Va Piano Les Collines Vineyard Syrah 2014
Another epic wine Jay shared at a recent Vivino meetup in Seattle. Va Piano’s 2014 Les Collines Vineyard Syrah is the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove. It’s classic for Les Collines fruit, offering up caliginous tones of steeped blackberries, espresso, char, tilth and bay leaf. The palate is as earth-bound as the nose, […]
Le Vieux Pin Sauvignon Blanc 2015
One of the wineries our firm, Cascadia Fine Wines markets in Asia—the 2015 Le Vieux Pin Sauvignon Blanc is elegant and restrained. It’s not as lush as it’s New Zealand or Bordeaux counterparts. Classic aromas of lime pith, gooseberry, pine, d’Anjou pear, and a dusting of minerality. It’s medium-bodied, yet marvelously intense in character. Barrel […]
Château Auney l’Hermitage Graves Blanc 2015
Château Auney’s Graves Blanc 2015 is an elegant composition of 65% Semillon, 20% Muscadelle, and 15% Sauvignon Blanc harvested from small, organically farmed two-hectare parcel planted in gravel, clay and limestone soil. Barrel aging has graced it with softer tones of lemon curd, golden apple, and pear layered with a pinch of forest honey and […]
Gallo Signature Series Pinot Noir 2013
I prefer Gallo’s Signature Series Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir with some age on it—the 2013 offers up a bouquet of that is more dark fruited than red. Blackberries at peak ripeness, a touch of black cherry, vanilla and cola precede a wine that is swathed in fine, velvety tannins. This is a richer, more […]
DeLille Cellars Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
The more I taste Red Mountain fruit, the more enamored I am with it. That said, DeLille Cellars’ 2014 Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon is blended from four distinct parcels within the AVA, 42% from Grand Ciel, 31% Upchurch, 19% Ciel du Cheval, and 8% from Klipsun. As it slowly unspools, layered aromas of blackberry, black […]
Domaines Schlumberger Les Princes Abbés Pinot Noir Alsace 2014
From Pinot Noir vines grown in limestone and marl, the initial impression is somewhat vegetative—dried moss and damp tilth, with a daub of iron ore. It’s a quality that burns off like morning fog. With time and air, a different suite of aromas surface, classic notes of alpine strawberries and sour cherries. It’s sweet, round […]
Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin 2011
Served blind at a recent lunch in Vancouver with fellow Cascadia Fine Wines colleagues, JoJo captured the tone of this outstanding Barolo when he described the 2011s as “charming” wines. Charming, indeed. A deliciously perfumed nose of rose petals, aged leather, fresh pie cherries, dried mint and spice. It’s nimble on the palate, gossamer and […]
Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
From acclaimed Napa Valley winemaker, Randy Dunn, the 2014 Long Shadows Feather shows its pedigree with a range breathtaking of aromas—cassis, black currant, pencil lead, incense, lanolin, and lavender. In the mouth, it’s sumptuous without being showy, acid is focused on the tip of the tongue, leading into a sculpted framework of fine yet abundant […]
Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2014
An excellent value to be found in this estate grown, Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay. The site lies just thirteen miles from Carmel Bay, along the northern edge of the valley—planted in 1982, in Corton-Charlemagne Chardonnay clone vines, it’s a wine that delivers subtle, layered flavors of smokey baked yellow apples, figs, and lemon torte strike […]
Notable Oaked Chardonnay 2016
Relatively new to the market, Notable Chardonnay comes in two versions, one for the oaky-buttery crowd and the other a crisp stainless steel ferment. This being the oak-laden version, with palate drenching caramel, praline, bruised pear, and lemon drop. Silky on entry with orchard fruit at the core neatly folded into toast that is most […]