Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 103
I’m not generally a believer that gold medals mean a wine is any good. They’re given out like participation awards at dozens of for-profit wine competitions all over the country. But this medal-winner is an exception, because of where it’s won and how incredibly often it has come home with the top prize. Produced by Barnard Griffin, it’s a vibrant, refreshing rosé whose flavors deftly frame its watermelon and strawberry fruit with juicy acids. It continues developing nuances of sandalwo...
Though it was a major part of the original plantings back in the 1970s when this pioneering Oregon vineyard was first established, Riesling is now a minor player in the Hyland mix. This is the product of own-rooted (ungrafted) vines that are between 45 and 50 years old and bring the special density and detail that simply cannot be expressed in younger fruit. Tart, fresh, sassy citrus fruit flavors are streaked with veins of wet rock. The long, lip-licking finish brings subtle hints of...
Among this Oregon winery's many pioneering achievements was the introduction of this classic Spanish white wine to the Pacific Northwest. If you've ever been to Spain (and you kinda like the music), you know that this is the go-to crisp white wine for all kinds of fried seafood and Spanish cheeses. This New World version is a spicy, peppery, vivacious wine that deftly stacks bright fruit flavors of apple, pear, and white peach with skin flavors and crisp acids. There's also a finishing hint of...
Since the bag-in-box method of wine packaging first arrived in this country about 15 years ago, the range and quality of offerings have steadily improved while prices have remained stable. One of the most reliable brands is Black Box, and you'll find a wealth of options at most local groceries. I'm singling out this Sauv Blanc because it is from Chile, which has carved out a nice niche with this newly-popular grape, and because it's being steeply discounted. A three-liter box is equivalent to...
Underwood 2021 Rosé With hot weather here, a nice, chilled bottle of rosé is the perfect choice for your porch party, backyard BBQ, or poolside picnic. Underwood is a value brand offering reliably good wines. The Underwood Rosé is a 2021 (most current releases are 2022s), which may account for the steeply discounted price. Spotted on a Walla Walla grocery shelf this week, it sold for $14, with a further ten percent discount when buying a six-pack. Fruity with peaches, scented with pretty fl...
Lisette Hrapmann is the Assistant Winemaker at Day Wines as well as the owner/winemaker of Fizzy Lizzy wines. Her ancestral method bubbly, called Swampwater, is a fine example of the rising interest among young winemakers in this type of wine. To make a pét nat, you take fermenting wine, chill it to halt fermentation, bottle it with a screwcap, and let the fermentation finish in the bottle, releasing enough CO2 to provide the fizz. This thoroughly delicious bottle is mostly Chardonnay blended...
Walla Walla winemaker Kelsey Itämeri makes an interesting pair of Sémillons, this one fermented and aged in stainless, the other in neutral wood. Both wines are 100% varietal from the same block at Les Collines. The '1 of 2' is effusively juicy and fruity with luscious lime and pineapple. That opening burst of flavor is framed with a refreshing mineral note, and the nicely balanced phenolics add further details to the finish. Sémillon remains a bit of a rarity in Walla Walla (and throughout th...
There are bargain wines and value wines, sometimes but not always the same. A bargain is a cheap bottle, generally under $10, often less. Value wines, on the other hand, can cost more, but it's what they give you in terms of flavor that determines if they rise to the top of their price peer group. This Poet's Leap is one of those. Hand-picked and whole cluster pressed, it strikes a generously juicy balance between acid and sugar, fruit and phenolics. Grape sources for this vintage include...
My brother is on a rafting trip in SE Oregon and was bemoaning the fact that no glass is allowed, so no wine could be brought. Not true, I told him. What you want is wine in a can. Of which there are quite a few from which to choose. The Joe To Go brand offers Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Rosé in cans, which are perfect for camping, rafting, hiking, biking, boating and just about any other outdoor activity. If you're near a river or lake this time of year the water is nice and cold, so chilling...
Lone Birch is the low-cost brand from Airfield Estates (Airfield’s Dauntless red wine was featured last week). Lone Birch is another of their brands worth seeking out, especially for this estate-grown Syrah. It’s amazing that Washington Syrah this good can be found at this price. The stacked flavors are true to varietal character, true to place, and made to be enjoyed immediately while also built for longer-term aging. You’d have to pay at least double to find something comparable. Purch...
Wine grapes were first planted at what is now Airfield Estates back in 1967! Today the family farm includes 830 acres of wine grapes. Airfield Estates Winery was established in 2005 and produces some of Washington’s finest estate-grown yet affordable wines. This classy right-bank Bordeaux-style blend comes from estate grapes and offers value at a more than fair price. It is a fine companion to the equally excellent Merlot. It’s nicely blended, seamless, and balanced throughout. Black che...
The Velvet Devil 2019/2020 Merlot The Velvet Devil is one of several low-cost and high-quality brands that Charles Smith rolled out as he began building his wine empire. The distinctive names and catchy black and white labels were all part of the brilliant packaging, but it was the overall quality of the wines that proved most impressive. Smith's website is way out of date, so these current releases have no reviews, but the track record suggests you won't go wrong. National advertisers have...
Portlandia Vintners has just released a pair of non-vintage bubblies. I particularly like this Syrah-based rosé. It’s not expensive for a traditional (Champagne) method sparkler – that is not a cheap process. NV means it’s comprised of juice from more than one vintage. Lovely to look at – a fading sunset hue – it is one of a handful of sparkling Syrahs in my experience. This one avoids unnecessary tannins or earthy funk and might easily be mistaken for a sparkling Pinot Noir, which is a good...
