Winemaker Kelsey Albro Itämeri marches to her own drum, focusing on fruit from the foothills of the Blue Mountains at Itä. It’s just one of a number of wineries from Walla Walla Valley exploring the possibilities for whites. The higher elevation brings freshness and vitality to this wine’s fig and lemon flavors. If you’re looking for a winery that’s pushing boundaries, look no further. 

Blazing hot Red Mountain is cabernet sauvignon country and always will be. Fully 95 percent of this appellation’s plantings are red varieties, which is part of what makes this viognier from the region so exciting. As the name states, fruit comes from high up on the mountain. It brings all of viognier’s aromatic punch—honeysuckle, peach, apricot—and textural richness along with the liveliness and depth that come from mountain fruit. This is a benchmark Washington white.

Syncline has been around since 1999, but this is the first time this Gorge stalwart has made a chardonnay—and it’s stunning. “I think it’s one of the special places for making chardonnay,” owner and winemaker James Mantone says of the Gorge, a growing region that straddles the Washington-Oregon border. Rainmaker Vineyard is 1,400 feet above sea level, high by Washington grape growing standards. If grapes like a view, this vineyard’s got it; the rows look out onto Mount Hood.

“Grenache blanc probably put me on the map more than any other thing I did,” says Morgan Lee, winemaker and partner at Two Vintners. This grape variety is common in the Rhône Valley and in Spain, but almost no producers were making it in Washington when Lee made his first offering in 2010. Other Washington wineries have since followed suit, but Lee remains at the forefront.

A white cabernet franc? Indeed. This wine had no skin contact during fermentation, which is what imparts color to red wine. The result is a white wine made from red grapes. It’s a new style only a few vintners in Washington are currently exploring. Gård’s fruit comes from Stoneridge Vineyard, a site known for its rocky soils. The wine has plenty of white peach and whole lemon aromas and flavors, along with appealing textural richness.

Lake Chelan has long offered the promise of quality Washington white wines; Amos Rome delivers on it. The winery uses only Lake Chelan fruit, only from estate vineyards. This wine hails from a site at 1,800 feet above sea level, one of the highest vineyards in the state. It has aromas and flavors of pink grapefruit, Granny Smith apple, wet rock, and green flower. It’s a statement wine for this producer and region.

Chateau Ste. Michelle’s partnership with Germany’s Dr. Loosen on the Eroica project recently marked its 25th year. This addition to the lineup is something else to celebrate. It’s made in an ancestral style, aged in large oak casks (stainless steel is the norm for Riesling in the US), with extended lees contact. Lees are the dead yeast that settle after fermentation, giving this bone-dry wine’s apricot and lemon flavors added textural richness. 

Sauvignon blanc is sometimes relegated to the cheap and cheerful category. This wine is the opposite of that, a serious offering from sauv blanc savant Peter Devison. Fruit comes from a vineyard known for its limestone soils, which imparts a mineral characteristic. It’s a tour de force of aromas and flavors, but what separates this wine is a tart, lively acidity seldom seen in American wines. Drink it at room temperature paired with mussels cooked in a white wine broth.