Note: This tip is an excerpt from the Jan. 31–Feb. 28, 2018, issue of Wine Spectator, "Editors' Picks."
Excitement in the wine world comes in many forms. But what about the excitement of finding a distinctive and well-priced wine you can reach for with confidence time and time again? In this series, you'll find high-scoring wines at reasonable prices, from producers with track records of maintaining quality while respecting the wallets of wine lovers, making them delicious and reliable choices vintage after vintage.
Oregon
Argyle
Argyle was among the second generation of Willamette Valley wineries that helped lead Oregon into a golden era of Pinot Noir. Founded in 1987 and now owned by Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners, Argyle had its genesis with Texas-born winemaker Rollin Soles, who set the house style and kept his hands dirty in the vineyard. It's that connection to its vineyard sources that made Argyle what it is today, and one reason value can still be found in the portfolio. Nate Klostermann, who took Soles' place in 2013, can draw on 460 acres of vines, with the backbone vineyards Knudsen in Dundee Hills and Lone Star and Spirit Hill in Eola-Amity Hills providing a versatile palette of terroirs, clonal selections and vine age for Argyle's Pinots and Chardonnays alike.
Wine to try: Argyle Chardonnay Willamette Valley Grower Series 2015 (88 points, $20)
Maison L'Envoyé
Mark Tarlov wrote speeches for Chief Justice Warren Burger and produced movies in Hollywood until he turned vintner. In 2005, he joined with partners to launch the highly regarded Evening Land winery, leaving in 2012 to start Chapter 24 and Maison L'Envoyé, the latter in partnership with U.S.-based Australian importer Old Bridge Cellars. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, whose Burgundy holdings include La Romanée and other Vosne-Romanée parcels, acts as consulting winemaker; Chile-born winemaker Felipe Ramirez is hands-on in Maison L'Envoyé's cellar (as well as at Chapter 24).
Ramirez harvests from a range of sources around Willamette Valley, and together with Liger-Belair puts together distinctive blends and a few good values like Straight Shooter and Two Messengers. Both of those are sleek, with rich fruit, making for great drinking right away.
Wine to try: Maison L'Envoyé Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Two Messengers 2015 (92 points, $30)
Maysara
Civil engineer Moe Momtazi had a vision for the abandoned wheat farm just south of his home in McMinnville, Ore.: It would be an ideal vineyard. That was 20 years ago. Today, the 265-acre Momtazi Vineyard is planted mostly to Pinot Noir, with a little Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling. In 2001, the Momtazi family debuted its own label, Maysara, a name that honors their Persian heritage. Moe and his wife, Flora, assist in the vineyard and winery. Their daughter Naseem handles sales; her sister Tahmiene is winemaker.
The house style is supple and elegant, with lively acidity, and while the Pinots have proprietary names, they typically come from the same sections of the vineyard each year. Farming here has been certified biodynamic since 2007.
Wine to try: Maysara Pinot Gris McMinnville Arsheen Momtazi Vineyard 2016 (90 points, $16)
Washington
Board Track Racer
Board Track Racer, the second label of Mark Ryan Winery, was named for a long-gone style of motorbike racing. Owner-winemaker Mark Ryan McNeilly, who collects vintage motorcycles, launched this label in 2009, with a price point aimed at younger consumers and by-the-glass restaurant lists.
McNeilly, largely self-taught, started making wine in garages in 1999 and found considerable success with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blends. For Board Track Racer, he uses some of the same vineyard sources as he does for his namesake label: Quintessence on Red Mountain, and Olsen and Red Willow in Yakima. Stylistically, however, BTR and Mark Ryan wines are distinct; the former are more approachable and fruit-forward, the latter built more for the long haul.
Wine to try: Board Track Racer The Shift Columbia Valley 2014 (90 points, $28)
14 Hands
The name of this winery was inspired by the diminutive horses that once roamed wild in eastern Washington. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates created this label in 2005 as restaurant-only, but it has grown into the company's hottest value brand.
While Ste. Michelle is based in Woodinville, outside of Seattle, 14 Hands has a dedicated winery in Prosser, at the base—appropriately—of the Horse Heaven Hills region. Winemaker Keith Kenison is an experienced hand at Columbia Crest and other of the company's brands. The house style is fruit-forward and well-structured wines crafted for immediate consumption. Grapes come from around Columbia Valley, with the reserve tier sourced primarily from Horse Heaven Hills. The Hot to Trot red and white blends offer the biggest bang for the buck right now.
Wine to try: 14 Hands Riesling Washington 2015 (88 points, $10)
Gorman
Chris Gorman started his wine career as an importer of Italian wines in Seattle and came to know Washington's own vineyards and the state's wine potential. His first wines were made from what he calls "stolen fruit from many of Washington's best vineyards." He's enigmatic about giving further details on that, although it's doubtful any actual larceny occurred. Either way, he went legit (commercial) in 2002.
His wines aren't for the timid; they are deeply structured, dynamic and jammed with personality. Some of his best-value wines are blends from a range of regions in Columbia Valley. Gorman gives them cheeky names like The Devil You Don't Know (a Rhône red blend) and Zachary's Ladder (a Bordeaux-style red).
Wine to try: Gorman Zachary's Ladder Red Mountain 2014 (92 points, $30)
