Kangarilla Road The Devil’s Whiskers Shiraz 2016
Whimsically named for the stain the rim of the glass leaves at the corners of your mouth as you sip this wine, the 2016 Kangarilla Road The Devil’s Whiskers Shiraz is an impenetrable shade quinacridone violet in the glass. The nose, a wellspring of mulberries, blackberries, ash, paraffin, and dried violets lead into a wine […]
Stoller Family Estate Club Exclusive Chardonnay 2016
Perhaps one of the most unusual chardonnays I’ve run across in Oregon—Stoller’s 2016 Club Exclusive Chardonnay is partial-malo and partly aged in stainless and in one of the winery’s concrete squares. Had I have tasted it blind, I might have pegged it as a Bordeaux blanc, the profile has a lovely herbal note to it; aromas […]
Château Mauvesin Barton Moulis-en-Médoc 2012
2012 vintage was a bit of a mixed bag for Bordeaux—a year beset by poor fruit set and a notably hot summer. The 2012 Château Mauvesin Barton Moulis-en-Médoc offers up classic aromas of plum, cassis, a touch of leather and a bit of underbrush. In the mouth, the tannins are firm, but velvety, with acidity […]
Columbia Winery Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Tasted at a recent winemaker dinner with the Columbia Winery team, the 2015 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is a new release and a new rendition of their absolutely stunning packaging. The profile is classic Red Mountain and offers up a sumptuous aromatic sensory arc of blueberry pie, blackberries, cassis, dried orange peel, sandalwood, and warm […]
Ayoub Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015
I have long admired Mo Ayoub’s wines, and so meeting with him, and tasting with him at a recent dinner held by the Dundee Hills Winegrowers Association was a real honor. His 2015 Ayoub Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is still young and expansive, showing off attractive notes of black raspberry, cherry, cola, sweet tobacco. Texturally, […]
White Rose Estate Pinot Noir 2010
A breathtaking Oregon Pinot, the 2010 White Rose Estate possesses a graceful sensory arc of candied cherries, rose petals, sweet spices, and sous bois. It’s elegant and nimble in the mouth, framed in fine, sweeping tannins that crescendo and submerge beneath layers of cinnamon bark, chokecherry, and rose hip. Whole-cluster fermented, from the estate’s old […]
Jean-Claude et Nicolas Fayolle Crozes-Hermitage La Rochette 2015
This classic 100% Syrah from Jean-Claude et Nicolas Fayolle is infused with aromas of boysenberries, plums, charcuterie, camphor, and violets. In the mouth, it’s medium bodied, with a well-delineated vein of acidity that plays nicely with back-palate flavors of plum skins and green peppercorn. A nice find from Garagiste and one that paired beautifully with a […]
Oscar Wilde
Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.
Planeta Sicilia Rosé 2016
A straggler in my cellar, the 2016 Planeta Sicilia Rosé is a rose gold-hued blend of 50% Nero d’Avola and 50% Syrah. Light and lilting aromas of strawberry, tart pie cherry, and white peach gracefully twine spring flowers and fleeting mineral tones. It’s crisp, bright and perfect for these waning days of summer. The close […]
Bledsoe Family Winery Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
From Bledsoe Family Winery, Flying B 2016 is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah aged in 64% new French oak for 20 months. At this stage in its development—the nose is heavily laden in primary fruit—juicy blackberries, black currant, and black cherry precede lighter tones of cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, and sweet […]