The August issue of Seattle Magazine is the annual wine issue, including the 2012 Washington Wine Awards. I was on the survey panel which nominated the candidates for each award. So I was interested to learn the final winners. I did not vote for all of the winners, but have no problems with the outcomes. All the winners are truly deserving of the awards bestowed upon them. Here are my comments on each category.

White Wine of the Year: Dowsett Family 2010 Celilo Vineyard Gewurztraminer, Columbia Gorge ($22) - Chris Dowsett makes some of the best Gewurztraminers in the state, and his 2010 is exceptional (19/20 points, August 2011 issue of the Review of Washington Wines). The 2010 is sold out, but the 2011 vintage is even better. It will be reviewed in the August issue (19.5 points).

Red Wine of the Year: Betz Family Winery 2009 Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($65) - I missed reviewing this wine; it sold out quickly. But Bob Betz is an outstanding winemaker, and all his wines that I have reviewed have scored 19 or more points.

Best Emerging Winery: Reynvaan Family Vineyards - The Reynvaans (Mike, Gale, son, Matt, and daughters Amanda and Angela Reynvaan Garatt) have been going from strength to strength with each vintage since 2007. See the February 2012 issue for reviews of the winery's 2010's.

Winemaker of the Year: Ben Smith, Cadence - There is no doubt that Ben Smith (and partner, wife Gaye McNutt) have produced outstanding wines that add luster to the Red Mountain AVA. There will be reviews of Cadence's four 2008's in the August issue of the Review.

Winemaker to Watch: Anna Schafer, àMaurice - Anna Schafer has been crafting distinctive wines, from the winery's estate vineyard and other sources. Malbec is a specialty, having worked at Paul Hobbes's Vina Cobos winery in Argentina. See the July issue for reviews of the current àMaurice releases.

Sommelier of the Year: Erik Liedholm, John Howie Restaurants - We don't eat out often, so I don't know Erik Liedholm personally, but his reputation and credentials are impeccable.

Emerging Varietal: Mourvèdre - I voted for Petit Verdot as the emerging varietal, but agree that Mourvèdre is an up and coming variety. A couple of noteworthy Mourvèdres reviewed recently are the 2010 Rasa Vineyards "Vox Populi" (19/20 points - July) and the 2009 Hollywood Hills Vineyards (18.5 points - January).

Community Service Award: Rick Small & Darcey Fugman-Small, Woodward Canyon - Rick and Darcey have supported numerous organizatons and served on numerous boards. Their support means a lot to so many.

Coolest Wine Label: Stevens Winery - No doubt about it, the ghost-like vines hanging on lines on the winery's "424" Red blend is cool creativity.

Vineyard of the Year: Champoux Vineyards - Paul Champoux's grapes, planted starting in 1972, are the backbone of some stellar wines, including Andrew Will's Sorella and Woodward Canyon's Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon.

Red Wines Winners in the Review of Washington Wines:

Merlot over $20: Abeja 2009 Columbia Valley (19 points - December 2011)

Cabernet Franc, all prices: Walla Walla Vintners 2009 Columbia Valley (18.5 points - June 2011)

Cabernet Sauvignon over $20: Abeja 2008 Columbia Valley (19+ points - December 2011)

Red Rhone style wine, all prices: Betz Family Winery 2009 Besoleil (19+ points - May 2011)

Red Bordeaux style blend, all prices:  Betz Family Winery 2009 Clos de Betz (19 points - May 2012)

White Wines Winners in the Review of Washington Wines:

Chardonnay over $20: Tranche Cellars 2006 Columbia Gorge. The 2006 is sold out, but the exceptional 2008 was reviewed in the March 2012 issue (19 points).

Viognier, all prices: William Church 2010 Columbia Valleu (18.5 points - August 2011)

White Bordeaux-style, all prices: Cadaretta 2010 SBS (18+ points - July 2011). The 2010 is sold out, but the 2011 vintage scored 18.5 points in the June 2012 issue.

Now that summer is finally upon us, here are some new and interesting Rosés that make for a change of pace from the usual semi-sweet bubble gum flavored stuff. Some of these are in limited supply and/or available only at the wineries.

