North by Northwest

It’s wild to think that only 20 years ago, there was very limited interest in American wines outside of California. Since then, the landscape—of the market and the literal earth itself—has changed dramatically, and the Pacific Northwest is now exploding with great producers, world class vineyards, and newly minted appellations. With a solidified reputation and a local industry that’s full steam ahead, today we’re showcasing some of the region’s biggest stars, with an eye toward doing so more often in the future.

We begin with some back vintages from one of Oregon’s most age-worthy Pinot Noir houses: Beaux Frères. Founded by Mike Etzel in 1988, Beaux Frères was initially just a vineyard, selling grapes to famed winemakers Ken Wright and Dick Ponzi. In 1991, Etzel produced his first estate wines under his now-famous label, and his bottlings have been “must have” Oregon Pinot Noirs ever since. The two vintages available today—2008 and 2012—are among the best in Oregon’s winemaking history, so you will not want to miss them.

Just north of the state line, we’ve got two of the best known and most important names from Washington: Quilceda Creek and Cayuse. Founded by Alex Golitzin way back (by PNW standards) in 1978, Quilceda Creek had two tremendous decades of winemaking under their belt before anybody really noticed. It wasn’t until the 1998 vintage, with its outpouring of critical and press love, that they finally became widely recognized. In the following two decades, they consistently ranked among collectors’ lists of must-buy American Cabernets.

By contrast, Cayuse’s success was more immediate, capturing attention with hyper-stylized wine names and labels like Bionic Frog and Flying Pig. Silly as some found the packaging, however, the wines were never doubted for their extraordinary quality. Christophe Baron was clearly a prodigal talent, and in the decades since has left zero doubts about it. He’s gone on to create other labels, including Horsepower Vineyards, bringing a decidedly Old World approach to winegrowing in Walla Walla. Baron’s unprecedented success has also paved the way for other Washington Rhône Rangers, such as Charles Smith of K Vintners (and a bevy of other labels). We’ve got a small vertical of K’s Royal City Syrah, a stellar bottling from the Royal Slope AVA, one of America’s newest—and possibly soon hottest, judging from the scores.