40+ wines reviewed below, including the latest from Jaine, Ken Wright, Le Doubblé Troubblé, Massalto, Mongata, Rooted Souls, Sightglass, Soter, Valo, and Walla Walla Vintners.
2021 was a generous vintage for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and the Ken Wright ‘21s are thrilling, with appealing fruit purity, intensity, and balance. They also show impressive staying power, which bodes well for their longevity. Fans of this winery, or those looking for an introduction to exceptional Willamette Valley Pinot, take note.
Mongata is a new Walla Walla Valley winery, focusing on fruit from its estate site, Resurgent Vineyard. Resurgent is located near the South Fork of the Walla Walla River, and the site has cobblestone soils that produce unique wines. (See more examples from Prospice.) Mongata’s inaugural releases make them a winery to watch.
Valo and Massalto are two wineries from Matías Kúsulas, who is also head viticulturalist at Lawrence Vineyards. Valo is the more traditional of the two, with most of the fruit coming from esteemed Conner Lee Vineyard. Massalto, meanwhile, is a playground, offering room for experimentation and exploration. The twin wineries have a tasting room in Vancouver, Washington. Kúsulas was also named the winemaker for Desert Wind and Gård in 2021.
Located in the Columbia Gorge, Le Doubblé Troubblé is making well-priced, vivid wines from Washington and Oregon. The winery has a tasting room in White Salmon.
Look for upcoming feature articles on several of these wineries.
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At Northwest Wine Report, all scores come from blind tastings in varietal/style sets. Read more about this site’s process for rating and reviewing wines. Read about the Northwest Wine Report rating system and special designations. Read how to interpret scores. Read definitions of closure type listings. Wineries do not need to be subscribers to receive or use ratings and reviews. To receive a copy of the reviews after they have been published, contact [email protected]. Please allow two weeks for reviews to be sent via email after they have been requested.
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