70+ wines reviewed below, including the latest from Avennia, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Dahlman, Darby, Dunham, Gård, Latta, Liminal, Lydian, Rujaya, Spring Valley, and Walla Walla Vintners.

The wines below include Gård’s first releases from off Lawrence Vineyards’ properties in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. The Lawrence family has four vineyards in this area. Icarus Vineyard (17.2 acres), Crossfire (7.5 acres), Forcefield (7.5 acres), and Daedalus (8 acres), all planted in 2022. Icarus is planted to red Rhône varieties, Crossfire to white Rhône varieties, Forcefield to Cabernet Franc, and Daedalus to Grenache, Syrah, and Viognier.

There is a lot of experimentation going on, resulting in varietal bottlings below of Carignan and Cinsault, as well as other varieties. Those are the first bottlings of those two varieties that I’ve tasted from the Rocks District. There are also varietal bottlings on the white side.

These wines are all small production and line-priced at $85, so there’s a high cost of entry. However, for those looking to explore unusual varieties from one of the most exciting appellations in the country, look no further.

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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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