Fresh Press for July 5, 2011

July 5, 2011

FRESHPRESS

Poplar Grove near Penticton, British Columbia, uses barrel staves to create a beautiful storage display for its library wines. Poplar Grove opened its new winery last month.

(Photo by Andy Perdue/Wine Press Northwest)

Fresh Press is a weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest magazine. In each edition, we review recently released wines from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. Feel free to forward to your wine-loving friends and family. For more information on our tasting methods and review process, please go to the last page.

A weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest • Vol. 1, No. 8 • © 2011

FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

Spotlight: Fraser Vineyard 1004 LaPointe St., Boise, ID 83706 208-345-9607 • http://www.fraservineyard.com

BOISE, Idaho — Whenever a winery wins an award, expectations go along with the acclaim.

These three new releases by Boise winemaker Bill Fraser continue to show his commitment to excellence, a major reason why Wine Press Northwest named Fraser Vineyard our 2011 Idaho Winery of the Year this spring.

And as usual, he and his wife, Bev, ranked among the most popular and busiest wineries at the third annual Savor Idaho festival in Boise last month.

“The two of us were pouring samples continuously,” said Bill, who is not big on public speaking.

He does, however, enjoy sharing the wines he makes at his small winery near Bronco Stadium at Boise State University. The tasting room is open each Saturday afternoon until football season.

A Boise native, Fraser, 62, retired after a long career in Treasure Valley construction business. These days, he works with small lots of wine and without plans to increase production beyond 1,000 cases ‹ to the dismay of many.

“Idaho needs five more winemakers like Bill who want to increase production to 10,000 cases a year,” said Gary Cunningham of 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards in Eagle. “Nothing would make me happier than to get Bill to change his mind and get bigger.”

Fraser is particularly fond of Bordeaux varieties, and that affection shows in his skillful winemaking. His 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon won best in show at the 2010 Idaho Wine Competition. The 2008 Cab and 2009 Malbec also won gold.

And the 2009 Petit Verdot, which the Frasers released last week, garnered an “Outstanding!” in this edition of Fresh Press.

Hopefully, they didn’t pour much of it at Savor Idaho.

Outstanding! Fraser Vineyard 2009 Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley, $24. Amazing richness of fruit and expressive barrel accents make this a real crowdpleaser at this Boise, Idaho, winery. The presence of plums, chocolate caramel turtles, root beer and Starbucks liqueur aromas won’t let you down. It’s a charming drink that grabs you with ripe blueberry,

raspberry, blackberry and plum flavors, followed by more hints of chocolate and coffee. Fine-grained tannin and a scrape of minerality give it suppleness and complexity. This wine earned a gold medal at the 2011 Northwest Wine Summit. (120 cases, 14.6% alc.)

Excellent. Fraser Vineyard 2009 Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley, $24. Bill Fraser has a delicious start with this variety, and it’s a good introduction for those new to the grape that often packs a Mike Tyson punch of tannin. There’s a great aromatic profile featuring lots of fruit — raspberry, boysenberry, cassis, Bing cherry — and barrel notes of hand-made caramel, vanilla, baker’s chocolate and coffee. Indeed, it’s a middleweight rather than a heavyweight on the palate with black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. There’s surprising balance showing in the round mouth feel and lingering acidity.

(92 cases, 14.1% alc.)

Excellent. Fraser Vineyard 2010 Viognier, Snake River Valley, $17. Folks in Idaho were especially worried about the lateness of this vintage, but the Snake River Valley’s potential with Rhône varieties shows once again here. There’s no use of oak either as notes of orange, grapefruit, Asian pear, starfruit and lime dance in the nose with hints of dill and freshly sliced potato. On the palate, think of orange cream cookie, apple and pear flavors with lemony acidity.

(120 cases, 14% alc.)

Wine ratings All wines reviewed here are tasted blind after being submitted by producers. They are rated Outstanding, Excellent and Recommended by a tasting panel.

Outstanding: These wines have superior characteristics and should be highly sought after.

Excellent: Top-notch wines with particularly high qualities.

Recommended: Delicious, well-made wines with true varietal characteristics.

