While many of you know of our weekly “work” tasting wine with winemakers, distributors, importers and others on our endless quest to find the best wines for our customers, from time to time we also receive packages of wine to review. We recently received a three-pack to taste and review from Maryhill Winery, one of the most prominent in neighboring Washington State. In reading through some of the press releases that accompanied my tasty three-pack, I learned that just this past weekend, the winery celebrated its 15th anniversary.

Their production of 80,000 cases, big by Washington standards, is all handled at their winery in the Columbia Gorge. If you haven’t been to the winery, it commands one of the most stunning locations in all of Washington, sitting high above the Columbia River across from Biggs Junction, Oregon. One of the things we always admire about Maryhill is how generous the owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold are, always contributing nicely to the Hospice of North Idaho Wine Taste fundraiser each year.

We currently carry both the Cabernet Franc and the Reserve Zinfandel here at the shop. Head winemaker Richard Batchelor crafts a broad array of wines, but we have found the “Franc” to be one of the best values of its varietal from all of the Northwest, and the Zinfandel is just plain delicious by any standard. The “Zin” is even more impressive given that I don’t always consider it to be a varietal best suited for the appellations of the Northwest. Maryhill’s combination of great fruit from some of the state’s best vineyards, impeccable vineyard management, and superb winemaking all contribute to their award-winning history and some fabulous wines.

In our three-pack, we received the 2015 rosé of Sangiovese, 2014 Viognier and 2011 Cabernet Franc. Our affinity for dry rosé is evident to readers and customers alike, and the pink wine from Maryhill did not disappoint. Grown and harvested with rosé in mind, the wine is a lovely pale pink color with a hint of coral hue in the glass. The wine is bone dry and unoaked, as it should be. The nose is a mélange of crushed spring strawberries backed by wet stone mineral notes. The palate shows flavors of strawberries layered with ripe watermelon. The wine has lovely weight given the color, and finishes cleanly and crisply, exactly what we want from rosé. We will be adding it to the shelf.

The 2014 Viognier is well made and nicely assembled. The fruit is vibrant and rich, as is typical of Viognier, exhibiting all of the peach and nectarine flavors. I feel, though, that the use of oak barrel staves during ageing diminishes the wine. The profile on the palate includes sweet oak and sweet tannin, so while the wine is again very well made, I feel some of the fruit is masked and the acid backbone that can keep the richness of Viognier in check is diminished.

The 2011 Cabernet Franc was all I had remembered and more, it is stunning and an unrivaled value at $20. The quality of the wine is even more impressive when you consider that 2011 was one of the most challenging vintages ever for the appellations of the Western US. The 100 percent varietal composition is also stunning, as the wine fills the entire palate, when Franc is known for mid-palate concentration and can frequently lack in finish. Not this one. The wine shows duty violets and hints of bell pepper on the nose, just what I love about Cabernet Franc. Red fruit flavors dominate the palate, with raspberry and red Friar plum notes throughout. The finish is very filled out, with notes of cassis and just the right amount of brown spice from oak barrel ageing balanced between new and neutral barrels.

In the nine years we have had the shop, we have tasted through most of the wide-ranging portfolio that Maryhill produces. We have always found the wines to be expertly crafted, and notwithstanding the normal preferential differences in winemaking decisions, have felt they are not only great wines but are compellingly priced up and down the scale.

Their anniversary this past weekend is a great milestone. We anticipate many more great vintages for them that no doubt we (and all wine consumers in North Idaho) will enjoy!

If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2 You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.