2011 Juliette's Dazzle Pinot Grigio Rosé, Horse Heaven Hills ($15)

The back label states: "A special block of Pinot Grigio at the Benches Vineyard was left to hang until it developed a bright tint then slowly fermented it to a deliciously dry rosé wine." Made at Long Shadows, it displays a pink salmon color and intriguing aromas of Rainer cherry, pear-apple, mandarin orange blossoms and jasmine. The mystique continues on the palate with a bright mixture of red and white fruits, accented by notes of Horse Heaven minerals and crisp, juicy fruit acids. 18+/20 points.

2011 Sparkman Cellars "this old porch" Rosé, Columbia Valley ($22)

This is another unusual Rosé in that it is composed of 75% Malbec, with 15% Syrah and 5% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre. It displays a copper-pink color and intriguing aromas of strawberry, watermelon and guava, with scents of mandarin orange blossoms. The flavors are juicy, yet dry, with notes of nectarine pit and melon rind on a crisp finish. 18+/20 points.

2011 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Rosé, Yakima Valley ($23)

Composed of 63% Grenache and 37% Mourvèdre, this is made in the manner of a dry Rosé from the south of France. Pale salmon colored, it emits aromas of raspberries and red currants, with whiffs of lavender and incense. The flavors are full and dry, with notes of tangerine peel, grape skin, minerals and light spice, followed by a bone dry finish. 18.5/20 points.

Below are Rosé wines that have been reviewed in previous issues of the Review of Washington Wines.

2011 Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley ($12) 17.5/20 points (May)

2011 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rosé, Horse Heaven Hills ($19) 18/20 points (May)

2011 Syncline Cellars Rosé, Columbia Valley ($18) 18/20 points (May)

2011 Renegade Wine Co. Rosé, Columbia Valley ($10) 17.5/20 points (June)

2011 Fjellene Cellars Rosé, Columbia Valley ($16) - 18/20 points (June)

2011 Tranche Cellars Pink Pape, Columbia Valley ($17) - 18+/20 points (June)

2011 Tertulia Cellars Rosé of Mourvedre, Yakima Valley, Lonesome Spring Vineyard ($16) - 18/20 points (July)

2011 Maison Bleue "La Famille" Rosé of Mourvedre, Yakima Valley ($20) - 19/20 points  (July)

:Nota Bene Cellars Wine Club Sale

On Saturday, July 14, :Nota Bene Cellars is offering three of its 2007's at half price - $17.50, instead of $35 - for its Wine Club members. It will be worth your driving down to Seattle's South Park district to sign up for a club membership. The winery, located at 9320 15th Ave. South, Unit CC, will be open from 1 to 5. The wines, which were reviewed in the November 2010 issue of the Review of Washington Wines, are:

2007 :Nota Bene Cellars Conner Lee Vineyard Red, Columbia Valley - 18.5/20 points

2007 :Nota Bene Cellars Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red, Red Mountain - 19/20 points

2007 :Nota Bene Cellars Syrah, Red Mountain, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard (not reviewed, but should be at least 18.5/20 points)

Also, I should bring to your attention the 2009 Verhey Vineyard Malbec (18.5/20 points, and one of the best values in Washington Malbec I've seen) which will be reviewed in the August issue. It was originally priced at $25 a bottle, but has gone up to $30. If you buy it now, you will still get the lower price.

Lynn and I have known LeaAnn Nelson Hughes for a few years, starting not long after we bought a second home in Walla Walla in 2008. Recently, we were invited to visit her Patina Vineyard, planted, with her late husband, Pat, in 1996. A date for the visit was arranged and in mid June, we drove south of town, reaching Patina Vineyard down at the end of the gravelled private road.

There, we met LeaAnn and took a walking tour of the 4.5 acre Patina Vineyard. It is planted in a neat rectangle with a south exposure, all composed of Syrah, a sun-loving variety. The soil is a combination of gravelly silt and loam on what was once the bed of Cottonwood Creek, before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diverted the creek to its present course. As we walked along the rows, we saw healthy vines that has survived the freezes of 2004 and 2010. The vineyard is dry farmed.

