Great Northwest Wine
November 7, 2019

The 2019 Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition will be remembered for the domination of the Alexandria Nicole Cellars 2018 Shepherds Mark White Wine, a beautiful and fascinating blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier.

Of the 17 judges who voted on the best-of-show round, all but one of them raised a hand for the wine produced in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills with grape varieties native to the Rhône Valley in France.

“Hey, that ain’t bad. Sixteen out of 17 – make sure you put that in your story!” quipped winemaker Jarrod Boyle, who owns Alexandria Nicole Cellars with his marketing-savvy wife, Alexandria, aka Ali.

Shepherds Mark is a wine the Boyles have been producing for 15 years, and it has ranked as their flagship white for much of that time. Jarrod’s deft touch with blending allows him to adjust the percentage among the three varieties depending upon the vintage, and his masterstroke earned the wine a double gold medal – a unanimous vote for gold medal – in the early stages of the competition. Read the entire article on Great Northwest Wine.

Photo Cred: Alexandria Nicole Cellars