Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 56

Ingle Vineyard,
named for owners
John and Josephine
Ingle. It's the largest
vinifera vineyard
on Keuka Lake and
source of many of
their top-scoring
wines. Winemaker
Jordan Harris makes
one of the best reds
from blaufrankisch
in the region, but his
top wine this year
was his 2020 Finger
Lakes Ingle Vineyard
Riesling, multiple
blocks teaming
together for a crisp,
harmonious white.
➤Hosmer
FINGER LAKES,
NEW YORK
WINEMAKER:
Julia Hoyle
VINEYARD MANAGER:
Tim Hosmer
FOUNDED: 1972
(vineyard); 1985
(winery)
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
11,000 case
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 70
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
Lake Friendly Farm
VALUE HITS: 4
AVG SCORE: 91.3
AVG PRICE: $18
TOP SCORE: 92
Cameron and Maren
Hosmer have been
overseeing vineyard
land on the shore of
Cayuga Lake since
the early seventies.
Winemaker Julia
Hoyle maintains
a deſt hand with
white wines, like
the 2019 Patrician
Verona Riesling, a
remarkably savory
semi-dry with exotic
pine-needle scents
and rippling acidity.
Hoyle's 2020
Chardonnay blends
barrel-fermented
and steel-fermented
fruit for a wine of
great complexity for
the price.
➤A to Z
OREGON
WINEMAKER: Michael
Davies
FOUNDED: 2006
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
400,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 51.15
FARMING CERTIFICATION:
LIVE
VALUE HITS: 5
AVG SCORE: 90
AVG PRICE: $16.75
TOP SCORE: 91
Founders Sam
Tannahill, Cheryl
Francis, Bill and Deb
Hatcher sold A to Z
in 2022, aſt er more
than two decades
making exceptional
Oregon-appellation
wines blended
from fruit collected
statewide. Now it's
in the able hands
of Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates. A
to Z's wines have
always been like
crisp line drives,
their latest Oregon
Riesling a case in
point-the 2021 is
full of generous fruit,
showing tremendous
complexity for the
price. The 2021
Oregon Chardonnay
earned the same 91
point score.
➤King Estate
WILLAMETTE VALLEY,
OREGON
WINEMAKER:
Brent Stone
FOUNDED: 1991
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
350,000 cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 520
FARMING
CERTIFICATIONS:
Biodynamic®,
Certifi ed Organic,
Salmon-Safe
VALUE HITS: 5
AVG SCORE: 90.4
AVG PRICE: $20.80
TOP SCORE: 92
This southern
Willamette Valley
slugger has been
hitting it out of
the park since
1991, along the
way becoming the
largest biodynamic
vineyard in Oregon,
and a steward for
the region. The King
family and their
team rely on several
vineyard partners
from Cave Junction
to Walla Walla. Their
stock in trade is still
pinot gris, but their
2018 Pinot Blanc
from Foris Vineyard
was a home run with
tasters this year.
➤Columbia
Crest
WASHINGTON
WINEMAKER: Will Wiles
FOUNDED: 1982
VALUE HITS: 4
AVG SCORE: 88.3
AVG PRICE: $12
TOP SCORE: 89
Columbia Crest
takes advantage of
Ste. Michelle's vast
Columbia Valley
holdings for wines
that totally deliver
without stressing
your wallet. Will
Wiles has been
making the wine
since 2021, when he
fi nished the 2020s.
He's a master
blender of fruit from
the entire valley,
from warm sites and
cool, resulting in
wines like the 2020
Grand Estates Gold
Label Red, a blend of
cabernet franc and
merlot that's honest,
juicy, modestly rich.
At $12, it's a must
for tailgate parties.
➤Chateau
Ste. Michelle
COLUMBIA VALLEY,
WASHINGTON
HEAD RED WINEMAKER:
Brian Mackey
FOUNDED: 1934
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
3 million cases
VINEYARD ACRES
OWNED: 2,600
VALUE HITS: 9
AVG SCORE: 89.6
AVG PRICE: $13.80
TOP SCORE: 91
Ste. Michelle has
been the lead
steward in the
Pacifi c Northwest
for so long, it's
as if the brand is
the region's coolheaded
manager,
cleanup hitter and
ace reliever all rolled
➤Browne
Family
WASHINGTON
WINEMAKER:
John Freeman
FOUNDED: 2003
VALUE HITS: 6
AVG SCORE: 88.7
AVG PRICE: $20.50
TOP SCORE: 90
Andrew Browne
has pulled together
an all-star team
of grape growers
across the Columbia
Valley, focusing
on Walla Walla to
produce stalwart,
classic wines with a
distinct Northwest
signature, whether
that's a panoply of
rosés, a succulent
sauvignon blanc,
or dark syrahs.
Browne Family
excels in Bordeauxinspired
reds like
the 2020 Columbia
Valley Heritage,
well-structured in
support of dark,
licorice-scented fruit,
overdelivering on
savory complexity.
into one. Owning
or operating a vast
array of vineyard
land in Washington
and Oregon, Ste.
Michelle overdelivers
with wines from
properties like
Indian Wells, a warm
old-vine source
for red wines that
came through with
91-point cabernets
in both 2019 and
2020. And their $9
Columbia Valley
Rieslings are hard
to beat.
56
WINE & SPIR IT S
SUMMER 2023
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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