Havens Logo 23 White Small

Millésima 2017 Wine Blog Awards

Millésima 2017 Wine Blog Award

I’m honored and overjoyed to announce that I’ve been selected as a finalist in <a href=”http://blog.millesima-usa.com/2017/01/16/the-2017-blog-awards-finalists/”>Millésima’s Wine Blog Awards</a> once again. Last year I was a finalist in the wine and food pairing category, this year it’s wine travel. I didn’t win last year, so I’m embracing 2017 as a new opportunity and challenge. The […]

Clos Puy Arnaud La Cuvée Bistrot 2013

Clos Puy Arnaud La Cuvée Bistrot 2013

2013 was a difficult vintage for Bordeaux, though the whites fared better, as they are wont to do in such years. Because this is my first experience tasting anything from Clos Puy Arnaud, it’s hard to assess what the wine is like in a more favorable year. It’s quite thin, and the body more closely […]

Château de Reignac Cuvée Spéciale Bordeaux Supérieur 2010

Château de Reignac Cuvée Spéciale Bordeaux Supérieur 2010

A great value from a stunning vintage, the 2010 Château de Reignac Grand Vin de Reignac is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Inky-hued and surprisingly muscular for a Merlot-dominant blend, offering a broad sweep of rich aromas: black cherries, damson plum, cedar, and incense. The tannins are fine but grippy, lending […]

Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Médoc 2012

Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Médoc 2012

The first impression is of minerality with black currents, blackberries, forest floor and sweet spice firmly seated beneath a fine layer of chalkboard dust. The 2012 Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Medoc is slightly reserved, trussed in polished, slightly chalky tannins that give way to sweet black fruit at the core. There is perhaps a touch of […]

Château Trians Reserve De Trians Côteaux Varois en Provence 2015

Château Trians Reserve De Trians Côteaux Varois en Provence 2015

Château Trians Reserve De Trians Côteaux Varois en Provence 2015″ width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>The perfect antidote to winter, a good Provence rosé is summer in a glass—and this obliging bottle of 2015 Château Trians Reserve de Trians Coteaux Varois certainly lifted the spirits after days of snow and bitter temperatures in Portland. It’s salmon-hued with golden […]

Château La Freynelle Bordeaux Blanc 2015

Château La Freynelle Bordeaux Blanc 2015

An under-appreciated category in the United States, Bordeaux blanc—usually a blend of Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon and sometimes Muscadelle—often poses a great value. There is a side of Bordeaux that is inexpensive, and the wines can be quite good in excellent vintages. The 2015 Château La Freynelle is one such example, displaying grassy aromas and […]

Boutinot La Côte Sauvage Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne 2012

Boutinot La Côte Sauvage Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne 2012

Flat out pretty the 2012 Boutinot La Côte Sauvage Côtes du Rhône Cairanne is a warm embrace. Juicy black cherries, plums, lavender, vanilla and perhaps even a whiff of blackberry cobbler, fresh from the oven. It’s satiny smooth, with moderate acidity and body with ultra-fine tannins to match. This is a wine that will deliver […]

Cave de Tain l’Hermitage Crozes-Hermitage Grand Classique 2016

Cave de Tain l'Hermitage Crozes-Hermitage Grand Classique 2016

A lovely winter white, the Cave de Tain Crozes-Hermitage Grand Classique 2016 is composed of 100% Marsanne, sourced from granitic slopes of Hermitage. It’s got that classic Marsanne profile; Asian pear, white peach, blanched almond and just a touch of lanolin. I love the tension in this wine, one that perpetually borders on silky richness […]

François Baur Crémant d’Alsace Brut Réserve NV

François Baur Crémant d'Alsace Brut Réserve NV

A winsome blend of Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris that sees 12 months aging sur lie the François Baur Crémant d’Alsace Brut Réserve is pale straw with aromas of baked apple and rustic peach pie, with a top note of dried mint. The attack boasts high acidity carving a wide swath through orchard […]

Veuve A. Devaux Cuvée D NV

Veuve A. Devaux Cuvée D NV

Happy New Year, dear friends! We celebrated with this bottle of Deveaux Cuvée D, one that I stowed in my suitcase. In the glass it’s expansive punctuated by baked apple, bitter walnut shells, and anise pastille. Big, powerful, and vibrant in the mouth with high toned acidity that rolls into a pleasantly bitter and vinous […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com