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Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016

Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The bottle, a Napa Valley Cabernet from Louis M. Martini tumbled headlong off the rack before I could grasp it—most of it instantly lost save for a glass which I ran through a filter. It’s a classic Napa Cab, totally opaque with a violet rim and glass-staining legs followed by heady aromas and flavors of […]

Saint Tryphon Chardonnay 2015

Saint Tryphon Chardonnay 2015

Heavily laden in fruit, Saint Typhon’s 2015 Santa Barbara Chardonnay explodes with aromas of mango, yellow peach, pineapple, vanilla, acacia blossom, and spice—in some ways, the expression is reminiscent of a lightly styled Sauternes. It’s concentrated, on both the nose and in the mouth, with lush and voluminous fruit that drenches the palate. As with […]

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

Burnished gold in the glass, and crafted from Muscat Hamburg planted in 1935 within the Snipes Mountain sub-appellation of Yakima Valley—Stoller’s 2014 History Upland Vineyard Muscat is imbued with complex, layered aromas of preserved lemon, baked apple, dried orange peel, chamomile, wild daisy, and granulated honey. The lilting florally that’s present on the nose and […]

Nathalie Falmet Le Val Cornet Brut Champagne 2010

Nathalie Falmet Le Val Cornet Brut Champagne 2010

From the Côte des Bar region of Champagne, Nathaalie Falmet’s single-vineyard 2010 Brut Le Val Cornet is a revelation—offering up rippling, glinting layers of yellow apple, golden raspberry, buttercream frosting, croissant, hazelnut skins, curling parchment, wet porcelain clay, and an ephemeral wisp of smoke. In the mouth, a burbling and delicate bead steadily rises through […]

Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Bourgogne ‘Aux Seurrets’ 2014

Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Bourgogne 'Aux Seurrets' 2014

The vines that makeup Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Bourgogne ‘Aux Seurrets’ bottling are located in a small parcel just outside the village of Pommard. Established in the 1970s and seated in clay-loam soils, the 2014 vintage is awash in brambly red berries, wild strawberries, damp earth, barnyard, and a pleasant top note of rancio. […]

LXV Wine Crimson Jewel 2017

LXV Wine Crimson Jewel 2017

Glinting, translucent garnet in the glass, the 2017 Crimson Jewel is brimming with earthy sensuality. Amarena wild cherries and Mirabelle plums rest beneath lighter, more ethereal notes of baker’s cocoa, underbrush, chalkboard dust, dried oregano, and basil. Stylistically it’s a touch lighter than the 2015 vintage—round and elegant on entry, pleasant tannic grip imparted by […]

Jean Sipp Les Trois Terroirs Pinot Blanc 2016

Jean Sipp Les Trois Terroirs Pinot Blanc 2016

Having studied at the Avize school in Champagne, winegrower Jean-Jacques Sipp’s 2016 Pinot Blanc Les Trois Terroirs has the sort of elegance and bracing acidity that is found in a good bubbly. Pale gold, it blooms with aromas of bruised pear, lemon pith, Persian melon, white flowers. It’s just off-dry and feels tart and tightly […]

Cattleya Alma de Cattleya Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018

Cattleya Alma de Cattleya Rosé of Pinot Noir 2018

Rose gold in the glass with copper inflections, the 2018 Alma de Cattleya Rosé of Pinot Noir possesses a kind of kinetic energy that’s hard to resist. The nose is a riot of white peaches, wild salmonberries, blood orange, and melon—like so much brightly-hued damask silk fluttering in the wind. In the mouth, racy acidity […]

Talley Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2017

Talley Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2017

Talley Vineyards 2017 Arroyo Grande Estate Chardonnay displays copious amounts of baked apple and poached pear, buttercream frosting, hazelnut along with a dash of toast. Minerality shines on the palate, from entry to finish—infused with its terroir, both saline and limestone elements that form an energetic spine, nicely balancing out rich layers of toast and […]

Stoller Family Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2016

Stoller Family Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2016

Aged in 30% new French oak with partial malolactic fermentation, Stoller’s 2016 Reserve Chardonnay opens with an opulent profusion of d’Anjou pears and golden apples followed by hawthorn flower and baker’s spice. Round and silky on entry, the palate tension between fruit and acid is simply gorgeous. Flavors evolve and linger; white peach, lemon curd, […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com