Best Buy: A wine that is $15 or less.

Priced are suggested retail and should be used as guidelines. Prices are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

For more details about our judging system, see the last page of this document.

A weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest • Vol. 1, No. 8 • © 2011

FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

New releases we’ve tasted Cabernet Sauvignon Recommended. Apex Cellars 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $30. Peter Devison makes the wines for one of the Yakima Valley’s older labels, and these can be tasted at the Winemaker’s Loft in Prosser. Fanciful aromas of root beer barrel candy, red currant, cola nut, marzipan and cedar lead to a sturdy and straightforward drink of more currants, backed by Craisin and pie cherry flavors.

(1,350 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Recommended. Cathedral Ridge Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $32.

Bangsund Vineyard in The Dalles, Ore., serves as one of the go-to sites for this winery downstream on the Columbia River in Hood River. Strong scents of deep blackberry, malted milk balls, slate and pouch tobacco carry into more blackberry and black cherry flavors.

The structure shows nice extraction and brings lingering acidity with drying tannins. (400 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Excellent. Pondera Winery 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $33. Kirkland, Wash., winemaker Shane Howard continues his string of

success with this melding of grapes from Stillwater Creek and The Benches vineyards. Black cherry, black licorice, Whopper malted milk balls, grilled portabella and slate aromas delve into a wealth of black cherry and black currant flavors that make this easy to drink.

Subtle notes of leather and chocolate are joined by nice firmness and enjoyable acidity. (55 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Best Buy! Excellent. Powers Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $14. Greg Powers and José Mendoza gather fruit from Champoux (42%), Sheridan (25%) and Mirage vineyards for this racy Cab that’s kick-started with scents of sticking your nose in a bag of Craisins, followed by fresh Red Vines and green peppercorns. Bing cherry and cranberry flavors bring in midpalate acidity of purple blackberries. The firm finish is akin to candied fruit and a cup of orange pekoe tea. Powers has a legacy of long-lived Cabs, so here’s a great opportunity to cellar a case and chart how these fare over time.

(1,700 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Outstanding! Southard Winery 2008 Lawrence Vineyard Whipping Boy Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $25. Last year, Scott Southard

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FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

New releases we’ve tasted opened his boutique operation in Selah, Wash., after several years as co-winemaker at Kana in nearby downtown Yakima. His new Cab is akin to a trip to a Bing cherry orchard, starting in the aromas that include currants, strawberry wafer cookies, vanilla bean, coffee, violets and charcoal. The palate is dense, vibrant and firm with juicy cherries, ripe red raspberries, Swiss Miss hot chocolate and black cherry skin tannins. (144 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Merlot Best Buy! Excellent. Powers Winery 2008 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $14. Wahluke Slope fruit from the Milbrandt brothers’ Katherine Leone parcel gave this a great foundation to build on, and the nose is perfumy with boysenberry, blueberry, blackberry, cherry and a whiff of chocolate malt. Blueberry and blackberry rule the flavor profile, which brings hints of cola and chocolate brownies. A sizzling New York strip would pair beautifully, and a twist of the cap makes it even easier to appreciate. (1,000 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Recommended. RiverAerie Cellars 2008 Merlot, Columbia Valley, $20. This second label for Bunnell Family Cellar in Prosser, Wash., gushes with tones of red currants, cordial cherries, molasses, mocha and vanilla extract, featuring food-friendly acidity and tannins that will sidle up to a T-bone. (187 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Recommended. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2007 Oldfield Series Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $25.

Fragrant oak and the pleasing feel of fine-grained tannin give this a rather regal angle of attack as Graham cracker, chocolate and vanilla bean create the theme. Just behind are notes of delicious black cherry, blueberry and blackberry. Enjoy at the adjacent Miradoro Restaurant with pasta or a bean-based dish.

(1,490 cases, 15% alc.)

Syrah Excellent. Cathedral Ridge Winery 2008 Syrah, Columbia Valley, $32. Michael Sebastiani continues to show his skill with this Rhône variety, and it’s a delicious example that’s easy to spot as a Syrah in a double-blind situation because of its blackberry theme.

