Here are some local selections that have won various acclaim and awards from around the country for being great wines. Look into these the next time you're in search for a new bottle of wine.

Winery: Robert Karl Cellars
Location: Spokane, WA
Wine: 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Horse Heaven Hills
Price: $24.00

Awards/Accolades:
Wine & Spirit Rating - 93 points
Bronze Medal, San Francisco International Wine Competition

Industry Comments:
This is a generous and warm cabernet drawn mostly from Horse Heaven Hills vineyards, including Alder Ridge, Andrews, and Phinny Hill Vineyard (adjacent to Champoux.) It has a dark, rich core of plum flavor, but there’s a fresh gush coursing through the wine, glancing off the warm caramel oak tones, black cherries and deep, dark, gripping tannins. After a day it becomes spicier, with beguiling, savory carrot cake spices, more generous and yet every bit as precise in the glass. A prime rib wine.

Winery: Chateau Saint Michelle
Location: Woodinville, WA
Wine: 2004 Eroica Riesling
Region: Yakima Valley & Horse Heaven
Price: $25.00

Awards/Accolades:
Wine Spectator Rating - 91 points
Wine Advocate - "finest dry riesling I've tasted from the US..."

Industry Comments:
Eroica delivers a unique combination of tangerine, grapefruit and pear aromas characteristic of Washington state Riesling, melded with the slate and spice notes and lively acidity associated with German Riesling. We believe we took an extra step toward the Germanic style with added minerality and exceptional refinement in this year’s blend.

Winery: Columbia Crest
Wine: Paterson, WA
Wine: 2002 Walter Clore Private Reserve
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $35.00

Awards/Accolades:
Wine Spectator - 93 Points

Industry Comments:
Polished, lithe and seductive, its ripe currant and blueberry fruit shaded nicely with peppery, creamy oak notes that still let the fruit persist beautifully through the long, silky finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Winery: Whitman Cellars
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Wine: 2002 Narcissa Red Wine
Region: Walla Walla Valley
Price: $24.00

Awards/Accolades:
Wine and Spirits - 94 Points
Beverage Testing Institute - 88 points (Highly Recommended)
Northwest Wine Summit - SILVER

Industry Comments:
This Bordeaux style blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc aged 18 months in French and American oak is robust in flavor with black currant, cherry, chocolate, tobacco, coffee and black pepper. Enjoy this wine with red meat or tomato-based dishes for the next five years.

Winery: Barrister Winery
Location: Spokane, WA
Wine: 2003 Cabernet Franc
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $24.00

Awards/Accolades:
Best of Show - Northwest Wine Summit

Industry Comments:
It's brimming with enticing aromas of oak and juicy cherries and berries, including ripe Bing cherries. Very rich with a long, long finish.

Winery: Camaraderie Cellars
Location: Port Angeles, WA
Wine: 2002 Grace - Red Table Wine
Price: $32.00

Awards/Accolades:
Double Gold - 2005 San Francisco International Wine Competition

Winery: Barnard Griffin Winery
Location: Richland, WA
Wine: 2003 Handcrafted Syrah
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $30.00

Awards/Accolades:
Gold/Best of Class - 2005 L.A. County Fair Wines of the World Competition

Industry Comments:
Bright and crisp, with pure blackberry and spice flavors that persist on the lively finish.

Winery: Three Rivers Winery
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Wine: 2003 Columbia Valley Meritage White
Region: Columbia Valley
Price: $19.00

Awards/Accolades:
Best of Class and Gold Medal - 2005 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Industry Comments:
Full in the mouth with a sweet sensation. Lemons, grapefruit zest and sweet vanilla aromas and flavors are presented in a creamy package.

Winery: Sawtooth Winery
Location: Nampa, Idaho
Wine: 2002 Sawtooth Vinyard Syrah
Price: $15.00

Awards/Accolades:
Gold - 2005 Riverside International Wine Competition

Industry Comments:
Soft, plummy and grapey fruit is overwhelmed by heavy-handed toast, turning a little charry in the end.

Winery: Lost Mountain Winery
Location: Sequim, WA
Wine: 2002 Columbia Valley Merlot
Price: $18.00

Awards/Accolades:
Double Gold - 2005 Grand Harvest Awards

Industry Comments:
Penetrating aromas and flavors of jammy berries and anise with ripe cherries, toasty oak, spice, and vanilla.

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