Washington State Wine Competition brings two "Best of Class" awards
The 36th Washington State Wine Competition was staged Friday, June 21, on the Grandview campus of Yakima Valley College in the heart of Washington wine country. From 1980 through 2015, the judging was held in conjunction with the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima. Starting in 2017, the judging is owned and operated by Great Northwest Wine, a media company based in Richland, Wash, and the competition also serves as a fundraiser for the next generation of Washington winemakers, as proceeds from the judging create a scholarship at Yakima Valley College’s winemaking program. This year’s 342 entries are the most for the Washington State Wine Competition since Great Northwest Wine took over the judging.
Maryhill Winery dominated the Washington State Wine Competition by amassing nine gold medals, led by a double gold and best of class for Richard Batchelor’s 2017 Viognier and a best of class for the 2016 Merlot from Les Collines Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley.
The work with the $19 Viognier is particularly impressive considering that at 6,000 cases it is the Pacific Northwest’s largest bottling of the white Rhône variety.
In May, Batchelor became the three-time winner of the INDY International Wine Competition’s Winemaker of the Year Award, the judging staged on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He followed that up in Grandview with gold for his work with Barbera, Chardonnay, Mourvèdre, the Super Tuscan-inspired Tavolo Rosso, two expressions of Syrah from the 2016 vintage and the Pinot Gris-based Winemaker’s White, wine available at many restaurants by the glass.
Best of class/double gold medal
Maryhill Winery 2017 Viognier, Columbia Valley $19
Best of class/gold medal
Maryhill Winery 2016 Les Collines Merlot, Wahluke Slope $38
Gold medal
Maryhill Winery 2016 McKinley Springs Mourvèdre, Horse Heaven Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Barbera, Columbia Valley $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Tavolo Rosso, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Syrah, Columbia Valley $27.00
Maryhill Winery 2017 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $17.00
Maryhill Winery 2017 Winemaker’s White, Columbia Valley $16.00
Silver medal
Maryhill Winery 2016 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley $27.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $30.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Clifton Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Eagle Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $36.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Cabernet Franc, Rattlesnake Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Carménère, Rattlesnake Hills $46.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Merlot, Rattlesnake Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Mourvèdre, Rattlesnake Hills $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Sangiovese, Rattlesnake Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Kiona Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain $51.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Kiona Vineyards Merlot, Red Mountain $44.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Kiona Vineyards Petite Sirah, Yakima Valley $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Les Collines Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Les Collines Syrah, Wahluke Slope $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 McKinley Springs Cinsaut, Horse Heaven Hills $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 McKinley Springs Petit Verdot, Horse Heaven Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Merlot, Columbia Valley $21.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Northridge Vineyard Syrah, Wahluke Slope $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Painted Hills Tempranillo, Yakima Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $46.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, Columbia Valley $42.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Malbec, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Merlot, Columbia Valley $36.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Rosso Granto, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $36.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Serendipity, Columbia Valley $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Proprietor’s Reserve Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $46.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Zinfandel, Columbia Valley $16.00
Maryhill Winery 2017 Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay, Columbia Valley $31.00
Maryhill Winery 2017 Winemaker’s Red, Columbia Valley $16.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Proprietor’s Reserve Albariño, Columbia Valley $25.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Proprietor’s Reserve Rosé, Columbia Valley $25.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $17.00
Bronze medal
Maryhill Winery 2016 Elephant Mountain Marvell GSM, Rattlesnake Hills $46.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Malbec, Columbia Valley $27.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 McKinley Springs Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills $46.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 McKinley Springs Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills $38.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Painted Hills Primitivo, Yakima Valley $30.00
Maryhill Winery 2016 Sangiovese, Columbia Valley $27.00
Maryhill Winery 2017 Proprietor’s Reserve Roussanne, Columbia Valley $22.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Muscat di Canelli, Columbia Valley $17.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, Columbia Valley $17.00
Maryhill Winery 2018 Sèmillon, Columbia Valley $15.00