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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 […]

Poggio Al Tesoro Vermentino Bolgheri Solosole 2015

Poggio Al Tesoro Vermentino Bolgheri Solosole 2015

Refreshing as Vermentino often is, the 2015 Poggio Al Tesoro Solosole is brimming with canned pear, star fruit, white flowers, cucumber, and granulated honey notes. The palate is lean, chalky, and linear with an arc of nervy acidity that hits first, a tidal burst that gives way to sea foam, lime stone, kaolin clay, and […]

Da Vinci Chianti 2014

Da Vinci Chianti 2014

88 points because Da Vinci’s Chianti falls squarely in the value category. A softly textured blend of 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Merlot, the 2014 vintage offers pretty, uncomplicated aromatics of plums, black cherries, and vanilla. Roughly half of the grapes are vinified in new and used American oak, and the tannins along with the […]

La Spinetta Chianti Riserva Casanova 2007

La Spinetta Chianti Riserva Casanova 2007

While there is lots of complexity to be found in the 2007 La Spinetta Chianti Riserva Casanova, but individual elements come across as slightly underripe. Aromas of Black olives, saddle leather, roasted bell pepper, black cherries, smoke and burning embers fill out the nose. On the palate, it’s mid-weight, but there is little in the […]

Silvio Nardi Brunello Di Montalcino 2008

Silvio Nardi Brunello Di Montalcino 2008

The Nardi Brunello Di Montalciano 2008 evokes a warm, still afternoon in a deciduous forest, the sort where you can hear twigs snapping under your feet. Splendid, woodsy aromas of forest floor, brambles, dried leaves, mushrooms, and dried black cherries. Silky and voluptuous on the palate, with firm, polished tannins that plunge into the substrata—densely […]

Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1999

Gianfranco Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1999

One of the most profound Brunellos I’ve ever tasted, the Soldera Riserva 1999 has a nose that is both infinitely complex and pungent. Alluring aromas of dried rose petals, dark cherries, game, saddle leather, damp tilth, decaying leaves, anise, and sandalwood waft from the glass. Truly, it’s the iron fist in a velvet glove—incredibly intense […]

La Mozza Aragone Maremma Toscana 2010

La Mozza Aragone Maremma Toscana 2010

A blend of 40% Sangiovese, 25% Alicante, 25% Syrah, and 10% Carignan, La Mozza Aragone Maremma Toscana 2010 is soft and primary on opening, with inviting layers of ripe plum, underbrush, clove, and mint. On the palate, tannins are still very firm, with seductive, lush notes of juicy blackberry and black cherry, earthiness, and tar. […]

Ca’ Marcanda Gaja Bolgheri Camarcanda 2011

Ca' Marcanda Gaja Bolgheri Camarcanda

Garnet robed with a faintly orange rim, though still fresh and vibrant. Gaja’s Ca’Marcanda Ca’Marcanda is a deeply perfumed Bordeaux blend with the scent of wild lilacs, woodsmoke, espresso, and plums. From the stony Ca’Marcanda estate in the Bolgeri, this elegantly crafted red is silky and rich, with fully integrated oak. Dark, with a nice […]

Avignonesi Riserva Grandi Annate Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2004

Avignonesi Riserva Grandi Annate Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2004

As with the 2004 ‘Homer’, the Shea ‘East Hill’ Pinot Noir is mature, and is drinking well now. The aromatics are decidedly on the masculine side with intense, savory notes of preserved meat, woodsmoke, incense, dried herbs, and black tea. This profile carries over on the palate giving the impression of a wine that is […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com