Spring Getaway: Dining in Champagne
My previous life as a winemaker found me living amidst the rolling hills of southeastern Washington’s Palouse. Carved out by the Missoula floods and crowned in layers of wind-blown loess, it’s a breathtaking landscape that attracts photographers from all over the world. Following harvest, the region changes her gown from green to gold. In the […]
Bergström Old Stones Chardonnay 2015
A bit of a powerhouse, really. Bergström’s 2015 Old Stones Chardonnay opens with aromas of Bosc pear and baked apple rendered more complex by swirling aromas of smoke, iodine, and flinty overtones that are more akin to the profiles I find in some white Burgundy. In the mouth, there’s not much fat, lemon curd adds […]
Bergström Silice Pinot Noir 2015
Named after the silica-rich sand and marine sedimentary soils that dominate Bergström’s picturesque Silice Vineyard the 2015 gracefully unspools in one long continuous ribbon, aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry form a dusky base that is knit together with crumbling limestone, kukicha twig tea and warm spice. Marine sedimentary soil reemerges on the finish, […]
Bergström Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
One of Oregon’s most revered vineyards, Dick and Deirdre Shea have farmed this extraordinary 140-acre site for over 25 years. Thin, low-fertility soil overlay sandstone bedrock—here, the vines are forced to burrow deep in search of moisture and nutrients. The 2016 vintage slowly unfurls to reveal smoky, sexy layers of crushed lavender, seedy raspberry, black […]
Bergström Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir 2015
Bergström’s sublime 2015 Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir was one of the more restrained as compared with the rest of the lineup we tasted. Red and black fruit, anise and cola aromas glide above the firmament, well above a base layer suggestive of freshly turned tilth. It’s more broad-shouldered on the palate as well, slightly weightier, […]
Bergström Sigrid Chardonnay 2015
Finely tuned and elegant, somehow it reminds me of a 1937 Talbot-Lago — Bergström’s 2015 Sigrid Chardonnay displays beautiful, sweeping lines. Lemon curd, and orchard fruit usher in a treasure trove of secondary aromas: buttered toast, spearmint, orange blossom, and flint. On the palate, orchard and stone fruit laced in lemon pith and stony minerality […]
Bergström Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
From John and Karen Bergström’s estate vineyard, planted in 1999, the 2016 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir offers up heady layers of raspberry eau-de-vie, sweet spice, and purple lilacs. The perception of lightness and nimbleness is probably one of the most important examples of Pinot Noir, but it does not matter . A long, glorious finish […]
Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling 2015
Billowy, rapturious aromas of white flowers, pine, high-altitude breezes, line-dried linen and white peach waft from the glass. But for me, that wasn’t the most compelling aspect of the Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Kabinett Riesling, no—it’s definitely the acidity. A nervy electric cord of pure lemon pith that cuts through this Mosel Riesling like sewing […]
Eifel Pfeiffer Heinz Eifel Riesling Spätlese 2015
A terrific value Spätlese from Heinz Eifel, made from late-harvest grapes grown along the steep, slatey banks of the Mosel. Luscious aromas of yellow peach, Bosc pear, lemon drop, Snapple, and an ethereal kerosene top note. It’s fairly gentle on the palate, and round, with a citrusy burst of acidity that gives as much balance […]
Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP Classic Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015
Who says rosé can’t age [a little]? This, found in a dusty corner is a welcome surprise, bringing with it a tidepool of minerality and Provence’s warming summer breeze. The 2015 Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP is pale salmon pink in the glass, lithe and made from that most classic blend of cinsault, syrah, and grenache. […]