High Value, High Flavor Summer Wines

Retailers are overrun with cheap wines. Value wines that are inexpensive are much harder to find.

Heading into a holiday weekend I’ll keep this brief. The three wineries featured here all have well-established track records for making excellent wines at modest prices. Rob Griffin (Barnard Griffin) first began making wine in Washington in 1976. Now that’s a track record! Chris Dowsett (Dowsett Family) grew up among grapevines and has made wine for such top producers as Buty as well as his own brand. Matt Berson (Garageland, Love & Squalor) operates out of Portland Wine Co. – a city winery that values quality over bling. All three are out with some splendid summer wines. Let’s go!

Barnard Griffin

Barnard Griffin 2021 Riesling – As this winery enters its fifth decade, now under the guidance of second generation winemaker Megan Hughes, it remains one of the most reliable, affordable and undeniably appealing producers in the state. This is classic Washington Riesling, just slightly off-dry, fresh, forward and bursting with tree fruits. It reaches past simplicity with a lingering finish accented with citrus rind and dry stones. 12.3%; $12 (Columbia Valley) 91/100

Barnard Griffin 2022 Rosé of Sangiovese – A perennial multiple award winner, this vibrant, refreshing rosé deftly frames watermelon and strawberry fruit with juicy citrusy acids. It continues developing nuances of sandalwood and spice on through a clean, crisp finish. It's easy to see why this wine has such a rabid following year after year. Just as tasty and long-lasting when re-tasted after 24 hours. 7000 cases; 12.9%; $14 (Columbia Valley) 92/100

Barnard Griffin 2020 Rob's Red Blend – Cabernet-based, but beyond that a blend unknown, this is a softly tannic red with smooth power. It drinks a bit older than its vintage, not a bad thing for a budget bottle. A mix of berry, plum and cherry fruits, it's highlighted with notes of tobacco and coffee grounds. Balanced, seamless and instantly enjoyable, this is a perfect every day red. 4980 cases; 13.5%; $14 (Columbia Valley) 89/100

Barnard Griffin 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon – The blend is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon 8% Syrah 4% Merlot 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. It's soundly made and priced well below comparable blends from Washington. There is a piercing note of black licorice punching through the finish; otherwise mixed black fruits, a touch of espresso and lightly bitter tannins. 2940 cases; 13.5%; $17 (Columbia Valley) 88/100

Dowsett Family

Dowsett Family 2019 Columbia Gorge Gewurztraminer – Chris Dowsett now makes a pair of Gewurztraminers, both from Columbia Gorge vineyards. Here the blend includes grapes from Oak Ridge and Celilo, both planted almost four decades ago and among a handful in Washington that are dryland farmed. The cool climate tames the perfume characteristics without completely sacrificing them. Rather the aromatics support a lovely mix of lemon verbena, herbal tea, Honeycrisp apple and honeydew melon. 13.7%; $16 (Columbia Gorge) 93/100

Dowsett Family 2018 Celilo Vineyard Gewurztraminer – This dry, full-bodied wine comes from an old vine site perfectly sited for this grape. Such richness as you'll find here is exceptional, but at Celilo it is supported by tangy citrus and underlying wet stone minerality. This substantial, evocative wine begs for experimentation with food. I'm thinking black cod would be a good start. The length and power vaults this into a category usually reserved for sweet wines from Alsace, not a dry but succulent Washington wine. Bravo. 14.2%; $30 (Columbia Gorge) 94/100

Dowsett Family 2021 Aunt Diane’s Vineyard Riesling – This Riesling, winemaker Chris Dowsett explains, comes from a vineyard at 1200 feet elevation above Husum in the Columbia Gorge. Two acres of vines planted in 1980 yield just 50-100 cases a year. Sometimes. No wine was made in 2020 (smoke issues) or 2022 (bears!). This is bone dry, loaded with minerality, tart with lemon pith and rind and a big blast of grapefruit. The old vine excellent shows in the long, detailed finish as well as the overall balance, which retains the elegance of the fruit without sacrificing power. Truly a delicious dry Riesling to chill and sip on a hot summer day. 13.7%; $18 (Columbia Gorge) 93/100

Dowsett Family Georgia Rose Becklin Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé – Though labeled simply Oregon (due to Fed regs) this is a single vineyard selection from a Willamette Valley site on Pete's Mountain. It's a pale copper hue, with springtime flavors of strawberries, watermelon and a dash of wintergreen. The acids are in good balance, and the wintergreen mint resonates across and down through the finish, giving it a truly refreshing exit. 13.2%; $17 (Oregon) 91/100

Love & Squalor/Garageland

Garageland 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir – Big flavors of cherry candy, wet stone and a super fresh mouthfeel make this a summer slam dunk for sipping on your porch. The wine does indeed, as winemaker Matt Berson writes, "dance on the palate". Good texture and impressive length, along with that crisply elegant mouthfeel, make this one of the summer's best. 300 cases; 13.5%; $16 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Garageland 2021 Pinot Noir – Almost two thirds of this was sourced from Ribbon Ridge vineyards, another 20% from the nearby Laurelwood AVA. That's a high standard for such an inexpensive wine. It's a bit stiff and earthy when first opened, so give it some breathing time. The aromatics are spot on, the flavors a mix of brambly berries and savory side notes. This is a wine that will deliver a lot of depth and complexity if given the chance. 500 cases; 13.8%; $20 (Willamette Valley) 91/100

Love & Squalor 2022 'A Frayed Knot' Skin Contact Gewürztraminer – Ripe Gewürztraminer grapes turn a pretty blush color, and when given skin contact prior to pressing some of that comes through. Here it's a light apricot hue, wonderfully aromatic with the powdery floral scents for which the grape is known. Fermenting in neutral barrels has broadened the flavors, added depth and texture, and along the way inspired the wine to continue through a spontaneous secondary (malolactic) ferment. This is inspired, delicious, and unique. 100 cases; 12.5%; $25 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Love & Squalor 2022 'Walks on Gilded Splinters' Skin Contact Pinot Gris – Grapes from Dion Vineyard are on display here in a rosé style wine with a deep sunset hue. Dr. John aficionados will recognize the reference to the classic New Orleans swamp rock. Lovely texture and mouthfeel, with plenty of crisp apple and citrus fruit at the core. 100 cases; 13%; $25 (Willamette Valley) 91/100

Love & Squalor 2022 Pinot Gris – The winery has had the good fortune in 2022 to contract Dion vineyard grapes for both of its Pinot Gris. This is excellent fruit – ripe, fresh, crisp, minerally and loaded with citrus and stone flesh and skin flavors. The flavors dive down and down through the palate, clean and pure, seeming to gather focus and intensity as the wine gracefully resolves. 250 cases; 12.5%; $20 (Willamette Valley) 93/200

Love & Squalor 2022 Sauvignon Blanc – Winemaker Matt Berson credits "the Sauvignon Blanc cartel – Patty Green, Jay Somers and Andrew Rich – for helping to define this variety in Oregon (I concur) and inspiring him to continue on with it. I've long believed that this should be right up there with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling as front and center white wine grapes in the Willamette Valley. This is strikingly pure, fresh and varietal, with a hint of grassiness but none of the more extreme flavors that can turn people away. Lime, pineapple, grapefruit and lemon are all in a tangle, with defining acids all the way through the finish.185 cases; 13%; $20 (Willamette Valley) 92/200

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