The berries are dusty and purple in the aromas, backed by chocolate, toast, leather and a hint of mint. Jammy berries push all the way through the palate in a restrained and gentle fashion, capped by notes of anise and horehound. (347 cases, 14.5% alc.)

Excellent. Powers Winery 2007 Cougar Vineyard Reserve Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $25. The barrel program of 28 months with French oak (74% new) provides a big swirl of alder smoke over the top of hints at boysenberry pie, cherry taffy, plum and peppered bacon. And yet, there’s some girth to the mouth-

watering flavors of raspberry and juicy cranberry, backed by chocolate and cigar leaf. (298 cases, 14% alc.)

Malbec Best Buy! Recommended. Powers Winery 2008 Malbec, Columbia Valley, $14. There’s a strong TriCity, Wash., thread to this wine, starting with Alice Vineyard, an estate site for Tagaris Winery in Richland.

The folks at Powers in Kennewick turned those grapes into an enticing drink that’s packed with notes of Smucker’s blackberry jam, fresh Montana huckleberry and boysenberry. Big acidity, very little tannin and hints of river rock add to the glass. (500 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Recommended. Whidbey Island Winery 2009 Malbec, Yakima Valley, $19. One quality that appears to be emerging with Malbecs produced in Washington is pleasing minerality, and we’ve found that in both the aromas and flavors of this harvest from Crawford Vineyard. The nose includes notes of blackberry, violet and licorice, followed by flavors of boysenberry, poached Bing cherry, drip coffee and bittersweet chocolate. (100 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Red blends Recommended. Cathedral Ridge Winery 2008 Bordheauxd Red, Columbia Valley, $26. An even mix of Syrah (33%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) and Merlot (33%) made for a very even structure from this Hood River, Ore., winery. Aromas include a fuzzy raspberry, cherry, chocolate Creamsicle and rose petal. The drink seems to be at its peak with an impressive up-front fruit profile that’s focused on cherries and pomegranate, backed by juicy boysenberry and raspberry. (298 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Excellent. Pondera Winery 2008 Sericus, Columbia Valley, $30. A dizzying array of entry points creates a sense of fascination for this blend of Merlot (63%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Malbec. Aromas open with a root beer float and are followed by blueberry, pleasing char, dark chocolate, crushed leaf and cedar. The palate shows huge concentration of more blueberry and pomegranate that trickles into espresso. Perhaps most important of all is the farewell of fine-grained tannins.

(155 cases, 14.6% alc.)

Best Buy! Recommended. Powers Winery 2008 Cab-Merlot, Columbia Valley, $14. The Milbrandts’ Katherine Leone Vineyard supplied most of the Cab and all of the Merlot (40%) for this youthful drink that is bursting with blueberry, pomegranate, mint and Nestlé’s milk chocolate. (500 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Recommended. Powers Winery 2007 Reserve Meritage, Columbia Valley, $35. A blend of Cabernet

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FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

New releases we’ve tasted Sauvignon (74%), Merlot (12%), Cabernet Franc (11%) and Petit Verdot — primarily from Champoux Vineyard (of which Powers is a part-owner) — went into a 36month oak program. Much of that lived in 100% new French barrels. Those components explain the big and fruity package of plums, marionberry and Dr Pepper with smoky chocolate and black licorice tones. Enjoy with a rubbed pork roast or smoked turkey. (100 cases, 14% alc.)

Recommended. Sweet Valley Wines 2008 Monesia's Song, Walla Walla Valley, $55. This young winery in Walla Walla is donating 30% of the profits from these three barrels' worth of wine to Embracing Orphans. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Petit Verdot (32%) and Merlot from Birch Creek, Golden Ridge, Les Collines and Seven Hills, and it yields huge aromas of blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, chocolate, mint and Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract. The mouth-filling drink begins and finishes with blueberries that tingle and linger. In between come notes of cocoa, black licorice and Beechnut leaf tobacco.

(75 cases, 14.7% alc.)

