Guide to Wine Scores

Amelia Wynn Winery has been producing small-lot wines on Bainbridge Island since 2008. As owners Paul Bianchi and Wendy Armstrong looked to merge the wine tasting experience with various foods, the bistro side of the business was born. Paul’s history as a winemaker goes back decades after participating in his first crush more than 20 years ago. He sources all his fruit from … [Read more...] about Amelia Wynn Merges New Tasting Room With Bistro Fare

Locus Wines is the story of two wine and food lovers who left their corporate jobs behind to pursue something they were more passionate about. Rich Burton handles the winemaking, and studied oenology at Washington State University. Locus’ other proprietor, Ton Yazici, is a self-professed “recovering technocrat coming from a diverse product management background in high tech, … [Read more...] about Locus Wines Combines Passion For Food And Wine

Dennis Murphy moved to Walla Walla in 1999 with one goal: to make world-class wines. Since then, he purchased the land that is now home to Caprio Cellars’ new tasting room, winemaking facility and Eleanor Estate Vineyard. Dennis also became a partner in the Octave Vineyard at SeVein Vineyards, ultimately leading him to purchase the 40 acres west of Octave Vineyard, planting … [Read more...] about Caprio Cellars Focuses On Bordeaux Varietal Blends

“I was born and raised in Hungary, in the middle of a wine region where almost every family had a little vineyard and made their own wine,” says Sandor Faludi. His grandfather was a winemaker and viticulturist, letting Sandor help out around the vineyard and winery from a young age. Sandor and his wife, Sabrina, moved to Santa Rosa, Calif. in 2010, where he landed a job as … [Read more...] about Prohibition Cellars: A Winery To Watch

Snoqualmie-based Sigillo Cellars is on the move, relocating their second tasting room from Leavenworth to downtown Chelan. The father and son team of Mike and Ryan Seal acknowledge that their interest in winemaking dates back to 2005 when they teamed up with the former winemaker Steve Bailey and friends to make wine out of his garage. In 2010, the Seals joined forces with … [Read more...] about Sigillo Cellars Comes To Chelan

Mark Nesheim has been handcrafting highly sought after Bourbon in small batches since 2010. After outgrowing his existing space in Woodinville, Mark and his wife Jennifer moved J.P. Trodden Distillery to the unincorporated town of Maltby. It’s part of a collective of tasting rooms in Snohomish County known as The Vault. “We have begun quadrupling our production to try to catch … [Read more...] about Award-Winning Craft Bourbon Producer Finds New Home In Maltby

Adrice Wines moved their tasting room and production facility into the Woodinville Warehouse District to keep up with expanded growth. Winemaker Pam Adkins and her partner Julie Bulrice have been building a steady following for their boutique wines since first opening in Woodinville in 2016. Pam made her first vintage in 2012, producing Rosé the Riveter with Napa Valley … [Read more...] about Adrice Moves To Larger Woodinville Location

Wes and Natasha Teslo operate the winery and tasting room in the Yakima Valley AVA on 30 sprawling acres in the agriculturally based city of Zillah known for its many wineries. Visitors delight at the lavender fields that color the surrounding landscape. The wines are solid and filled with expressive character, depth and pizzazz. The lineup of wines can be found at the … [Read more...] about 2 Releases from J. Bell Cellars

90 pts. – Excellent Editor's Choice for Best Buy! Proprietor Andrew Browne named this Red Mountain Cabernet after a secret collegiate academic society that his grandfather William Bitner Browne belonged to before joining the OSS intelligence agency in the 1940s (the predecessor of the CIA). The enticing nose is brimming with dusky aromas of pipe tobacco and dark red fruit. … [Read more...] about Browne Family Vineyards 2017 Skull & Chain Cabernet Sauvignon, $20

Editor’s Choice – Outstanding, 93 pts. The 25th vintage release ranks among the gold standards of white Bordeaux varietal wine, not just in Washington where it is produced, but all of North America. This classically style blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon was meticulously crafted by Director of Winemaking Jason Gorski from 200 individually treated lots, which included … [Read more...] about DeLille Cellars 2019 Chaleur Blanc, $35

