2018 Patton Valley Vineyard Pepper Bridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Screwcap)

Patton Valley Vineyard was founded in the 1990s by Dave Chen and Monte Pitt, a pair of wine lovers who were classmates in business school in Chicago in the 1980s. They spent their spare time visiting the city’s wine shops and dreaming of someday having their own winery. After earning their graduate degrees, Chen moved to Oregon and became looking for property for an estate. Eventually the pair bought a 72-acre abandoned fruit orchard in Gaston. In 1997 the first vineyards were planted and the estate’s first commercial release was the 1999 vintage. Today the estate has 24 acres of vineyards planted entirely to Pinot Noir. Of note is the fact that the estate has been dry farmed since 1999 and it has earned a certificate of sustainability from Low Input Viticulture and Enology, a non-profit that advocates for and monitors sustainable viticulture practices. Also of note is the fact that since 2007 all Patton Valley wines have been bottled with screwcaps, a practice the estate says improves the ageability of its wines. Derek Einberger is winemaker.

Walla Walla Valley AVA likes to call itself the Napa Valley of Washington, and given the concentration of well-reviewed wineries in the appellation, the comparison is understandable. The Walla Walla appellation is comprised of 340,000 acres, of which 1,200 acres are vineyards. Walla Walla is located in the southeastern corner of Washington and it extends slightly into northeastern Oregon. It is named after the Walla Walla River Valley, and the city of Walla Walla is the commercial center of Washington’s wine industry. The city was founded in the 1840s by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a trading post, but as early as the 1850s farmers were planting grapes for winemaking. Prohibition shuttered winemaking in the early 20th century, but a winemaking renaissance started in the 1970s when Leonetti Cellars, still one of the state’s most acclaimed wineries, started producing acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon. Walla Walla’s AVA status was awarded in 1984 and today there are more than 100 wineries. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese Chardonnay and Viognier.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.