Today, LeaAnn continues to supervise the maintenance of the vines, the harvesting, and the sale of the grapes to select wineries. Part of the crop goes to Otis Kenyon which produces a Syrah blend from Patina and Stellar, and to Adamant Cellars for its Spofford Station/Patina blend. Limited single vineyard bottlings have been produced by Otis Kenyon and Stephenson Cellars (Dave Stephenson is the winemaker for his own winery and Otis Kenyon), Tertulia, Sapolil and Reininger. As early as 2000, grapes from Patina won the first Double Gold for a Walla Walla Syrah in a San Francisco wine competition that was made by Mark Colvin of Colvin Vineyards.

To me, in tasting, the Patina fruit brings to wines a ripe berried (blueberry and currant) flavor profile, along with a gravelly minerality that gives distinctiveness to the varietal character of the Syrah grape. The vineyard expresses true terroir-driven qualities.

After our vineyard tour, we settled down on chairs in the shade of the English walnut trees, and savored a 2006 Stephenson Cellars Patina Vineyard Syrah that was maturing nicely, with its "patina" of earth and gravel imbued ripe fruit flavors, along with LeaAnn's delicious rosemary shortbread, a fitting conclusion to a wonderful visit.

See the Review of Washington Wines Facebook page for pictures of our visit to the Patina Vineyard.

I have just completed compiling the wine reviews for January through June 2012. Some subscribers have asked for a search database for finding reviews by winery, something that is not currently available in the Review of Washington Wines. So, in response, I have listed all the wines reviewed during the first six months in alphabetical order. A link to this list can be found on your subcription page: Your Membership Information (the one that appears after your login). Click on "Wines Reviewed January - June 2012"underneath "Newsletter Archive," and the list will appear (I suggest printing out a copy for your use in searching the previous issues). To find the review for a particular wine, go to the issue for the month in which the wine was reviewed and then scroll down until the review is found. I wish I could give you an easier way, but this is the best I can do unless I were to raise my subscription rates. Below is a listing of wines in the categories that may be of the most interest. Some of these wines may be sold out.

The 20/20 Points Wines

2009 Adams Bench Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, Mays Discovery Vineyard ($52) - April

2003 Reininger "Desiderata" Red Blend, Walla Walla Valley ($120) - January

2010 Reynvaan Family Vineyards "Stonessence" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley (Futures $65) - February

2007 Tero Estates Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Windrow Vineyard ($90) - January

The 19.5/20 Points Wines

2009 Adams Bench "the V" Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($49) - April

2007 Boudreaux Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($100) - May

2009 Buty "Rediviva of the Stones" Red, Walla Walla Valley ($60) - June

2008 Brian Carter Cellars "One" Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Klipsun Vineyard ($48) - January

2007 Corliss Syrah, Columbia Valley ($55) - June

2009 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red, Red Mountain ($70) - April

2009 DeLille Cellars Harrison Hill Red, Snipes Mountain ($70) - April

2008 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley ($89) - May

2008 Figgins Estate Red, Walla Walla Valley ($85) - May

2006 Force Majeure "Collaboration Series" Ptera Red Wine, Red Mountain, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard ($45) - February

2009 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley ($45) - June

2008 L'Ecole No. 41 "Perigee" Estate Red, Walla Walla Valley, Seven Hills Vineyard ($49) - March

2008 L'Ecole No. 41 "Apogee" Red, Walla Walla Valley, Pepper Bridge Vineyard ($49) - March

2008 Northstar Merlot, Walla Walla Valley ($50) - February

2008 Pamplin Family Winery Proprietary Red, Columbia Valley ($50) - April

2009 Rasa Vineyards "Doctrina Perpetua" Syrah, Columbia Valley, Bacchus Vineyard, Block 5 (Futures $48) - Feb.

2009 Rasa Vineyards "Plus One" Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Kiona Vineyard (Futures $65) - February

2009 Rasa Vineyards "Perfect Union" Red Blend, Columbia Valley (Futures $75) - February

2010 Reynvaan Family Vineyards "In the Rocks" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley (Futures $50) - February

