INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 CORVIDAE/OWEN ROE SYRAH 'LENORE' WASHINGTON STATE $18.99

Back in with the Insider's Picks after a brief mid-Summer hiatus, with lots of fun new arrivals to show off in the coming weeks. Owen Roe is an iconic Pacific Northwest winery based in the Yakima Valley, unique in that they have achieved excellence and popularity with both Washington AND Oregon wines. Very rare to find a producer that doesn't focus on JUST the Willamette Valley or JUST Columbia River/Walla Walla/Yakima Valley to make their mark, with such a diverse range or varieties, climates, and styles to traverse. But Owen Roe is almost a unicorn in that respect, hitting winners from both red and white wines all across the spectrum. Now with their value oriented Corvidae Wine Co. (named after the crows, ravens and magpies that roam the area), they are hitting some outstanding price points for the quality in the bottle. Mostly Yakima fruit, this shows a darker, savory, almost Northern Rhone type profile that almost never gets approached at this price point, with lots of cocoa-dusted blackberry and black cherry aromas from the get-go. The palate is very bright and finely tannic, still with lots of dark fruit flavors but finishing with some tart cherry skin flavored energy. Quality, diversity, AND value; Owen Roe can do it all.

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