Guide to Wine Scores

The Horse Heaven Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) is a sprawling winegrape growing region and home to a number of the Mercer family’s foundation vineyards. Spice Cabinet is a prime 18-acre vineyard on a gentle slope rising above the Columbia River on the Mercer family farm, where the grapes get an average of 6-9 inches of rainfall yearly. The vineyard name was inspired … [Read more...] about Mercer Estates 2017 Spice Cabinet Vineyard Rosé

Plumb Cellars 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, $42 Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.) Lean and focused, with a sultry mix of black raspberry, dark berry and cassis flavors tightly wrapped around a structured core of tobacco, loamy earth, tea leaf and slate. Vivid and expressive, with fine-grained tannins that linger on the cedar-lined finish. Plumb Cellars 2013 Damn … [Read more...] about 5 Releases From Plumb Cellars

Owners Bob and Lauren Bullock of Woodinville-based Eye of the Needle Winery continue to raise the bar with these offerings sourced from premium vineyards in the state.  These two new releases were pulled from their finest barrels: a reserve Cabernet and a special reserve bottling of their popular blend, "The Point." The Reserve Cabernet is a blend of fruit from Dineen … [Read more...] about 2 Reserve Wines From Eye of the Needle Winery

Located on the Washington side of the stunningly gorgeous Columbia Gorge AVA, this family-owned boutique winery was founded in 2007 by Brad Gearhart.  He named the winery after his two sons, Jacob and William.  The winery sources grapes from the Columbia Valley and Columbia Gorge AVAs, producing a distinctive array of red and white wines. You can find and taste these artisan … [Read more...] about 5 Releases from Jacob Williams Winery

It could be said that Succession Wines was born out of the ashes of adversity. Three years ago, Brock and Erica Lindsay experienced two major life-changing events: they welcomed their first child into the world, and not two weeks later, lost their home to the Carlton Complex fire, the largest wildfire in the history of Washington State. “Experiences such as these cause great … [Read more...] about Succession Wines Finds New Life At Lake Chelan

Winemaker Roger Rezabek, with Czech roots in Bohemia, grew up in the Midwest where he majored in Math with a minor in Botany. His love for and passion about wine came after a three-year stint in the Air Force in the Azores, where Portuguese Rosés, German Rieslings, and French Bordeauxs were very accessible. During the early 1980’s, he planted his first vineyard—60 grape vines, … [Read more...] about 4 Releases from Rezabek Vineyards

Tertulia, a Spanish term meaning a gathering of friends, operates three tasting rooms in Walla Walla, Dundee, and most recently, Woodinville. Winemaker Ryan Raber was the first employee when the winery started over a decade ago. “The thing I love the most about winemaking is the intuitive/artistic process,” says Ryan. “Working with the wines to get the best out of them, you … [Read more...] about Tertulia Cellars Opens in Woodinville

Welcome Road is a boutique urban winery making about 700 cases of wine annually. In 2017 they moved from Woodinville to the laid-back neighborhood of West Seattle, where visitors will find a welcoming yet unpretentious, relaxing French ski lodge-inspired bar. Winemaker Leigh McMillan is a graduate of the WSU Enology program and works in marketing during the day, and co-owner … [Read more...] about Welcome Road Leads to West Seattle

In 2015, Dr. Fredric Stern and his wife Ana purchased 21 acres of former orchard property on the south shore of Lake Chelan (next to Tsillan Cellars) with plans to someday plant vines and build a tasting room on the scenic site. Fredric, a well-respected cosmetic surgeon in Bellevue, earned his enology certificate from WSU in 2011 and became a garagiste winemaker. The wines … [Read more...] about 4 Releases From Noviello Vineyards

Winemakers Loft in Prosser has welcomed Ginkgo Forest into its charming complex of tasting rooms in a Mediterranean-inspired courtyard setting (the other wineries are Martinez & Martinez, McKinley Springs and Coyote Canyon). Founded by Central Washington farmers Mike and Lois Thiede, Ginkgo Forest produces a prolific lineup of 34 small-lot wines, plus a wide selection of … [Read more...] about Ginkgo Forest Winery Arrives in Prosser

