palate. “It’s so tasty, and it has everything,” remarked one judge. (124 cases, 12%) Awards: Los Angeles Invitational (best of class, double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2018
Part of Jarrod Boyle’s charm is his self-deprecating nature, which includes calling himself a “dirt farmer,” but his Gravity program is an uplifting example of a variety that some thought had lost its way. There’s a richness of fruit that continues to build with cherry and blueberry expressed amid the barrel notes that provide a lingering finish of polished tannins. The savory and smoky hints at the end scream for barbecue. (846 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Sunset International (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2019
Syrah plays a significant role in the ANC portfolio, and the Boyle family’s 327-acre planting includes Phelps and Sara Lee clones.
There’s a strong sense of Hostess Blackberry
Pie, cured meat, allspice and white pepper throughout as the depth of the extraction creates a bit of hedonism. There are now five retail locations for ANC after the opening of the Audacity Wine Bar in the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. (2,395 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Basalt Cellars 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State $40
It’s been 20 years since Rick Wasem and Lynn DeVlemming launched Basalt Cellars, and a key component to their success has been Bacchus Vineyard Cab off Sagemoor in the White Bluffs. This bottling seems to reflect that work with historic vines, capturing a sense of New World and Old World as a third of the blend involves DeVlemming’s 2-acre estate vineyard. There’s plum and black currant at play, along with savory notes of tapenade and Herbes de Provence. It shows restraint with oak while still being beautifully expressive and layered. “People who really appreciate a Cab of finesse will respond to this,” predicted one judge. (96 cases, 14.3% alc.) Awards: Los Angeles Invitational (gold), Pacific Rim (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Basalt Cellars 2018 G•S•M, Columbia Valley $40
Four times this Lewis-Clark Valley producer has earned a Platinum for its Rhône-inspired blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, and this is a repeat performance for the 2018 G•S•M as the same vintage won a Platinum during our 2021 judging. The 55/30/15 blend continues to deliver dark purple fruit surrounded by refined oak as blackberry, blueberry and pomegranate pick up a lick of mocha on the way to a long and juicy finish. (348 cases, 15.3% alc.) Award: International East Meets West Wine Challenge (gold)
Platinum
93 points
Chris James Cellars 2019 Merlot, Columbia Valley $39.00
Few winemakers in the Willamette Valley would want to bother with Merlot grown on the other side of the Cascades, but this electrical engineer from Florida enjoys the challenge. The effort here by Chris Barnes is remarkable and expressive with hints of cinnamon toast and nutmeg wafting over flavors of Bing cherry and President plum with bittersweet chocolaty tannins and a sense of caramelized custard. (90 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Coyote Canyon Winery 2019
Coyote Canyon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $39
Justin Michaud, since arriving at Coyote Canyon Winery in 2013, has continually produced more outstanding wines each vintage, and this fits right in with his other successes. The wine is loaded with black cherry, black currant, charcuterie and spice, a string of sensations enjoyable from start to the long finish of currant, orange peel and a touch of black pepper. (100 cases, 14.9% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Golden Ridge Cellars 2018 Estate Red, Walla Walla Valley $40
Walla Walla attorney Michael Rasch jumped into the wine industry in 2007, which included going through Walla Walla Community College’s wine program and acquiring a 1998 planting known as Panoramic Vineyard. He used this blend of Merlot (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) and Cabernet Franc from his vines to score his first Platinum. It’s a well-structured and balanced offering of dark black fruit including crème brûlée, blueberry muffin and sage. (200 cases, 14.9% alc.)
