65+ wines reviewed below and in the database, including the latest from Argyle, Betz Family, Canvasback, Gramercy, Itä, Kevin White, La Biblioteca, Lange, LucidWild, North Valley, Sweet Cheeks, and White Rose.

Willamette Valley’s 2022 vintage is certainly a tale of the perils and pleasures of farming. That year, an April frost looked to be calamitous for the valley, causing significant bud damage.

Alas, the grapevines proved much more resilient than expected. Mother Nature was also considerably more forgiving later in the growing season. The result has been some beautiful wines from a vintage many thought might be over before it had even begun.

Lange is one of the producers that excelled in 2022. “One thing I’m particularly proud of is the level of intensity we have in the wines,” says Jesse Lange, general manager and second generation winemaker. “Some of the [2022] wines I’ve had through the valley are really on the ephemeral side. I’m really happy with the amount of body, tannin, and structure our wines have.”

Among the standouts from Lange is the 2022 Freedom Hill Pinot Noir. Lange has worked with this esteemed vineyard continuously since 1990. “[The 2022 Freedom Hill Pinot] has a lot of richness, texture, and finesse,” says Lange.

White Rose’s 2022 vintage Pinot Noirs, meanwhile, offer consumers some interesting insights into winemaking. The winery’s Epicurean series has a “Light,” “Medium,” and “Heavy” Pinot Noir. The wines come from the same fermentations but range in alcohol from 10.2 to 14.3%.

“These are all the same wines from the same vineyard but just at different extraction periods,” says Greg Urmini, operations lead at White Rose. “That allows the consumer to see how wine and food interplays with one another.”

The 2022 vintage Willamette Valley wines reviewed below also include exceptional offerings from LucidWild, which focuses on its estate site in the Dundee Hills. Isabelle Meunier serves as winemaker.

Looking north to Washington, I wrote recently about the strength of some of the 2022 Rhône-style wines from the state. The Betz Family wines reviewed below show that, in the right hands, 2022 could also be an impressive vintage for Bordeaux varieties. Betz Family’s 2022 Clos de Betz is as good as any the winery has made, full of freshness and piercingly pure fruit flavors.

“I feel like our Bordeaux wines probably benefited more from the cooler weather and the cooler finish to the season,” says winemaker Louis Skinner. “I especially like the finer texture that we have with the Clos de Betz this year. I like the restraint it has.”

Sticking with Washington 2022s, Walla Walla’s Itä earned a spot on my Top 60 Northwest Wines of 2024 with its 2021 Les Collines Vineyard Merlot. The winery’s successor from 2022, reviewed below, is also exceptional. There’s not another wine like it in the state.

Finally looking ahead a vintage, last January I wrote about the 2022 Kevin White ‘Blue Label’ wine. This wine is always one of Washington’s best values but disappears in an instant.

The 2023 vintage, which will be released this weekend and is reviewed below, is sensational, particularly for its $20 tariff. As always with this wine, however, if you’re interested, I recommend not hesitating. Just like January, this wine will be gone before you know it.

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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. See the Northwest Wine Report rating system and special designations. Read about how to interpret scores. See a list of recently reviewed producers.

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