Great NW Wine: $1.5B development in Vancouver USA welcomes Maryhill

Published: Thu, 08/16/18

Wine of the Week

Stoller Family Estate
2017 Chardonnay,
Dundee Hills

Bill Stoller and his VP of winemaking, Melissa Burr, are among those embracing Chablis-inspired Chardonnay in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Their unoaked example of 2017 spent nine months in stainless steel to better represent the three Dijon clones, 76, 95 and 96, planted across the 398-acre estate.

An incredibly charming nose of Ambrosia salad, honeydew melon and banana leads to a refreshing drink filled with slices of lemon, Gala apple, a sense of minearlity and white peach skin on the finish. Its style may also appeal to fans of dry Riesling.

It's been a busy few months at the former turkey farm. They've formed the Stoller Wine Group as the parent company for not only the Dayton winery, but also Chehalem Winery, Burr's fascinating side project that is HISTORY, the new Canned Oregon lineup and their collection of vineyards that cover 258 acres throughout the North Willamette Valley.

Price: $25

Production: 6,400 cases

Alcohol: 12.5%

Winery website

Value wine
of the Week

Mercer Estates 2017 Spice Cabinet Vineyard Rosé, Horse Heaven Hills

Jeremy Santo’s debut pink for the Mercer family stands right alongside that quality of rosé that this Washington State University grad produced while at Ryan Patrick.

He continues to use Rhône varieties for rosé, but now, he taps into Grenache from one of the state’s most fascinating vineyards — the pocket along the Columbia River that is Spice Cabinet. The 24-hour soak is a precise blend of free-run and pressed juice, and it leads to fanciful aromas of peaches and cream with strawberry and guava. A bit of spritzy acidity makes it deliciously fun with flavors and textures of strawberry shortcake and cranberry with a nibble of peach skin tannins, backed by splash of guava in the finish.

Suggested pairings include grilled salmon, mussels in white wine with thyme, roasted chicken, salads with goat cheese and roasted root vegetables. The demand for Grenache grapes in the Northwest makes this rosé a special deal.

Price: $13

Production: 1,370 cases

Alcohol: 12.5%

Winery website

Italy in the Valley

Italy in the Valley, which began in 2009, is an Italian-themed celebration of wine, food, music and friendship. Wineries throughout Oregon gather Sunday, Aug. 19 on the lawn at Cana's Feast Winery in Carlton to highlight their take on classic grapes native to Italy.

Ticket price of $35 includes wine tastings, a light lunch and the opportunity to visit winemakers and vendors.

Participating wineries include Apolloni Vineyards, Chris James Cellars, D'Anu Wines, Gersing Cellars, Marchesi Vineyards, Montinore Estate, Natalie's Estate Winery, Ponzi Vineyards, Seven Bridges Winery, Seven of Hearts, Stag Hollow, Troon Vineyard and Viola Wine Cellars.

Vendors include Olympia Provisions American Charcuterie, Oregon Olive Mill at Red Ridge and Pinolo Gelateria.

Events calendar

Check out our revamped events calendar, which shows what is happening in the wine countries of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

Have an event? Please visit this link to add it.

Maryhill to join $1.5B waterfront development in Vancouver USA

The Waterfront – Vancouver, USA is a $1.5 billion development project along the Columbia River that Maryhill Winery will be a player in.

This winter, winery owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold plan to open their 4,890-square-foot tasting room. It will be the second satellite tasting room for the winery in Goldendale, Wash., that produces its 80,000 cases on a hill that overlooks the Columbia River.

Illahe Vineyards goes to PDX
via canoe for Pinot Noir delivery

Brad Ford and his team at Illahe Vineyards – which includes a pair of draft horses – take the “old school” approach to winegrowing, but for the next three days they next will rely on mules, canoes and manpower rather than horsepower to make a delivery of Pinot Noir to Portland.

It’s the fourth annual 96-mile trip for the Illahe Vineyards Project 1899 Pinot Noir, the 2016 vintage of Ford’s wine created without the use of modern equipment, fossil fuel or electricity at his family’s estate and winery in Dallas, Ore.

Growing degree days for 2018 track alongside 2014 vintage

Vineyards for the Pacific Northwest wine industry have entered the second half of the season for the 2018 vintage, and data for growing degree days has those tracking comfortably behind the record warm year of 2015.

Climate researcher Greg Jones, director of the Evenstad Center for Wine Education and Evenstad Chair in Wine Studies at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., likens the accumulation of growing degree days to those of the 2013 and 2014 vintages. At this pace, this 2018 vintage will fit within the average of the previous five years, he noted.

Walla Walla Valley closes in on 3K acres of vines, 140 wineries

There reportedly are more than 140 wineries in the Walla Walla Valley, and a fresh survey determined the region is closing in on 3,000 acres of vineyards.