Award: Seattle Wine Awards (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Stillwater Creek Vineyard Malbec, Royal Slope $65
Ed Kelly’s 235-acre site in the Frenchman Hills above Royal City, Wash., has become a breadbasket for Chelan-area wineries, and the Mellisons have done their fair share to raise the profile of this 20-year-old site by winning gold and Platinum medals. There’s wonderful complexity to the dark purple fruit, and the amount of oak doesn’t crowd out its underlying charms of dusty herbs and white pepper. “It’s round but not heavy — super drinkable with that boysenberry and plum,” noted one judge. (120 cases, 14.2% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
For the second straight year, Richland restaurateur/certified sommelier JD Nolan scored a Platinum via his association with winemaker Ashley Stephens, whose work on behalf of the Mercer family merited three Platinums in 2022. Here’s a remarkable angle taken with Petit Verdot at the forefront (52%), backed by Merlot (47%) and a well-placed drop of Cabernet Sauvignon. The muscular nature of PV imparts notes of smoky prosciutto and a fist full of blueberries covered in milk chocolate. Silky tannins make for a remarkably long finish of dark blue fruit. These wines are available online as well as at the Nolan family’s Fat Olives across the street from the historic Uptown Shopping Center. (450 cases, 14.8% alc.)
Award: San Francisco Chronicle
Platinum • 93 points
The Browns name their bottling of Primitivo for an Italian reference to “rewarding journeys.” This work speaks to lovers of Zinfandel with notes of candied raspberry, Dr Pepper, French vanilla and Aussie-style black licorice. There is delicious balance because of the interplay with boysenberry acidity and a thoughtful eye on the alcohol level. Enjoy with pasta, a burger or a wood-fired pizza from the kitchen of winemaker/chef Holly Brown. (192 cases, 13.9% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Melange Noir Red Wine, Washington State $49
This graduate of the Boeing Wine Club moved to the north bank of Lake Chelan and turned this Right Bank Bordeaux blend from gold to Platinum this fall. His achievement with Merlot (42%), Malbec (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%), Cab Franc (8%) and Petit Verdot
is a wine of finesse offering notes of violets, cherries and plum with medium-soft tannins and a long finish of President plum and mocha. (281 cases, 14.4% alc.) Awards: Wenatchee (gold) Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley $55
In 2001, the Brown family planted Anna Marie Vineyard in the Blue Mountain foothills south of Walla Walla, so these vines are entering their prime, which shows in this effort from the cellar of Brian Roy — credited with two Platinum-winning Cabs this fall. Its approach and structure hints at the influence of a cooler site in its profile of dark purple — rather than black — fruit as Marionberry pie and elderberry mix with oak spice and a blend of bacon and savory notes. “The complete package” is how one judge described it. (99 cases, 14.2% alc.)
Award: Savor NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Winescape 2018 Marmot
Incarnate, Columbia Valley $35
The Butterfields devote much of their efforts to fruit from Sagemoor properties and those owned by the Williams family of Kiona fame on Red Mountain. Here, they’ve blended Syrah (50%), Mourvèdre (25%) and Malbec from Gamache and Heart of the Hill into a serious wine they’ve named for the yellow-bellied marmots ubiquitous to those living in Spokane. There is cured meat, savory spices and purple fruit from the Syrah, earthiness from the Mourvèdre and juicy plum structure via the Malbec — a combination that creates a long and velvety finish. (183 cases, 15.2% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
Westport Winery Garden Resort
2021 Dawn Patrol, Washington $28
This blend of raspberry and Riesling remains one of the most popular wines at this Grays Harbor destination, exemplified by its production more than doubling in the past decade. As with their other non-grape blends, both components are easy to pick out and appreciate as it offers notes of raspberry freezer jam, and even a bit of crushed leaf in the nose. “It’s truth in advertising,” explained one judge. “If someone likes raspberry and Riesling, they should be tickled.” Pair it with either a holiday turkey or Crab Louie. (236 cases, 12% alc.) Award: Seattle Wine Awards (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Lagana Cellars 2018 Nox
Carménère, Walla Walla Valley $45
Jason Fox and Todd Bernave take a reserve
approach with this red Bordeaux variety that was once thought to be extinct until it was found planted in Chile as Merlot. Seven Hills Vineyard became an early resource in the Northwest, and this example shows the herbal notes while offering lots of dark cherry and blackberry. A spice component emerges at the end, along with a trail of huckleberry juice. (124 cases, 14.4% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Tsillan Cellars 2021 Bocciolo di Rosa Rosé Wine, Goose Gap $26
