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Cultivating Self-Sufficiency in Jackson Hole

Vertical Harvest

An interview with architect Nona Yehia of Vertical Harvest Jackson Wyoming is best known for its upscale resorts and breathtaking Teton mountain backdrop. It’s a city that averages 38 feet of snowfall annually, with a short four-month growing season. A playground for skiers and outdoor enthusiasts it may be, for gardeners not so much. Thanks […]

Square Peg Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2014

Square Peg Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2014

Lovely purity of fruit in Square Peg’s 2014 Estate Block 8 Dry Farmed Pinot Noir from Green Valley. Grown at an 800′ elevation a mere eight miles from the Pacific Ocean—winemaker William Knuttel has coaxed red berries from this cool climate Pinot along with nuanced aromas of underbrush, rose petal, dried orange peel, and baking […]

Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2003

Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2003

Yesterday I was treated to a wonderful vertical of older vintage Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Blanc, the 2003 was holding up admirably. Indeed, they all were. A blend of 68% Roussanne, 27% Grenache blanc, and 5% Viognier—aged to a deep yellow, the color of daffodils, and bursting with aromas of bruised pear, golden […]

Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc Alsace 2015

Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc Alsace 2015

Easy like Sunday morning, Paul Blanck’s 2015 Pinot Blanc Alsace boasts aromatic charm. Laden in white peach and pine, stargazer lily, line-dried linen, and rosemary blossom. It’s got some weight to it, though nicely balanced by citrus soaked acidity and a pleasant herbal flourish at the close. 12.5% ABV | Sample Paul Blanck & Fils 8.9 […]

Château Gassier Côtes de Provence Esprit Gassier 2015

Château Gassier Côtes de Provence Esprit Gassier 2015

Rosé seemed like the appropriate wine to drink after a 2+ week absence from the flu. And this bottle the 2015 Château Gassier Esprit Gassier is the color of ballet shoes with pretty aromatics that roll out of the glass. White peach, underripe watermelon, a touch of blood orange and loads of minerality. It’s the […]

Abacela Reserve Tempranillo 2005

Abacela Barrel Select Tempranillo 2005

Abacela’s 2005 Reserve Tempranillo is opaque, with only the oxblood-rim belying age. It’s mature now, but has a long drinking window ahead of it, perhaps another 5-8 years. The nose is rich and complex, a melange of black cherries and plums, Christmas cake, leather, and dusty earth. The attack reveals mouth coating, grippy tannins and […]

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge 2010

Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge 2010

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge 2010 is drinking beautifully, there are no hard edges in this substantive and baritone blend. Even the nose feels weighty, laden in steeped ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, black cherries, violets, anise and dried mint. The palate is big, encompassing, saturating, and glossy, edged in ripe tannins, and the perception of bottomlessness—Alice […]

Brooks Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015

Brooks Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015

A stunning value from Brooks, their 2015 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is packed with enticing aromas. Sweet pie cherries, strawberry compote, and a suggestion of black raspberry are overlaid by classic Willamette Valley descriptors: forest floor, rose petal, lavender, and dried mushroom. It’s silky and fine boned on entry, with enough acidity to ensure that […]

Cardinale 1997

Cardinale Red 1997

Cardinale’s Proprietary Red Wine is less evolved than some of the other 1997 Napa Cabs tasted in this particular lineup—a palate-saturating blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot is showing extraordinary range of savory tertiary notes—black olive, sun dried tomato, sweet tobacco and an umami-like soy quality, all of which glides over plum compote […]

Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Cuvée Rosé NV

Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Cuvée Rosé NV

The color of this pretty brut rosé exactly matches the label, I’m sure that’s intentional. It’s fine-boned and delicate with convivial seed pearl bubbles and aromas of ripe raspberries, tart red currants, blood orange and rose petal. Lively and fresh on entry, Laurent-Perrier’s pink shows very little yeast, the merest suggestion wet dough, fleeting and […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com