Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2013
Lilting aromas of apricot, pear, dried honey, lemon curd, anise. Stoller’s Dundee Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2013 is clean and focused on the palate and more delicate than most. The perception is one of silkiness with beautifully integrated oak (you’d hardly know it’s there) except as a textural component, lending structure, allowing pure orchard fruit notes […]
Barton & Guestier Côtes De Provence Passeport Rosé 2015
Guestier’s Côtes De Provence Passeport Rosé 2015 is pretty and very drinkable considering its modest price. The nose is aloft with red berries, blood oranges, wafting sea air. It’s a delicious compromise between minerally limestone tension and fruit, which translates as cantaloupe flesh and crushed raspberries followed by a mouthwatering and lengthy finish. It’s fresh, […]
Hecht & Bannier Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015
The second 2015 rosé I’ve sampled from Hecht & Bannier, aside from admittedly loving their modern packaging, I have been impressed with both the Bandol and this Côtes de Provence in terms of quality and price. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Rolle, it’s an expressive pink. The vines flourish under the warm maritime […]
Bodega Septima Malbec 2014
Better on the second day, as the Septima 2014 Malbec felt tight on opening. Today, more generous notes of warm blackberries at peak ripeness, plums, boysenberries, dried violets and black licorice. The attack shows tart, high acidity, this wine begs to be paired with a grilled, well-marbled steak. The tannins linger under the acidity, a […]
Troon Vineyard Applegate Valley Vermentino Sauvignon Blanc 2014
This unusual blend of 80% Vermentino and 20% Sauvignon Blanc hails from Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley—A sub-appellation of Southern Oregon that finds itself a bit overshadowed by the Willamette Valley. I have tasted some lovely whites, especially Rieslings from this region, though this is admittedly, my first Vermentino. Bright lemon yellow in the glass, […]
William Hill Central Coast Pinot Noir 2014
I have liked ‘s Chardonnay more than their Pinot Noir, the 2014 Sonoma Coast evokes plums, grape jelly, brown sugar. This is an easy-drinking, uncomplicated, and slightly sweet California Pinot that leans toward jammy black fruit—it’s all black cherry at the core, with a touch of cola, and low levels of tannin. 14.5% ABV | […]
Quinta de Covela Escolha Branco 2013
Tasted at Covela’s historic estate—a Renaissance manor that sits frozen in time, poised at the mouth of the Douro Valley, along a southern-facing amphitheater robed in lush greenery. The 2013 Escolha Branco is a blend of Avesso and Chardonnay, with a few years of age, offers perfumy aromas of dried honey and orange blossom. Barrel […]
Quinta do Noval Quarenta Anos 40 Year Old Tawny
Sampled at Noval’s tasting room in Porto, the Noval ‘Quarenta Anos’ 40 Year Old Tawny is translucent and brickish, replete with developed notes of dates, Dalmatia fig spread, dried apples, aged leather, and warm wicker. In the mouth it’s viscous and full, more so than Noval’s Colheita, it’s the acidity that really brings this Port […]
Aldelsheim Breaking Ground Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir 2014
Intensely perfumed, Aldelsheim’s commemorative 2014 Breaking Ground Pinot Noir is composed entirely of Chehalem Mountain Pinot Noir, 12% of which is from the winery’s estate. Sumptuous black cherries, black raspberry, underbrush, earth, and heirloom roses grace the nose. It’s ruby-hued and more opaque than is typical for Oregon Pinot—hinting at this wine’s concentration and depth. […]
Seed Paraje Altamira Malbec 2014
Luscious steeped blackberries, marionberries, and dusky Italian plums lie well beneath lighter, more enigmatic aromas of violets, dust, and dark chocolate shavings. Seed’s 2014 Paraje Altamira Malbec is mulberry-hued at the rim, and deliciously fresh. The nose echoes the palate, with saturating black fruit at the core, neatly hemmed in by mouth-coating, ripe tannins. It’s […]