Garrett Grubbs grew up in the Columbia Valley and came through Washington State University’s winemaking program, working for leaders such as Ray Sandidge, Tony Rynders and Brian Carter along the way. This rosé is a product of his first vintage at Tsillan Cellars, and it’s the first rosé to go Platinum in the winery’s history. This is a more robust style, using Syrah from Goose Ridge plantings to bring a basket of Chelan cherry, strawberry and peach notes. There’s some tannin, while the sweetness is barely perceptible (0.4%), it’s held in check, making for a delightful summer sipper. (900 cases, 14% alc.) Awards: Bellingham Northwest (gold), Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Whitman Hill Winery 2018
Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley $32
Scott and Denise Whitman were partners in Bellingham’s underrated Coach House Cellars project. A year ago, they became vineyard owners — acquiring what was known as Agate Field Vineyard — and moved forward rapidly and impressively with a new tasting room and their Whitman Hill brand. They are in the neighborhood with Dineen Vineyard and the winegrowing Rawn brothers of Two Mountain Winery, and that association is reflected in this remarkably expressive Cab. It brings deep layers of cassis, black cherry and Marionberry with tobacco, leather and beveled tannins that allow for a lingering finish. (72 cases, 14.1% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018
McKinley Springs Vineyard
Reserve Malbec, Horse Heaven
Hills $48
Several vintages ago, Washington state’s largest vineyard at 2,800 acres welcomed this Hood River winery to its list of storied clients. Among those is Columbia Crest, which used McKinley Springs fruit in the 2005 Reserve Cab that was Wine Spectator’s No. 1 wine in the world in 2009. With that background, it doesn’t surprise us to see Cathedral Ridge amass 11 Platinums in the past two years — including this perfumy Malbec. Sweet spice,
1. Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, Wash. –103
2. Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Oliver, British Columbia –97
3, Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore –53
4. tie Château Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, Wash. –45
4. tie, Zerba Cellars, Milton-Freewater, Ore. –45
6. Clearwater Canyon Cellars, Lewiston, Idaho – 41
7. tie, Thurston Wolfe, Prosser, Wash. –37
7. tie, Westport Winery Garden Resort, Aberdeen, Wash. –37
9. Brian Carter Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. –33
10. tie, Coyote Canyon Winery / H/H Estates, Prosser, Wash. –32
10. tie, Palencia Wine Co. / Vino la Monarcha, Kennewick, Wash. –32
Tsillan Cellars, Chelan, Wash. –31
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate, Oliver, British Columbia –25
Barnard Griffin Winery, Richland, Wash. –23
Basalt Cellars, Clarkston, Wash. –23
La Frenz Winery, Penticton, British Columbia –23
Spangler Vineyards, Roseburg, Ore. –23
Kiona Vineyards and Winery, Benton City, Wash. –21
The Bunnell Family Cellar, Prosser, Wash. –21
Jones of Washington, Quincy, Wash. –20
Mellisoni Vineyards, Chelan, Wash. –20
Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Paterson, Wash. –19
Wild Goose Vineyards, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia —19
Walla Walla Vintners, Walla Walla, Wash. –18
Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville, Maine –18
Milbrandt Vineyards, Prosser, Wash. –18
Cave B Estate Winery, Quincy, Wash. –17
King Estate Winery, Eugene, Ore. –17
Smasne Cellars, Kennewick, Wash. –17
Cardwell Hill Cellars, Philomath, Ore. –16
Abacela, Roseburg, Ore. –15
Spoiled Dog Winery, Langley, Wash. –15
Watermill Winery, Milton-Freewater, Ore. –15
* Cathedral Ridge Winery, Hood River, Ore. –14
Domaine Ste. Michelle, Paterson, Wash. –14
Dusted Valley Vintners, Walla Walla, Wash. –14
leather, Chukar Cherries, vanilla and mocha help tell the story, as will a pairing with lamb, elk or burgers. (400 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: San Francisco Chronicle (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Chris Daniel Winery 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $35
In the past three years of our year-end judging, panels have given out four Platinums to three vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon by Chris Daniel Winery — and the Stewarts don’t charge more than $35 for any of them at their tasting room in the Columbia Basin between Quincy and Ephrata. This is both fun and complex, featuring cassis and black cherries, Milk Duds and cinnamon bark, but it also offers mature notes of eucalyptus, dried mushroom and figs. (97 cases, 14.9% alc.) Awards: Seattle Wine Awards (gold), Wenatchee (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
C.R. Sandidge Wines 2019 Whistle Punk Limited Release Red Wine, Chelan County $40
Ray Sandidge began producing Platinum winners going back to his days at Kestrel Vintners, starting with a 2002 winner for his 2000 Yakima Valley Syrah on behalf of the late John Walker. Now firmly entrenched in the Lake Chelan Valley, Sandidge scores with this blend of Syrah (80%) and Petite Sirah that refers to a logging term back in the steam engine days. The two Rhône reds team up for a long slide of black and blue fruit. Barrel spice and caramel splash with the soft tannins and lead to the finish of black currant. (253 cases, 14.7% alc.)
Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Joseph Christy Vineyards 2019
Gravitas Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills $35
For the second time in three years, Denis Hyatt, a product of Walla Walla Community College’s winemaking program, has produced a Platinum with Syrah from his estate downstream from McNary Dam. Once again, it’s a supple and elegant example of Syrah, one that offers classic notes of cured meat, blackberry jam, black pepper and lasting pulse of blueberry juice. (100 cases, 14% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (gold)
Platinum • 93 points
King Estate Winery 2015
Weinbau Vineyard Merlot, Columbia Valley $50
When we staged a comparative tasting of Northwest Merlot last winter, we didn’t expect to see a Merlot from the Kings of Pinot. It struck gold in that judging and then went Platinum this fall. Winemaking COO Brent Stone
worked with the Sagemoor team that owns Weinbau Vineyard on Washington’s Wahluke Slope for this effort, and it displays many of the qualities that make Merlot charming. Dark cherry and blackberry notes are joined by light toast and vanilla, and the rounded tannins make it easy to appreciate those tones, as does the juicy finish of blueberry and vanilla. (284 cases, 13.8% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Wine comparative tasting (Outstanding!)
Platinum • 93 points
Two Bad Labs Vineyard 2021
Sèmillon, Lewis-Clark Valley $25
Along the upper reaches of the Lewis-Clark Valley near Tammany Creek, grower/winemaker Paul Sullivan has found a sweet spot for Sèmillon and used the white Bordeaux to attain his first Platinum. The golden color brings with it a lightly floral nose with apple blossom, fresh peach and springtime lemongrass. The pour is one of pineapple, sweet peach tea and Pink Lady apple, joined by a pinch of sea salt. With just a touch of residual sugar, it created thoughts of a pancake brunch. (25 cases, 15.5% alc.) Award: Great Northwest Invitational (double gold)
Platinum • 93 points
Winescape 2019 Marmot
Incarnate, Columbia Valley $36
While this large ground squirrel, commonly known as a “rockchuck” around Spokane, is viewed by some as a mascot of the Inland Northwest, the Butterfields are making a name for themselves with this proprietary blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Malbec — earning a Platinum with back-to-back vintages this year. This more youthful blend is 52-24-24 and brings blackberry, dark plum and rose petal aromas. That fruit scurries onto the palate, joined by blueberry juice and a finish that’s long and pleasurable. (166 cases, 14.3% alc.) Award: Cascadia International (gold)
Platinum • 92 points
TruthTeller Winery 2020 The Miscreant Project - GobSMack’d, Columbia Valley $19
Best Buy! This sister project of TruthTeller is spearheaded by the Loeligers’s assistant winemaker, Keith Whisenhunt, who quickly flashed a talent for reeling in medals regardless of the price point. It’s almost unheard of for a Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend — GSM — to be offered at less than $30. Yet here is a Platinum for that effort. There’s brightness and balance in the nose and on the lengthy palate that uses a bit of leather to string together blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and boysenberry. (262 cases, 14.5% alc.) Award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
You’re invited to relax and enjoy a unique tasting experience where stunning wines, delicious paired bites, and exceptional hospitality meet.