Basalt Cellars is currently the only winery located on the Washington side of the newly official Lewis-Clark Valley AVA. Winemaker Rick Wasem, a pharmacist, has been crafting wine for three decades and commercially since 2004. His commitment to excellence shows up in every bottle, at least the ones submitted to the magazine for our review. The wines we sampled were serious … [Read more...] about Basalt Cellars in the Lewis-Clark Valley AVA

After earning a BS in Biology at WSU, winemaker Kelly Johnson spent 14 years working in and managing the winemaking lab at the Napa Valley-based Trinchero Family Estates. She returned to her hometown of Lyle, Wash. to launch Tetrahedron Wines in 2015. She offers lab services to the array of wineries in the area, too. Tetrahedron Wines 2016 Graves Vineyard Chardonnay, … [Read more...] about Tetrahedron 2016 Graves Vineyard Chardonnay, $28

Software executive Mike Martin and winemaker Ali Mayfield admit they share an insatiable curiosity and passion for crafting great wine. Perfectionism might be added to the list, too, based on the mix of exciting reds and whites most recently sampled from this new winery in Walla Walla. If the wines could speak, they’d sound like an eloquent and enlightened conversation with the … [Read more...] about The Walls Vineyards in Walla Walla

In the nearly nine years that I have been sampling John Bookwalter wines, I can honestly state that I have never been disappointed with a single one, and in fact they typically over deliver and bring about stimulated conversation among the tasting group.  Truth be told, his wines continue to raise the bar with successive vintages, proving him to be among the state’s finest star … [Read more...] about J. Bookwalter 2014 Suspense & 2014 Readers

Goose Ridge Vineyards made history recently when it became the first winery in Washington to have four stand-alone tasting rooms—Woodinville, Richland, Leavenworth, and now the newest one in downtown Walla Walla. While each tasting room has its own personality, they all share common qualities that include service for tastings, a varied selection of wines paired with light bites … [Read more...] about Goose Ridge Opens 4th Tasting Room

Under the steady guidance and stewardship of owners Rob and Brenda Mercer, Mercer Estates Winery has become a formidable force in recent years, not just in terms of wine production growth, but in the areas of vineyard development, sustainable farming practices, and perhaps most important to consumers, high quality wines at exceptional value. The Mercer’s family has been … [Read more...] about 7 Releases From Mercer Wine Estates

Eye of the Needle Winery founders Bob and Lauren Bullock are super sleuths of Washington wine whose mission is to search out incredible values sourced from a number of the state's finest vineyards. Their most current releases include several premium and small-lot wines that continue to raise the bar once more. Here are nine releases we recently reviewed, offered at a wide range … [Read more...] about 9 Releases From Eye of the Needle

Can you say, “What’s at your address?” That’s the clever tagline used by the winemaking team of Pam Adkins and Julie Bulrice to help folks pronounce the name of their winery (an amalgam of their last names). Like yin and yang, the couple devotes their energies to their respective areas of expertise, with Pam as head winemaker and Julie tasked with sales and … [Read more...] about Adrice Wines Relocates From California

Ben Viscon worked at the Seattle-based REI for 13 years before he hit a pivotal career point and decided he’d rather follow his bliss and become a full-time winemaker. He’d been making wine at home for years before refining his knowledge at UC Davis. After becoming bonded and licensed, Ben released his first wines in 2014. All his urban winery production, including bottling and … [Read more...] about 2 Releases From Viscon Cellars

When former Microsoft executive Marty Taucher was studying at Northwest Wine Academy, he sought out an internship at DeLille Cellars where he met winemaker Chris Peterson. They struck up a friendship and Marty, an active angel investor, eventually shared his idea for launching his own winery. Chris jumped on board and their partnership was formed in 2010. “Avennia is inspired … [Read more...] about 3 Releases From Avennia