REGION: Washington

A joint venture between winemakers Charles Bieler and Charles Smith - C&C is tribute to the terroir of the Columbia Valley. Their rose made the brand famous, but C&C produces several great value wines from throughout the Columbia and Yakima Valleys.

Josh Phelps was raised in a winemaking family; his father worked at the famed Cha?teau Petrus in Bordeaux, as well as Napa icons Dominus and Caymus, and eventually started his own label, Ad Vivum. Josh built his knowledge of the wine business through selling, working harvests, and making wine with his father for fun. With Grounded Wine Co., Josh aims to build on this legacy by leveraging his close relationships with trusted farmers and building a grassroots, all-American wine label. He has sourced fruit from trusted farmers throughout Napa Valley and Columbia Valley, and is now expanding into the Willamette Valley as well. He makes ‘Steady State’ and ‘Collusion’ – two Cabernet Sauvignons hailing from Napa Valley and Columbia Valley, respectively as well as ‘Public Radio’ Red Blend from Paso Robles and ‘Space Age’ Rose?, sourced from the Central Coast.

Hors Cate?gorie by Christophe Baron was planted in 2011 on the steep slope along the north bank of the Walla Walla River. The Syrah vines cling to the hillside beneath ragged cliffs and surrounded by rocky outcroppings, and their roots struggle for nourishment in the fractured basalt. An absolutely unique and rare terroir in America, Hors Cate?gorie is a treasure of American Syrah.

Christophe Baron, founder of Cayuse and Horsepower Vineyards, is the oldest son of the centuries-old Champagne house, Baron Albert, where horses did all of the vineyard cultivation as recently as 1957. Horsepower represents a return to that time - the simplicity of craftsmanship and purpose that has been largely lost in modern winemaking. It’s a window to the Old World in the New World. And yes, all farming is powered by horse.

Since 1984, winemaker Mike Januik has driven Washington state wine innovation. Since leaving Chateau St Michelle in 1999 to start out on his own, Mike, joined by his son Andrew in 2011, have crafted acclaimed, exceptional, and limited-release wines from Washington's top and most historic vineyards.