Best Buy! Excellent. Sweet Valley Wines 2008 Righteous Red, Washington, $17. Josh McDaniel’s first commercial vintage was 2005, and he did that while he was a high school senior in Walla Walla. So by now, and he can legally drink his blend of Merlot (79%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) and Syrah from Forgotten Hills, Minnick and Coyote Canyon vineyards. There’s a strong theme of strawberry/rhubarb compote in the nose and especially on the palate where the acidity zeroes in on the middle of the tongue. The accompanying boysenberry and red currant flavors should allow it to be served well with a sockeye salmon. (750 cases, 13.6% alc.)

Excellent. Wind Rose Cellars 2009 Bravo Rosso, Washington, $20. This first commercial vintage from David Volmut allows him to express the influence of travels to Italy with customers to his new winery in Sequim, Wash. He relied on Gilbert and Coyote Canyon vineyards in the Columbia Valley for the blend of Primitivo (46%), Barbera (44%), Dolcetto (4%), Nebbiolo (4%) and Cabernet Sauvignon, and it sends out aromas of cherry, cranberry, licorice, rose hips, lilac and cedar. The drink is lively, fruity and lighter bodied than you might expect. There’s a follow-through of cherry and red licorice, joined by strawberry, plum with orange juice acidity. Its tannin structure is remarkably low. (312 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Chardonnay Excellent. LaStella Winery 2010 Leggiero Un-Oaked Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $25. The management team at this winery in Osoyoos, British

Columbia, and sister winery Le Vieux Pin prides itself on an Old World understanding of wine, and it modeled this after Italy’s cool-climate Alto Adige region. That begins to explain the stainless steel and spine-tingling approach with notes of Pink Lady apple, gooseberry, starfruit, orange, pineapple and lime. If you enjoy fruitforward Sauvignon Blanc, then you should embrace this. (330 cases, 13.9% alc.)

Excellent. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery 2009 Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $18. Bradley Cooper had fun with four vineyards — Black Sage and Cerqueira near Oliver, Harmony One in Cawston and the estate parcel adjacent to the Naramata Bench winery — and didn’t go overboard with 10 months of French and American oak. All that work shows off in inviting oak tones just behind pineapple, apple, hibiscus tea and butterscotch flavors. It comes in virtually bone dry with comfortable acidity. Suggested fare includes crab cakes or butternut squash ravioli.

(888 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Recommended. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery 2009 Un-Oaked Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $20.

Few spots in Northwest wine country lend themselves to al fresco dining as well as the Naramata Bench, and here’s a great sipper to enjoy with afternoon fare on a summer day. It’s filled with apple, pear, jasmine, lavender and citrusy tones. (215 cases, 13.2% alc.)

Pinot Gris Outstanding! LaStella Winery 2010 Vivace Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley, $25. As usual, James Cambridge creates a wine that can serve as a template for others to strive for, thanks in part to Kalala and Stark vineyards being picked Oct. 5. Wide-ranging fruit cocktail aromas include Dole pineapple and banana with strawberry, orange rind, peach fuzz and minerality.

The delivery is delicious and doesn’t disappoint as white peach and blood orange show off ripeness but not sweetness. Suggested pairings include seared halibut with a lemon/thyme butter sauce or chicken breast pan-fried with roasted garlic. (635 cases, 14.2% alc.)

Best Buy! Recommended. Whidbey Island Winery 2010 Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley, $14. There’s a remarkable amount of complexity within this sassy little drink of lemon chiffon, lime yogurt and grapefruit. Some viscosity on the midpalate carries into a pinch of table salt in the finish, giving it a bit of a margarita-type feel and made us dream of pairing it with basa or a Mexican fish dish. (300 cases, 13.5% alc.)

Roussanne Best Buy! Excellent. Whidbey Island Winery 2009 Roussanne, Horse Heaven Hills, $15. Greg

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FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

New releases we’ve tasted Osenbach comes up with one of the Northwest’s most affordable examples of this white grape from Rhône.

It’s co-fermented with Viognier (12%) but made without oak, giving it a fruit-forward angle. Aromas include honeydew melon, honeysuckle, lychee, ripe banana, fig and quince. Tropical fruit flavors make for a round entry of pineapple before notes of lemon bitters and minerality revive the palate. (210 cases, 14% alc.)