Blending art and science to craft award winning wines, Bayernmoor Cellars showcases some of the best grapes in Washington state. Our approachable wines express complex aromas and flavors that range from delicate to bold. Discover sustainably farmed Pinot Noir straight from our Estate vineyard in Stanwood!
Platinum • 92 points
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2016 Estate Dijon Block Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $40
Of the 16 Platinum Awards earned by the Chapels and longtime vineyard manager David Ramirez, their Dijon Block program — populated by clones 115 and 777 — has been credited with four of those. Sexy aromas of neroli, bergamot, rose petal, strawberry licorice and vanilla bean bring along rewarding flavors of Marionberry, cherry pie and mocha. (250 cases, 13.5% alc.) Award: San Francisco International (double gold)
Platinum • 94 points
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2019
Mom's Block Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $54
Neil and Sue Shay began Bluebird Hill Vineyard in 2013 with a quarter-acre test plot of Pommard clone Pinot Noir that Sue’s mother, Ellora, helped with. Those 400 plants were the source of these four barrels that produce aromas and flavors of Marionberry, Bing cherry and allspice with cedar forest and truffles. (100 cases, 13.2% alc.) Award: Savor NW (gold)
L’Ecole No. 41, Lowden, Wash. –14
Mt. Hood Winery, Hood River, Ore. –14
Northwest Cellars, Kirkland, Wash. –14
Saviah Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash. –14
Brandborg Vineyard & Winery, Elkton, Ore. –13
14 Hands Winery, Prosser, Wash. –12
Schmidt Family Cellars, Grants Pass, Ore. –12
* Yakima Valley Vintners / Yakima Valley College, Grandview, Wash –12
* Château Faire Le Pont Winery, Wenatchee, Wash. –11
* Chris Daniel Winery, Quincy, Wash. –11
* DeLille Cellars, Woodinville, Wash. –11
Dunham Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash. –11
* Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, Liberty Lake, Wash. –11
* Mercer Estates, Prosser, Wash. –11
425-216-3300 17140 135th Ave NE Ste 1040 Woodinville, WA 98072
IG: @bayernmoor www.bayernmoor.com
Reservations recommended
Reininger / Helix by Reininger, Walla Walla, Wash. –11
* Puffin Brand, Cannon Beach, Ore. –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.
Tasting Room: 21622 Rivaura Ln, Juliaetta, ID 83535 events@rivaura.com | rivaura.com
Coeur d' Alene Tasting Room 505 E Sherman Ave. Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814 infocda@gmail.com | (208) 667-1019
• Amberleigh Brownson is a certified sommelier and business development specialist for Bellingham (Wash.) Alive! Magazine
• Danny Gordon, winemaker, Tamarack Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash.
• Clinton Hoiland is owner/operator of Twisted Vine Wine Tours, Lewiston, Idaho, and works Northern Idaho on- and off-premise sales for Idaho Wine Merchant
• Ellen Landis , certified sommelier/ journalist, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Richard Larsen, research winemaker/enologist emeritus, Washington State University, Puyallup, Wash.
• JD Nolan, certified sommelier/wine buyer/general manager/owner of Fat Olives Restaurants, Richland, Wash., and Homer, Alaska
• Dan Radil, journalist/proprietor, Bellingham Northwest Wine Festival, Bellingham, Wash.
• April Reddout, Reddout Wine Consulting, Kennewick, Wash.
• Brad K. Smith, certified sommelier, retired viticulture/enology instructor, marketing consultant, CellarDoorConsultants.com, Grandview, Wash.
• Gordy Venneri, co-winemaker, Neher Family Wines, Milton-Freewater, Ore./co-founder, Walla Walla Vintners
The judging coordinator was Mike Rader, First Vice President, Senior Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Kennewick, Wash. Backroom team included Dan and Laura Corbiani, Sue Anne Marple, Helen Moir, Paul Sinclair, Reneé Staat, Lisa Veinpel and Charlotte Zissel.
Moderators were Eric Degerman, Great Northwest Wine, Richland, Wash.; Jerry Hug, Great Northwest Wine, Kennewick, Wash., and Ken Robertson, associate editor/columnist, Great Northwest Wine magazine, Kennewick, Wash.
