Though labeled simply "Oregon" this is actually all Willamette Valley Pinot from choice vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs. This is truly delicious, loaded with a juicy mix of raspberries, tangerines and chocolate-covered cherries. The acids are fresh and refreshing, and the jumble of tangy fruit flavors carries on through a clean, clear and lingering finish.

343 cases; 13.4%; $30 (Oregon)

http://www.sineann.com/contact

"Born of legend and arriving in America via suitcase" is how the winery introduces this wine. Dijon clone 828 seems to have a different story from every winery that has bottled it, but they all agree it is something special. It's impressive that a wine with such a modest abv can push out such deep perfume and dark color. It's loaded with marionberry, black cherry and pomegranate fruits, and the palate is framed with phenolic highlights of sage and thyme. All that notwithstanding, the overall impression is elegance.

85 cases; 12.7%; $74 (McMinnville)

https://www.wrigleywines.com/product/2019-J-Wrigley-Single-Clone-828-Pinot-Noir

This is 58% Cab, 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, and 9% Malbec – the first time Co Dinn added Cab Franc to this Bordeaux blend, completing the full house. If there is one wine from this entire overview you should absolutely try it is this one or its 2016 predecessor. Both are stellar examples of why and how Yakima Valley Bordeaux blends can and should be the iconic standards for Washington state.

14.6%; $65 (Rattlesnake Hills)

https://codinncellars.orderport.net/product-details/0053/2017-Red-Blend-Elephant-Mountain-Vineyard

This unique Walla Walla Cab is dry-farmed in a vineyard adjacent to Leonetti's Mill Creek Upland. If there's a Rutherford dust equivalent in Washington this may be it. Feel free to put this in a blind tasting against Rutherford's best. The flavors are dense and seamless, textured and detailed. Black fruits and delicate touches of organic earth, coffee and dried herbs... lots and lots to contemplate here. This is a really special wine.

100 cases; 14.7%; $45 (Walla Walla)

https://tulpencellars.com/shop/ols/products/2017-wwv-cabernet-sauvignon-yellow-bird-vineyard

This is the current release, now with more than four years of bottle age. Lynn Penner-Ash (now retired) was the winemaker, delivering a wine that is showing far more depth and detail right away thanks to the extra pre-release cellaring. The cherry fruit is firm and compact with a spine of steel. Subtle details of herb and leaf adorn the flavor edges, and if you dive in there's a streak of cola through the finish. It's a marvelous wine from one of Oregon's most talented winemakers.

1268 cases; 14.2%; $75 (Dundee Hills)

https://shop.duskygoose.com/product/2017-Pinot-Noir-Dundee-Hills

Planted in 1990, these are to the winery's knowledge the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in the state. As is often the case, old vines seem to deliver a skosh of extra flavor, depth, detail and texture. This lush, aromatic wine offers a complex mix of tree fruits, citrus, melon and grass. There's a hint of straw and the wine lingers seductively with a finishing thread of vanilla. Fermented and aged in a mix of once, twice and neutral Acacia puncheons, this shows the depth and dimension that makes the best Sauvignon Blancs world class.

255 cases; 13.3%; $29 (Ribbon Ridge)

https://www.patriciagreencellars.com/product/2021-Estate-Sauvignon-Blanc

This is a new vineyard for me, and the first time it's been made as a vineyard select for the winery. It's dark and lush with vibrant blackberry and boysenberry fruit. Winemaker Rachel Rose teases the more elegant aspects out around the potent core of fruit and acid and tannins. The barrel aging (25% new) adds a lovely toasty note resonating across the finish. Drink this now and over the next five years.

100 cases; 13.7%; $50 (Van Duzer Corridor)

https://brynmawrvineyards.orderport.net/product-details/0420/2020-Pinot-Noir-Fenders-Rest

Principally fermented in neutral barrels, with about a quarter in concrete egg, this all-estate wine includes 12% Sémillon in the final blend. It's a full-bodied, fruit-powered, complex wine. Beautifully proportioned, replete with citrus and stone fruits lightly bedecked with spring herbs, this is a wine to challenge the best Sauv Blancs from anywhere on the west coast.

547 cases; 13.9%; $36 (Walla Walla)

https://www.pepperbridge.com/wine/2021-sauvignon-blanc/

For me this is the top gun among the outstanding 2018 Cabernets from Cornerstone. Aromatic and loaded with flavors of black fruits, coffee, clean earth, graphite and licorice, it captures everything one looks for in classic Napa Cabernet from the valley epicenter. The balance is superb and the tight-knit, impeccable finish should only continue to improve over decades. I finished the bottle on its third day, and found it to be as fresh and delicious as on day one.

633 6-pack cases; 15.2%; $130 (Rutherford)

https://cornerstonecellars.com/product/2018-cabernet-sauvignon-rutherford/

The Sonoma Coast wineries (at least those actually on or near the ocean) make refined, often delicate wines that stand apart from those made further inland. A cool site, a cool vintage and a later-than-usual harvest add layers of complexity here, making a Chardonnay that relies on its fruit rather than new barrels to have an impact. A couple of extra years in bottle have helped also; although this has been released for some time a sample bottle just reached me this month. Subtle threads of mixed fruits, herbs and toasted nuts weave through this lovely wine. Drink now through the rest of the decade.

