As with the dry bottling of the Ribbon Ridge, this is replete with hints and notes of ginger, stone, almond butter and more. The residual sugar lowers the alcohol and ups the roundness across the palate. The tree fruits are emphasized, a mix of ripe citrus, peach and apricot. What is most impressive is that the acids keep everything tight and focused on through a long finish. Drink now and over the next 10-15 years. 206 cases; 11.1%; $35 (Ribbon Ridge)

https://www.trisaetum.com/product/2021-Ribbon-Ridge-Estate-Riesling

If you like your Riesling bone dry and sappy with lip-smacking juiciness look no further than this new release from Matt Berson at Portland Wine Company. Grapefruit, Meyer lemon, tangerine and more are in the mix. The tension is electric, the definition and focus are pinpoint and spot on. There is nothing missing here for this particular style. 270 cases; 12%; $20 (Willamette Valley)

https://www.portlandwinecompany.com/buywine/2018-riesling-wv

When originally reviewed in October of 2021 I described this as chewy and toasty, with ample tannins setting it up against mulberry and plum fruit. The wine comes into focus in the back of the palate, extending the flavors through a full-bodied and clean finish. Re-tasted this past week it was even better, richly fruity, lightly chocolatey, spicy and bold yet perfectly balanced and crisp. What a difference a year makes! 100 cases; 14.9%; $24 (Rogue Valley)

https://peterwilliamvineyard.com/product/gsm-2018-grenache-syrah-mourvedre/

One of the great pleasures of doing this website is the opportunity to see more deeply into any one region's wines. Sometimes it's the small, off-the-radar producers who are doing some of the most interesting, cutting edge work. I can count on one hand the number of Oregon Carignans I've ever had, so this is an especially fun discovery. Aromatic, ruby red, replete with scents of marionberry pie, this is a mouthfilling wine that absolutely charms from start to finish. It's pure varietal from organically grown fruit, nicely balanced with sassy acids, ripe tannins and moderate alcohol. 71 cases; 13.6%; $38 (Rogue Valley)

https://www.longwalkvineyard.com/wines

This luscious Syrah was sourced from Kiona's Ranch at the End of the Road vineyard on Red Mountain. It entices immediately with a rich, fruity fragrance. Loaded with blackberries, black cherries and cassis, this stellar effort adds varietally-specific streaks of bacon fat, espresso and cigar tobacco. The balance and depth are impressive, and suggest that this will develop nicely over the next half decade. 193 cases; 14%; $45 (Red Mountain)

http://www.libertylakewinecellars.com/our-wines

This is a well-made Oregon Pinot Noir at an affordable price. It's an earthy style that offers fresh Pinot flavors from an iconic AVA – the same Dundee Hills where Eyrie's David Lett first planted Pinot Noir back in 1965. Watermelon, strawberry, lingenberry and plum are augmented with accents of salty greens and clean earth. With ample aeration the aromas open up and seduce! As is often true of very young wines, this smelled and drank much better on the second day. 270 cases; 13.7%; $29 (Dundee Hills)

https://wintershillwine.com/product/2021-pinot-noir-watershed

I've been banging the drum for Oregon Chardonnay for years and each successive vintage just proves the point. Ruby's latest release delights from the first sniff. Succulent flavors of mixed citrus are lively and refreshing, with appealing minerality. The wine is focused and deep, with lingering impact for a full minute or more. There's very little evidence of new oak, but with fruit this good it's not missed. 446 cases; 13%; $40 (Laurelwood District)

https://rubyvineyard.orderport.net/product-details/0382/2018-Chardonnay

The Vireo reserve is 38% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Aged 23 months in 70% new French oak, it's a silky, dark-fruited wine. It nicely showcases a Washington strong suit, which is the marrying of Syrah and Cabernet. Black fruits, black tea, tobacco, a hint of mint, espresso and more subtle highlights weave together seamlessly in this wine. Decant for drinking now; age up to a decade. 14.9%; $45 (Columbia Valley)

https://www.gooseridge.com/product/2018-Vireo

The grapes are from the Double River Vineyard once owned by now defunct Basel Cellars. "We were unable to source Viognier so this is 100% Syrah" writes winemaker John Derthick. Which suggests to me that the almost fetishistic co-fermentation of the two grapes which has taken over the hearts and minds of Walla Walla's Syrah winemakers may be a little over the top. This is pure Syrah – rich and loaded with black fruits, along with notes of coffee, chicory, graphite and baker's chocolate. Without the Viognier there is little citrus and none of the bitter phenolics, just lush and delicious fruit. 356 cases; 14.9%; $28 (Walla Walla Valley)

https://lujonwinecellars.com/product/2020-walla-walla-valley-syrah/

Sourced from the new estate vineyard, this is loaded with fresh, ripe applesauce fruit goodness. It's 20% barrel fermented and the rest in stainless steel. Crisp yet putting the emphasis on apple rather than citrus fruit, it's a full-bodied, front-loaded, very appealing style that should be enjoyed over the next three or four years. 448 cases; 13.4%; $20 (Willamette Valley)

https://lujonwinecellars.com/product/2016-willamette-valley-chardonnay/

Malbec as a varietal wine is an outlier (except in Argentina) but bottles such as this should push it further into the spotlight here in the Northwest. All estate-grown, this is a well-ripened wine that loads the palate with rich flavors of cassis, black cherry, licorice, black tea and cocoa nibs. There's a touch of bourbon barrel and the alcohol is unabashedly high in the best old-school style. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from the original 1975 block is mixed in the final blend.

