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Palazzina Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Le Macioche 2011

Palazzina Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Le Macioche 2011

Virtually unknown in the US, Le Macioche is in the same neighborhood as Biondi Santi—their stylish 2011 Riserva is a study in lightness and complexity. Aromas of menthol, incense, pomegranate, leather, mushroom, and forest floor give way to an understory of well-integrated, ultra-fine tannins. The acid here is quite pretty, too—it crescendos mid-palate, and softly […]

Cappellano Barolo Piè Rupestris Otin Fiorin 2011

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 […]

Poggio Al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2012

Poggio Al Tesoro Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia 2012

Supple and stylish, Poggio Al Tesoro is part of the Allegrini family of wineries. This decidedly modern Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend is frife with earth, leather, plums, and cellar dust. With a core that’s juicy and plush, and cradled in soft, ripe tannins it’s hard to resist the pure hedonism in this glass. […]

Brancaia: The Best of Both Worlds

2013 Brancaia Maremma Toscana Ilatraia

Like so many New World winemakers, Barbara Widmer’s childhood landscape wasn’t shaped by a life amongst the vines. Her parent’s journey into winemaking began, more or less, as a hobby that stemmed from the purchase of an abandoned hillside Castellina named Brancaia. “I grew up in Zurich; I had no ambition or dream to move […]

2013 Brancaia Maremma Toscana Ilatraia

2013 Brancaia Maremma Toscana Ilatraia

A Cab-dominant blend that flirts with opulence, reigned in by its Tuscan provenance—and that is a good thing, a food-friendly thing. The 2013 Brancaia Illatraia quietly unspools with notes of plums and ripe blackberries steeped in thyme. Burning embers, dust, and juniper berries add layered complexity. On the palate, it’s round and plush, with mouth-coating […]

Brancaia Tre 2014

Brancaia Tre 2014

A stylish Super Tuscan that is as modern as its label, Brancaia’s 2014 Tre is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from all three of the winery’s estate vineyards. It’s softly textured on the nose and palate, a basket of freshly harvested, sun-warmed Italian plums and black cherries infused with […]

Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Monovitigno 2014

Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Monovitigno 2014

On a quest to find the perfect wine to pair with Pho, I picked up this lively Lambrusco from Kermit Lynch…two years ago. I found it while moving around bottles, happily, though the jury is still out as to the pairing. My beef bone broth is still reducing as I type this. As to the […]

Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2015

Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2015

Ruffino’s Lumina Pinot Grigio firmly falls in the great values category. The 2015 vintage is softly textured and crisp. Notes of Bosc pear and Golden Delicious apple are complicated by white flowers and lilting minerality. Easy drinking and bright, it’s a wine that offers versatility in spades—I paired this bottle with pappardelle with sauteed rapini […]

Bertani Bertarose Chiaretto Venezie IGT 2016

Bertani Bertarose Chiaretto Venezie IGT 2016

A beguiling blend of 75% Molinara and 25% Merlot grown in grown calcareous-clay soils in steep hillside vineyards overlooking Lake Garda, Bertani Bertarose Chiaretto 2016 is endowed with aromas of pie cherries and tart red currants swirl within a fine mineral net. On the palate, it’s as lean and crisp as any Provence rosé, with […]

Locations I-4 NV

Locations I-4 NV

Of the trio sampled from the Locations project, I-4 is a non-vintage, multi-regional blend featuring Negroamaro and Nero d’Avola from Puglia and Barbera from Piemonte has the most body. Lots of richness in this wine, with an alluring nose of black plums, black cherries, leather, Dr. Pepper, allspice, and anise. It’s voluptuous without being overripe, […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com