Locati Cellars Winery, Walla Walla

Locati Cellars' 2009 sangiovese red infuses Rosebud Vineyard’s sangiovese—from Wahluke Slope—with fruit from Walla Walla’s Mission Hills Vineyards. The hybrid result earned silver medals in the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition and the 2012 Seattle Wine Awards, with its pomegranate and cranberry scents that complement blueberry, black tea, and chocolate flavors.

The sangiovese is just one of the vintages sommeliers pour for tasting at the Locati Cellars, helmed by the Locati family for the past century. The winery rounds out its selection with the bone-dry Estate rosé and whites, such as the 2012 pinot grigio, rather than the original white wine—fermented grapes mixed with paper. The winemaking team strives to blend Italian winemaking traditions with grapes from the winery’s vineyards, which occupy Walla Walla’s rolling, fertile hills. Locati Cellars has won a number of accolades for their wine, such as gold for their 2009 Locati Innovation from Seattle Wine Awards, and gold for their 2009 Estate Sangiovese from the Great Northwest Wine Competition.