The study orchestrated by the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance showed a 4.3 percent increase in plantings in the past two years, giving the bistate growing region a total of 2,933 acres under vine. And 43 percent of those vineyards are established on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area.

Visconti's keeps growing with Cascade Valley Wine Country

The lure of Leavenworth now is year-round, and Dan Carr and Candy Mecham have Visconti’s, in its many delicious forms, seated right in the middle of it.

There are seven companies in Washington's Wenatchee Valley under the Visconti's Italian Restaurant Group. Soon, it will be eight. Carr and Mecham recently purchased a 18,000-square-foot building on Miller Street in downtown Wenatchee for an expansion of their cured meat operation, a commissary, catering kitchen and private dining.

Crisp, vibrant Northwest wines an ideal match for seafood

There is nothing like a glass of white wine on the patio to finish off a beautiful warm day in the Pacific Northwest. Varieties such as Albariño, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier pair well fresh seafood or fish on the grill.

Most of us tend to drink our white wines a bit too cold. An ideal target temperature is 50 to 60 degrees. Your best bet is to keep your wine in the fridge for a couple of hours, then bring it out and set it on the counter for 15 or 20 minutes.

NW should celebrate, embrace its award-winning diversity

At this spring's Cascadia International Wine Competition, a Southern Oregon winery called Plaisance Ranch earned a gold medal for its estate Mondeusé, an obscure red Rhône variety native to the region of Savoie in eastern France.

What makes this especially worth noting is that Mondeusé is one of nearly 100 wine grape varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest: from Albariño to Zinfandel, including enigmatic grapes such as Island Belle, Pinot Pierre, Schönburger and Xarello (a white Spanish variety).

New wine reviews posted

We have posted several new reviews, including:

Panther Creek Cellars 2015 Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Battle Creek Cellars 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Apex Cellars 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Basalt Cellars 2012 Red Dessert Wine,
Walla Walla Valley
Henry Earl Estates 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Red Mountain
4 Cellars 2015 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
Willow Crest Estate Winery 2016 Pinot Gris, Yakima Valley
Columbia Winery 2015 Vision Red Blend, Columbia Valley
Ponzi Vineyards 2016 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley
Aubichon Cellars 2016 Riverside Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Panther Creek Cellars 2015 De Ponte Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills
Sin Banderas Wines 2015 Syrah 80% Mourvèdre 20%, Yakima Valley
Primarius Winery 2016 Pinot Gris, Oregon
Joleté Wines 2016 Pinot Noir,
Willamette Valley
Abiqua Wind Vineyard 2016 Estate
Caleb Knorr Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Lake Breeze Vineyards 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Okanagan Valley
Domaine Serene 2014 Yamhill Cuvée
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Eye of the Needle Winery 2013 Enlightened Reserve Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley
Mt St Helens Cellars 2017 Spirit Lake Sasquatch's Blushing Bride
Rosé of Pinot Noir Washington
The Magnificent Wine Co. 2017 Pinot Gris, Washington
Armstrong Family Winery 2014 Portteus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley
Lake Breeze Vineyards 2016 Roussanne, Okanagan Valley
Maryhill Winery 2015 Elephant Mountain Vineyards Mourvèdre, Rattlesnake Hills
Burnt Bridge Cellars 2015 Les Collines Vineyard Syrah, Walla Walla Valley
Lookout Point Winery NV Blueprint Red Wine, Rattlesnake Hills
La Frenz Winery 2017 Probyn Eastman Vineyard Viognier, Okangan Valley
Henry Earl Estates 2016 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Red Mountain
Lady Hill Winery 2017 Pinot Gris,
Willamette Valley
Wilridge Winery 2015 Artz Vineyard Sèmillon, Red Mountain
Heymann Whinery NV Just Peachy Wine, Washington
The Huntsman 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Mosquito Fleet Winery 2014 Merlot,
Walla Walla Valley
Abiqua Wind Vineyard 2015 Estate
Isacc's Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Patton Valley Vineyard 2015 Estate
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Boomtown by Dusted Valley 2015 Syrah, Washington
Washington Hills Winery 2016 Chardonnay, Washington
Browne Family Vineyards 2017 Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Lake Breeze Vineyards 2016 Winemaker Series Sèmillon/Chardonnay,
Okanagan Valley
Maryhill Winery 2016 Winemaker's White, Columbia Valley
Hester Creek Estate Winery 2015 Cabernet Franc Block 3, Golden Mile Bench
Cloudlift Cellars 2015 Stratus Petit Verdot, Yakima Valley
Huston Vineyards 2017 Chicken Dinner Rosé, Washington
JM Cellars 2015 Margaret's Vineyard Carménère, Walla Walla Valley
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2014 Selway
Red Wine, Washington

Read the reviews