372 cases; 15.3%; $40 (Red Mountain)

https://kionawine.com/retail

This is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with a half dozen other varieties filling out the remaining 30%. It's the best of a potent 2018 lineup from Kiona, and it is aimed at showing what is special and particular to Red Mountain reds. This complex wine marries ripe berry/cherry/cassis fruit with smooth tannins dusted with cocoa and coffee grounds. It's ready to go and may be enjoyed immediately; then re-visited over the next five to ten years. Not that it can't age longer, but that's a surefire drinking window.

709 cases; 15%; $65 (Red Mountain)

https://kionawine.com/retail

This is two thirds Vermentino, the rest split between Marsanne and Roussanne. If you like the wildness that comes with indigenous yeasts, biodynamic grapes and non-interventionist winemaking, this is your wine. It's quite different from the previous vintage but in many ways more interesting. Floral, citrus and sweet herbal flavors compound in a racy, sleek, spicy and quite fascinating wine. Rare to find such depth and complexity at this price. NOTE: the Druid's Fluid 2020 Red Blend was a featured value wine last spring, and the new 2021 vintage of the red is every bit as good.

285 cases; 12.6%; $25 (Applegate Valley)

https://troon-vineyard.obtainwine.com/product/2021-biodynamic-white-blend

Here is your perfect pizza wine. Set the table with your finest checkered tablecloth and pour a fruit-laden glass of this Sangiovese/Teroldego/Barbera/Primitivo blend. The same fruit as featured in the varietal designates goes into this carafe-ready red, which brings a lush mix of strawberries, raspberries, plums and blackberries into focus. The tannins are perfectly balanced and lend some gravitas to the wine. See all Montoliva reviews under ‘Deep Dive’. 250 cases; 13.8%; $22 (Sierra Foothills – Chicago Park)

https://www.montoliva.com/product/sierra-bella-2020/

The blend is two thirds Teroldego and one third Barbera. The power of the fruit is almost overwhelming – a mash-up of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and black cherries. There are strong highlights of vanilla, tobacco and chocolate, and the tannins add texture and grip. As with the entire portfolio of Montoliva wines, the potent fruit flavors are front and center. These are succulent wines to enjoy immediately, yet fresh and balanced enough to see what further cellar time brings. See all Montoliva reviews under Deep Dive.

125 cases; 13.9%; $35 (Sierra Foothills)

https://www.montoliva.com/product/sinistra-2017/

Winemaker Chris Fladwood and grower/owner Tony Soter have knocked it out of the park once again with this stunning vintage rosé. Pretty to look at, lovely to taste, it's bursting with strawberry and cherry highlights. Roughly four fifths Pinot Noir and one fifth Chardonnay, it was fermented in a mix of oak and (mostly) stainless and aged four years on the lees prior to disgorgement this past May. It's harmonious and inviting, with just the right touch of fruit in an elegant style.

1100 cases; 12.8%; $72 (Yamhill-Carlton)

https://purchase.sotervineyards.com/product/2018-Mineral-Springs-Brut-Rose

Along with Pinot Noir the cuvée includes 20% Pinot Meunier, both sourced from the Spirit Hill vineyard. Argyle makes as many as a dozen different sparkling wines in a given year and has been the leader in Oregon bubbly since it was founded 35 years ago. This has a fine bead, sharp acids, a light hint of spice and plenty of crisp green apple flesh and skin. The balance is spot on, and it's a standout value among many far more expensive Oregon offerings.

3983 cases; 12.5%; $30 (Willamette Valley)

https://shop.argylewinery.com/product/2018-Blanc-de-Noirs

The RMS cuvée brings exceptional ripe fruit to bear in a classy sparkling wine done in the classic Champagne method. It's 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay with deep and delicious flavors that combine apple pie, pear tart, minerally acids and nuances too subtle to name. The depth, penetration and all out length will have you refilling your glass before you have finished swallowing the first sip.

200 cases; 12.5%; $65 (Willamette Valley)

https://shop.rocowinery.com/product/2018-RMS-Brut

If anyone is making a better under-$30 Syrah in the Northwest I haven't tasted it. This is the lowest-priced Syrah in Quady's excellent lineup, a sappy, snappy bowlful of fresh-squeezed black cherries. The accents of pipe tobacco, anise, orange peel and dark chocolate are lightly applied and well-integrated. This drinks just fine as soon as the cork is pulled, but the open bottle can be finished on the second day with equal pleasure.

1028 cases; 14.2%; $27 (Rogue Valley)

https://quadynorth.orderport.net/product-details/0638/2019-Syrah-4--2a-750ml-142pct

This low-alcohol Viognier is vibrant with a lovely mix of green melon, apple, cilantro and lemon verbena. The botanicals highlight the fruit, and the balancing acids keep it fresh and lively. From a flavor standpoint it falls somewhere between an all-stainless Chardonnay and an un-grassy Sauvignon Blanc. However you define it, it's a delicious bottle with plenty of food-friendly flexibility.

277 cases; 12.6%; $25 (Applegate Valley)

https://quadynorth.orderport.net/product-details/0671/2020-Viognier-SteelOx-750ml-126pct