2010 Reynvaan Family Vineyards "The Contender" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley (Futures $60) - February

2009 Sleight of Hand Cellars "The Illusionist" Red, Columbia Valley ($45) - June

2010 Sleight of Hand Cellarz "The Funkadelic" Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Funk Vineyard ($60) - June

2010 Tenor Sauvignon Banc, Columbia Valley ($48) - April

2009 Waters Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, Forgotten Hills Vineyard ($60) - February

2009 Woodward Canyon "Dedication Series" Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State ($79) - May

Wines Scoring 19 Points for $40 or Less

2009 Amavi Cellars Syrah, Walla Walla Valley ($29) - February

2010 Bookwalter "Double Plot" Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, Conner Lee Vineyard ($38) - February

2009 Bookwalter "Foreshadow" Merlot, Columbia Valley ($40) - February

2010 Ch. Ste. Michelle-Dr. Loosen "Eroica" Riesling, Columbia Valley ($25) - February

2009 Flying Trout "Cutthroat" Red Blend, Columbia Valley ($35) - January

2009 Flying Trout "Mary's Block" Malbec, Walla Walla Valley ($39) - June

2009 Gramercy Cellars "Inigo Montoya" Tempranillo, Walla Walla Valley ($40) - June

2009 JB Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Artz Vineyard ($33) - May

2009 JB Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, DuBrul Vineyard ($33) - May

2008 Kontos Cellars "Caimbry" Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, Pepper Bridge Vineyard ($40) - March

2009 Kontos Cellars "LeeVeLooLee" Malbec, Wahluke Slope, Stone Tree Vineyard ($40) - April

2009 L'Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley ($36) - March

2009 Matthews Syrah, Columbia Valley ($39) - February

2009 Otis Kenyon Carmenere, Horse Heaven Hills ($40) - April

2006 Page Cellars Syrah, Red Mountain, Klipsun Vineyard ($37) - January

2010 Rotie Cellars Southern Red, Columbia Valley ($40) - May

2010 Rotie Cellars Northern Red, Columbia Valley ($40) - May

2008 Seven Hills Cebernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, Klipsun Vineyard ($35) - March

2010 Sleight of Hand Cellars "The Enchantress" Chardonnay, Yakima Valley ($28) - June

2009 Stella Fino Sangiovese, Yakima Valley, Les Vignes de Marcoux ($29) - April

2009 Tapteil Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($40) - June

2008 Tero Estates Petit Verdot, Walla Walla Valley, Les Collines Vineyard ($37) - March

2009 Tero Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain ($37) - June

2008 Tranche Cellars Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge ($30) - March

2007 Tranche Cellars Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley ($40) - April

Wines Scoring 18.5 Points for $25 or Less

2010 Airfield Estates Tempranillo, Yakima Valley ($25) - May

2009 Angel Vine Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, Stone Tree Vineyard ($20) - May

2009 Balboa Estate Syrah, Walla Walla Valley ($25) - March

2010 Bunnell Family Cellar Viognier, Wahluke Slope, Clifton Vineyard ($22) - June

2008 Buried Cane "Heartwood" Red Wine, Columbia Valley ($25) - February

2011 Cadaretta "SBS" White, Columbia Valley ($23) - June

2011 Convergence Zone "Drizzle" Pinot Gris, Red Mountain, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard ($17) - January

2009 Dunham Cellars Riesling, Columbia Valley, Lewis Vineyard ($19.50) - January

2010 El Corazon "With Love" Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills ($23) - March

2010 Maison Bleue "Jaja" Red Wine, Yakima Valley ($25) - May

2008 McKinley Springs Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills ($24) - May

2009 Stella Fino Sangiovese, Columbia Valley ($20) - April

2009 Thurston Wolfe Malbec, Horse Heaven Hills ($25) - June

2008 Thurston Wolfe Cabernet Sauvignon, Snipes Mountain, Upland Vineyard ($25) - June

2008 Tranche Cellars Estate Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley ($25) - April

2009 Wind Rose Cellars Nebbiolo, Wahluke Slope, 24K Vineyard ($25) - May