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It's a rare opportunity to find bargains when it comes to platinum-award wines, but that's what happened with the recent Wine Press Northwest "Best of the Best" judging.

Two Barnard Griffin reds and two Chateau Ste. Michelle rieslings in the $12 to $17 range received platinums.

The Wine Press Northwest magazine judging involved 280 wines. All had won a gold medal or an "outstanding" award in judging earlier in the year in tastings ranging from the Los Angeles County Fair to the Northwest Wine Summit at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

To even be considered, these wines must have shown extraordinary qualities to a wide range of judges.

The Wine Press judges who assembled in Kennewick in late October for the face-off included Dan Berger of Santa Rosa, Calif., who is a wine writer and author of wine books, and Parks Redwine of Atlanta, Ga., an international wine broker and collector and director of the Wine Summit judging at Mt. Hood.

Also on the panel were Coke Roth of Richland, who has 30 years of experience in the wine business, and Ken Robertson, executive editor of the Tri-City Herald, who also dabbles in wine writing and making homemade sparkling wines.

Moderating the panel were Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman, the editor and managing editor of Wine Press, which in its 10-year history has become the dominant Pacific Northwest wine publication. Considering that all of those involved are devotees of Pacific Northwest-styled wines, you can take their recommendations to the bank, or to the wine outlets.

And another good thing, according to Perdue, is most of these wines, if not all, are still available.

Let's go first with the bargain double platinum wines, which means the judges had to be unanimous in their award.

Barnard Griffin 2005 cabernet sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $17 -- Can often be found in the $14 range. Youthful, fruity and very approachable. Black currant and sweet herb aromas and flavors of ripe plums, black olives and more currants.

Maryhill Winery 2006 rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley, $14 -- Sangiovese makes a terrific rosé and this is at the top. Bold flavors of raspberries and cherries with sweet spice aromas. Deliciously dry.

Next, let's go to the bargain platinum awards, which means a majority of the judges voted for a platinum.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 dry riesling, Columbia Valley, $12 -- Can be found now at various outlets in the $5 to $6 range. A tremendous food wine, fruity with floral and orchard fruit components and dry to match with a wide variety of foods.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Indian Wells riesling, Columbia Valley, $14 -- A little bit harder to find, go to the website. Sweeter at 2.5 percent residual sugar, great with food or by itself offering flavors of ripe peaches, oranges and ripe pears.

Barnard Griffin 2005 merlot, Columbia Valley, $17 -- Also can be found for a few dollars less at many outlets. Winemaker Rob Griffin has been making delicious merlots for decades and this one is special with cherry and spice aromas and ultrasmooth flavors mostly of more cherries.

Domaine Ste. Michelle nonvintage blanc de noirs, Columbia Valley, $12 -- This was my wine of the year for 2007. Effervescent strawberries with a hint of citrus make for a memorable drink.

Kiona Vineyard Winery 2006 chenin blanc, Columbia Valley, $10 -- I've loved chenin blanc for years and this one really delivers in aroma and taste. Think pears and peaches with some sweet herbs.

Thurston Wolfe 2005 Dr. Wolfe's Family Red, Washington, $15 -- An unusual blend of primotivo, an Italian zinfandel type grape, petit sirah and zinfandel gives you an Italian-style red that's great with pasta or pizza.

Tamarack Cellars 2005 Firehouse Red, Columbia Valley, $20 -- Another of my favorites for 2007. It's an artful blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, cabernet franc, sangiovese, carmenere and malbec.

Now let's go back to the double platinums, where three Walla Walla wineries in the higher price range were awarded this coveted designation.

Dunham Cellars 2005 syrah, Columbia Valley, $40 -- Dunham syrahs have long been sought after for their quality, and this is no exception. Plums, leather, chocolate with dark cherries and a pinch of black pepper make for a wonderful drink.

Otis Kenyon Wine 2005 Seven Hills reserve merlot, Walla Walla Valley, $40 -- A newer Walla Walla winery's merlot that is rich, bright and very flavorful, fill of berries and sweet oak.

Saviah Cellars 2005 syrah, Red Mountain, $30 -- A big juicy, smooth syrah with jammy blackberries, black olives and Rainier cherries.

Other regional wineries that won single platinums included:

Covey Run Winery, 2005 reserve semillon ice wine, Yakima Valley, $22 -- Fresh apples and apricot aromas lead to a honey sweet smell of figs, limes and orange zest.

Gamache Vintners 2004 syrah, Columbia Valley, $28 -- Luscious and sexy with aromas of blackberries and flavors of dark fruit laced with chocolate.

 
Bob Woehler, a retired Herald staff writer, has been writing a column about wines of the Pacific Northwest since 1978. Send him e-mail at bwoehler@charter.net.

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