Washington's 30 most exciting wines of 2019

Each year for the last 10 years, I have had the pleasure of writing Seattle Metropolitan magazine's annual wine issue. For the first eight years, this was a Top 100 list of Washington's best wines.

Last year, we revamped the list to "Washington's 30 most exciting wines." This year's list, which is in the October issue of the magazine due out shortly but available on-line, is in the same vein, though it is titled "30 Washington wines to drink right now" (albeit with a category on cellar-worthy wines).

This list was created from over 1,600 wines sampled. I picked wines that stood out and then, having done so, organized them into various lists. This year, those lists looked as follows:

- High acid white wines
- Wines to cellar (or decant)
- Up and comers: Wines from exciting new producers, regions, or varieties
- Evergreen releases: Wines that are consistently top quality but hit an especially high mark this year
- Exceptional values
- Local singularities: Wines that are redefining the way that wines are made or styles are thought about in Washington

Additionally there are a series of other articles I wrote. These include a profile on Savage Grace, a look at Pet-Nat, instrumental Washington wineries through the decades (focusing on the '9s), three great wines that are hard to get your hands on, and three under $20 wines that over-perform.

Enjoy!

Picture courtesy of Seattle Metropolitan