White blends Excellent. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2009 Oldfield Series 2Bench White, Okanagan Valley, $23.

California ex-pat Sandra Oldfield prides herself on fans being able to cellar these screwcap wines for a while, and there’s no reason to think this creation from both sides of the Oliver’s Golden Mile will be different. The blend is Chardonnay (44%), Sauvignon Blanc (26%) Semillon (17%), Viognier (12%) and Muscat, and it indeed, shows off the Sauv Blanc and Sem with its gooseberry, lime, starfruit and river rock aromas.

There’s tremendous expression on the palate as hints of ripe pear, apple and tangy orange juice are effusive.

Notes of slate, pineapple and lemon zest give it great zip and should make for a delicious pairing with ceviche or lemony halibut. (1,330 cases, 14.4% alc.)

Outstanding! Westport Winery 2009 Lighthouse White, Washington, $24. Dana Roberts, the workhorse at our reigning Washington Winery to Watch, continues his mastery with Gewürztraminer in this off-dry blend with Riesling (54%). The Gewürz revealed in the aromas of grapefruit, which are backed by inviting tones of pineapple, lychee, jasmine, apple blossom and fresh linen. The tasty drink is hugely tropical and akin to ambrosia fruit salad with more pineapple, capped by a dusting of cinnamon and finish of an Arnold Palmer drink. (For non-golfers, that’s a drink with lemonade and tea). Its residual sugar of 3.2% is balanced. Enjoy alongside a serving of a delicate white fish, such as halibut with a fruit salsa.

(164 cases, 11% alc.)

A weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest • Vol. 1, No. 8 • © 2011

FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

Northwest wine regions Multi-state appellations Columbia Valley: This multi-state appellation is 11 million acres in size and takes up a third of Washington.

Established in 1984.

Columbia Gorge: This multi-state appellation begins around the town of Lyle and heads west to Husum on the Washington side of the Columbia River. It was established in 2004.

Walla Walla Valley: Walla Walla Valley: This multi-state appellation is in the southeast corner of Washington and around Milton-Freewater, Ore. Established in 1984.

Snake River Valley: This is in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. It covers 8,263 square miles and was established in 2007.

Washington Yakima Valley: The Northwest’s oldest appellation (established in 1983) stretches past Wapato in the west to Benton City in the east and includes Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills and Snipes Mountain.

Red Mountain: Washington’s smallest appellation is a ridge in the eastern Yakima Valley. It is 4,040 acres in size.

Established in 2001.

Horse Heaven Hills: This large appellation — 570,000 acres — is south of the Yakima Valley and stretches to the Oregon border. It was established in 2005.

Wahluke Slope: Approved in early 2006, this huge landform north of the Yakima Valley is an 81,000-acre gravel bar created by the Ice Age Floods. It is one of the warmest regions in the entire Pacific Northwest. Established in 2006.

Rattlesnake Hills: This appellation is in the western Yakima Valley north of the towns of Zillah, Granger and Outlook.The appellation is 68,500 acres in size with about 1,300 acres of vineyards. It was established in 2006.

Puget Sound: This sprawling appellation is in Western Washington. It stretches from the Olympia area to the Canadian border north of Bellingham. It also sweeps through the San Juan Islands and to Port Angeles. Established in 1995.

Snipes Mountain: This is one of Washington’s oldest wine-growing regions. At 4,145 acres in size, it is the state’s second-smallest AVA. Grapes have been grown on Snipes Mountain and at the adjacent Harrison Hill (also part of the AVA) since 1914. This AVA is within the Yakima Valley appellation and was approved in 2009.

Lake Chelan: This area in north-central Washington is almost entirely within the Columbia Valley. It is a young area, with the oldest vines dating to 1998. About 250 acres are planted here. It was approved in 2009.

Ribbon Ridge: This is the Northwest’s smallest appellation at 3,350 acres. It is best known for its Pinot Noir and is within the Chehalem Mountains AVA. It was established in 2005.

Yamhill-Carlton: This is a horseshoe-shaped appellation that surrounds the towns of Yamhill and Carlton. It was established in 2005. The “District” was dropped in 2011.