This popular southern French blend is a great introduction to a style that is the basis for many more expensive Walla Walla wines. The grapes used are some combination of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre (often labeled as GSM) with perhaps a splash of Carignon or Cinsault. This is a tangy, salty and brambly red, with palate-coating berry flavors that seem perfect for that first grilled spring lamb. Both 2020 and 2021 are current releases both are good – this brand is consistent so either one wo...
You'll have to look far and wide to find better deals on decent wine than the 3-liter Black Box offerings.This new California-sourced Sauvignon Blanc replaces and upgrades the previous vintage from Chile. Tart and tangy, it is indeed, though without the aggressive pyrazine character, sometimes described as cat pee. I know - not very appetizing. This leans heavily into citrus – grapefruit, lime, lemon, zest, and flesh – with ample acid. Sauvignon Blanc, as a varietal wine, is enjoying a bur...
I spotted this on sale at Albertson’s and it seemed like to perfect entry to our reluctant spring. Most of the local rosés won’t be released for a bit, and few if any will be available for under $10. Although this is a 2021 it is not at all too old to enjoy right now; in fact many of the very best French rosés are intentionally held back an extra year before being released. This exceptionally popular brand crafts its rosé from a classic mix of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. As the winery websit...
I have long been a fan of Lujon's Cabernets, and this may be the best vintage yet. It's toasty and compact, fresh with lovely cherry fruit at its core. The fruit comes from Birch Creek and Spofford Station, both terrific and yet little known vineyards to most wine drinkers. The blend includes 3% Malbec and 3%Merlot - a savvy and distinctive combination that broadens the palate and brings further detail through the finish. This classy Cab was aged for 26 months in just 15% new oak. Though based...
This affordable Cabernet from the talented duo of Charles (Smith) & Charles (Bieler) is principally sourced from Goose Ridge Ranch. Goose Ridge is a stone’s throw from Red Mountain, where Cabernets can cost up to ten times as much. This splendid wine, loaded with flavors of espresso, black cherry, licorice, black olive, and dusty herbs, is a showcase for non-interventionist winemaking. It’s blended with a percentage of Syrah from the same location, the two grapes fermented separately and the...
Ponzi (est. 1970) is one of a handful of wineries that launched the modern era of winemaking in the Willamette Valley. Although second gen winemaker Luisa Ponzi is still in charge of production, the winery has been sold to the Bollinger Champagne group. Yes, another French incursion into Oregon (and a welcome one). The newest Ponzi releases feature striking label designs and slightly higher prices but deliver the same overall exceptional quality. This is not cheap, yet relatively inexpensive...
Fresh, crisp and fruity, this well-ripened wine is brimming with flavors of pear, cantaloup melon and hints of papaya. Though it's finished dry, the intensity of the fruit adds lingering suggestions of honey as it trails out through the finish. I can't imagine a better introduction to Willamette Valley Pinot Gris than this lush and inviting wine. Better still – it's sealed with a screwcap and will stay fresh for days if you quickly re-seal it after pouring yourself a glass. 520 cases; 13.%; $...
Riesling all too often gets a bad rap because so many of us cut our wine-tasting teeth on cheap sweet junk masquerading as Riesling. But it's one of the world's greatest white wine grapes, and the dry styles will fit a variety of meals beautifully. Like Thai food or sushi – this is a great option – bone dry and sappy with lip-smacking juiciness. Bonus – 2018 is the current release, so it's had some welcome bottle age which helps to moderate the acidity. Love & Squalor is the brand from Matt...
Oregon's Rogue Valley wineries are a different breed from their northern cousins in the Willamette. The scenery is even more stunningly beautiful, the wineries more isolated, the climate warmer and dryer. Different grapes thrive here, notably those from the Rhône region of France. This blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (hence GSM) is chewy and toasty, its ample tannins setting it up nicely against the mulberry and plum fruit. The wine comes into focus in the back of the palate, extending t...
The entry-level Pinot from Stoller is as good or better than many of the top Pinots of 25 years ago. That's a measure of state-wide progress as well as a reflection of the many good grape sources available to Stoller. This is full-bodied and forward, offering a generous mix of marionberries, raspberries, and cherries. It's buttressed with ample acids and ripe tannins and finished with a screwcap, which keeps it fresh longer and makes it easy to grab a glass and reseal it quickly. Note that this...
This is pure Walla Walla Syrah – rich and loaded with black fruits, along with notes of coffee, chicory, graphite and baker's chocolate. Without the usual co-fermention with Viognier there is little citrus and none of the bitterness, just lush and delicious fruit. Lujon is based in the Willamette Valley but winemaker John Derthick has always made Washington wines as part of his overall program. The QPR (quality/price/ratio) on Lujon wines is exceptional, not only for this holiday-ready Syrah b...
Troon's history dates back to the 1970s, and new ownership wanted to honor that past by reviving this blended red. The spiral on the label expresses the Druid's connections to the mysteries, energy, and power of the natural world - concepts deeply connected to Troon's biodynamic farming and winemaking. The wine itself is what I like to think of as a 'kitchen sink' blend – meaning it's akin to a pot of stew that has a little of everything tossed into it – yet nonetheless finds a focus and a bal...