Winemaker and owner Lisa Warr-King Packer continues to impress with a string of hit releases perfect for summer (or if you're like me, anytime of year is the right time for solid white wines built in a refreshing style). Her fascination with making New World wines using an Old World minimalist approach is probably rooted in her family DNA that at one time crossed the Atlantic … [Read more...] about Warr-King Winery Shines With 3 New Releases

Newcomers to DeLille Cellars will quickly learn what devout wine club members already know—every wine in the collection, whether red or white, is flawlessly crafted with symmetry, poise and elegance. The latest move of this iconic Washington winery puts their tasting experiences and wine production all under one roof at the beautiful Hollywood Station complex built in 2019. … [Read more...] about DeLille Cellars Moves to Woodinville’s Hollywood Station

Amavi Cellars and Pepper Bridge Winery have opened their latest tasting room in Vancouver, WA, where guests are treated to an exceptional seated tasting experience. The full portfolio of wines are pristine, stylistic and reveal true dedication of the craft from vine to bottle. Pepper Bridge Winery is the collaborative effort of three families—McKibben, Goff and … [Read more...] about Amavi Cellars & Pepper Bridge Winery
 Expand to Vancouver WA

Julie and Steve Bosma have been farming fruit orchards in the Yakima Valley since the 2000s, as well as growing wine grapes for customers in Washington and Oregon. The Bosmas recently teamed with winemaker Mike Seal of Sigillo Cellars—one of their earliest wine grape customers—to launch their own label. “The winery grew out of our love for drinking wine,” says Julie. “We are … [Read more...] about Bosma Estate Winery Launches in Zillah

Freehand Cellars in Wapato, WA was born out of the idea of providing a new option for lodging in the Yakima Valley. Business partners from Seattle, architect James DeSarno and property developer Eduardo Oliveira, took over the former Windy Point Winery property and redesigned the gorgeous tasting room. “Winemaking, as with architecture, are our art forms,” says Karissa … [Read more...] about Freehand Cellars Lands in Wapato

During an industry tour of Washington AVAs in 2008, New York sommelier Steve Wells got bit by the winemaking bug. “I think the ah-ha! moment came while tasting Grenache Blanc grapes in the middle of Boushey Vineyards at sunset and drinking a glass of McCrea Cellars Sirocco Blanc made from those grapes,” recalls Steve. In 2011, he convinced his wife to ditch the East Coast in … [Read more...] about 3 Releases from Time & Direction Wines

Joe Campbell is no stranger to Yakima Valley agriculture. He grew up with half of his family running a cow-calf operation and the other half harvesting over 1,000 acres of orchards. With that influence, Campbell has spent most of his life involved in the agricultural industry in some aspect. Joe and his wife Alison began exploring wine in 2016 when they enlisted the help of … [Read more...] about Simcoe Creek Winery Opens In Zillah

Michael and Cindy Rasch, owners of Golden Ridge Cellars, took advantage of the incubator winery program offered by the Port of Walla Walla when the opportunity arose to open their own tasting room in 2019. The Raschs have been cultivating Golden Ridge Vineyard since they bought it in 2007. The eight-acre vineyard was originally planted in 1998 with help from legendary grower … [Read more...] about 3 Releases from Golden Ridge Cellars

Settled into new digs a couple storefronts away from their old location in downtown Walla Walla, Spring Valley’s storied past goes back decades. Uriah Corkrum made his way west from Illinois in the mid-1800s, making a new life amongst the fertile lands in the Walla Walla Valley. Five generations later, with years of wheat farming tied to the family’s history, Shari Corkrum … [Read more...] about Spring Valley Vineyard Grows Into Larger Digs

Casey and Vicky McClellan founded Seven Hills Winery in 1988 and were among the first handful of wineries to open in the Walla Walla Valley.  They sold the winery ownership in 2016 to Napa-based Crimson Wine Group but Casey has stayed on as head winemaker, logging 31 vintages under his belt as of this writing. Below are two wines we recently reviewed: Seven Hills 2019 … [Read more...] about Seven Hills 2019 Sauvignon Blanc & 2019 Dry Rosé