Chehalem Mountains: This is the largest within the Willamette Valley. This 62,100-acre appellation is northeast of the Dundee Hills. It was established in 2006.

Dundee Hills: Many of Oregon’s pioneer wineries are in the Dundee Hills within Oregon’s Yamhill County. The appellation is 6,490 acres in size. It was established in 2005.

Eola-Amity Hills: This important region stretches from the town of Amity in the north to the capital city of Salem in the southeast. It is 37,900 acres in size. It was established in 2006.

McMinnville: The hills south and west of the Yamhill County city of McMinnville are more than 40,000 acres in size.

It was established in 2005.

Umpqua Valley: This Southern Oregon appellation surrounds the city of Roseburg north of the Rogue Valley. It can produce Pinot Noir as well as warm-climate grapes. It was established in 1984.

Rogue Valley: The Northwest’s southern-most appellation surrounds the cities of Medford and Ashland, just north of the California border. It is known for its warm growing conditions. Established in 2001.

Applegate Valley: This small valley within the Rogue Valley is known for a multitude of microclimates that can result in wines of distinction and complexity. Established in 2004.

Southern Oregon: This AVA encompasses the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate valleys and Red Hill Douglas County. It was established in 2005.

Red Hill Douglas County: This tiny appellation — just 5,500 acres — is within the Umpqua Valley. Fewer than 200 acres of wine grapes, primarily Pinot Noir, are grown here.

Established in 2005.

British Columbia

Okanagan Valley: In the province’s interior, this 100mile valley stretches from the border in Osoyoos to Salmon Arm in the north. Most wineries are near Oliver, Penticton and Kelowna. It was established in 1990.

Similkameen Valley: This warm valley is west of the southern Okanagan Valley. It was established in 1990.

Vancouver Island: This marine-influenced appellation is in the southwest part of the province. Established in 1990.

Fraser Valley: This farming area is in the Lower Mainland, south of Vancouver. Established in 1990.

Oregon Gulf Islands: This appellation includes approximately Willamette Valley: Oregon’s largest appellation stretches 100 islands spread out between Vancouver Island and the roughly from Portland to Eugene. Established in 1984. southern mainland. Established in 2005.

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FRESHPRESS July 5, 2011

About us Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly consumer magazine that focuses on the wine regions of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

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Editor-in-chief: Andy Perdue editor@winepressnw.com Managing editor: Eric Degerman edegerman@winepressnw.com Advertising inquiries: Parker Hodge phodge@tricityherald.com © 2011

Tasting methods Recent Releases are evaluated under strict conditions to ensure objectivity. Northwest wineries submit wines to Wine Press Northwest for evaluation by Wine Press Northwest’s tasting panel. After wines are received, they are stored for at least two weeks and a third party serves them “blind,” meaning the tasting panelists do not know the producer. In addition, the panelists are served glasses of wine and are not able to view the bottles or their shapes prior to tasting. Wines are stored in temperature-controlled conditions, allowing them to be served at perfect cellar temperatures.

Price is not a consideration in these evaluations, nor is a winery’s advertising activity with Wine Press Northwest, as the magazine’s editorial/wine evaluation activities and advertising/ marketing efforts are kept strictly separate.

The panel has a combination of technical and consumer palates. If at least three of the four panelists consider a wine technically sound and commercially acceptable, it is included here as “Recommended.” The panel may also vote the wine as “Excellent” or “Outstanding,” our top rating. Wines considered

unacceptable by the panel are rejected and not included.

Reviews are grouped by variety or style and listed alphabetically by winery. Prices listed are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

To ensure we maintain an international perspective, our tasting panelists judge thousands of wines annually at various competitions, including: Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Indy International Wine Competition, Virginia Governor’s Cup, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Grand Harvest Awards, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru, Washington State Wine Competition, Seattle Wine Awards, Northwest Wine Summit, British Columbia Wine Awards, New York Wine and Grape Foundation Competition, Tri-Cities Wine Festival, Capital Food & Wine Fest and Idaho Wine Competition.

A weekly publication of Wine Press Northwest • Vol. 1, No. 8 • © 2011