330 cases; 12.9%; $52 (Sonoma Coast)

https://www.freemanwinery.com/wine/details/2019%20Hawk%20Hill%20Chardonnay

This captivating red blend is 48% Syrah, 28% Cab Franc and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. Maybe a Washington take on a SuperTuscan blend, however you define it this is beautifully done, all proportionate with each grape contributing to the seamless whole. There's a touch of pepper from the Syrah, a streak of coffee from the Franc, and a strong core of black fruits and firm tannins from both Bordeaux Cabs. With good structure and length, good balance and depth, this is a very fine wine that punches above its price point.

204 cases; 14.5%; $38 (Walla Walla Valley)

https://truthtellerwinery.orderport.net/wines/product-search

Just out, this engaging single vineyard Tempranillo brings a whiff of the Rocks District funk, a mix of umami and wet underbrush and chamomile tea. It's got a wonderful intensity that carries on through the palate, with wild red berries, grilled meat and a dash of soy sauce. Great balance throughout; this seems like a real step up from the previous vintage.

374 cases; 13.5%; $48 (Walla Walla Valley)

(Not yet listed online – inquire)

Linda Donovan takes a minimalist approach to her winemaking, using native yeasts, extended lees contact, no fining or cold stabilization and minimal SO2 additions. Making wine this way is a bit of a high wire act, and executed beautifully here. It's rich and creamy, with a buttery/toasty character that is irresistible. The fruit is a ripe mix of apple, peach and light tropical, and the flavors extend deliciously across and down the palate. As the wine opens up with air it brings in sensational floral and citrus scents and accents. A completely captivating and gorgeous wine!

67 cases; 13.5%; $22 (Applegate Valley)

https://shop.theurbancork.com/prod-468107/L-Donovan-2020-Chardonnay.html

Formerly marketed as Métier, this GSM blend is a meaty, serious red with a lovely mix of savory and fruit-driven flavors. Blueberries, black cherries, cassis, strawberry leaf and a touch of mineral all combine and lead through a powerful finish. Boushey, Stone Tree and Ciel du Cheval vineyards contributed the fruit, and the overall blend is beautifully handled. Enjoy this immediately or give it another few years of bottle age and try it against your favorite high end wine from the Rhône.

1400 cases; 14.5%; $45 (Columbia Valley)

https://www.delillecellars.com/product/le-dessein

The Cygnus designation, a nod to the swan in Greek mythology, is also a sly reference to the (Joseph) Swan clone of Pinot Noir featured here. Brightly fruity with raspberries, blueberries and cherries most prominent, it opens with the forward flavors of tangy red and blue fruits, then continues into deeper layers highlighted with espresso, wet stone, clean earth and savory herbs. The tannins are substantial, polished and firmed up from aging in 28% new French oak. Decant this for near term drinking; age this for up to 15 years.

136 cases; 13.3%; $65 (McMinnville)

https://brittanvineyards.com/product/2019-cygnus-block-pinot-noir/

Quite dry yet retaining some touches of fruit sweetness, this exceptional old vine Riesling is a masterful mix of lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple and lemongrass, buoyed by tart acids and softening up just enough to trail out gently through a long finish. The palate is juicy and refreshing, the acids perfectly balanced against the fruit, with appealing touches of underlying minerality. This is certainly one of the finest Rieslings produced in the entire Northwest.

475 cases; 13.5%; $28 (McMinnville)

https://www.hylandestateswinery.com/Wines/Riesling

Pinot Noir rosés are abundant in Oregon, and this outstanding example charms from the first sniff with its heady mix of watermelon, strawberry, and cherry lifesaver fruit. The winery calls it “summer ready,” and indeed, it is made for warm weather chillin’ and swillin’. The acids keep it fresh and lively, and once in the mouth, flavors of rhubarb, raspberries, and citrus pile on. This is ripe and full-bodied, delicious from start to finish.

1250 cases; 14%; $28

https://www.brookswine.com/product/2021-pinot-noir-rose/

I'm not always a big fan of Viognier, as its optimal ripeness is on a razor-thin edge. This hits the bullseye. Vinified entirely in stainless steel to enhance the fruit-driven aromatics and express the natural terroir of the Royal Slope, it succeeds on all fronts. This is spicy, varietal and expressive, with fruit flavors of citrus and melon highlighted with botanical accents. Or, as winemaker Chuck Reininger writes, "dreamy orange creamsicle's flavor and texture envelops mandarin orange, pear, a drop of grapefruit and a pinch of salinity on a layer of loam." However you describe it, this is a winner start to finish.

77 cases; 12.9%; $30 (Royal Slope)

https://reiningerwinery.com/product/2021-helix-viognier

This vintage of Pedestal is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. It puts the lie to the general impression that Merlot is a wimpy, rather dull grape. Not so here. Loaded with blueberry, marionberry and black cherry fruit, it's firm and sturdy on the palate, with a robust cassis-infused finish. The tannins are perfectly polished, adding further streaks of graphite and a hint of anise. This complex, powerful wine has the stuffing to age well over the next decade.

2890 cases; 15.2%; $65 (Columbia Valley)

https://longshadows.com/wines/2018-pedestal/133

The first vintage of Cymbal was in 2018, and it has quickly become a fan favorite. The 2021 was sourced from Gamache, Boushey and Bacchus vineyards – a terrific trio. It's an ideal summer wine, immaculately fresh and loaded with zesty flavors of grapefruit, white peach and lemongrass, brushing against the edges of more tropical fruits. Fermented in a mix of cement egg and stainless steel drums, it was finished briefly in French oak barrels, one fifth new. By any measure it's bright and spicy, lightly dusted with white pepper and clean and persistent through the finish.

1065 cases; 14.2%; $35 (Columbia Valley)

https://longshadows.com/wines/2021-cymbal/133