Planeta Sicilia Rosé 2016
A straggler in my cellar, the 2016 Planeta Sicilia Rosé is a rose gold-hued blend of 50% Nero d’Avola and 50% Syrah. Light and lilting aromas of strawberry, tart pie cherry, and white peach gracefully twine spring flowers and fleeting mineral tones. It’s crisp, bright and perfect for these waning days of summer. The close […]
Pegau Cuvée Réservée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 1998
Well within its drinking window the 1998 Pegau Cuvée Réservée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge shows just a touch of bricking in the glass. It unfurls revealing the sort of olfactive charm one might expect from this producer—raspberry coulis, garrigue, loamy soil, leather, and multiflorous layers of dried rose petal and lavender. It’s medium bodied, with an intensity […]
Château de Saint Cosme Little James’ Basket Press Blanc 2014
An inexpensive yet charming offering from Château de Saint Cosme, the 2014 is a blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 60% Viognier. Four years on, the Sauvignon blanc dominates with pronounced aromas of pineapple, muskmelon, white peach, lemon verbena, and dried grass clippings. In the mouth, it’s medium bodied—the acidity hits the sides of the […]
Tortoise Creek Le Charmel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017
Made from organic grapes, Tortoise Creek Le Charmel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017 is pale salmon in the glass, with lilting aromas of white peach, melon, white flowers and ladies cold crème. It’s a fairly delicate rosé, lighter in body, with vibrant mineral-tipped acidity. Nice persistence and nicely done for its price point. Sample 88 […]
Peter Zemmer Rollhütt Pinot Noir 2017
Worth every penny, Peter Zemmer’s Northern Italian Pinot Noir is intensely perfumed, with lilting aromas of dried rose petals, cola, homemade strawberry jam, raspberry, and underbrush. The aromatic profile perfectly matches the nose—it’s elegant, buoyant, and reigned in, with a finish etched in floral undertones and limestone minerality. 13.0% ABV | Sample Peter Zemmer 9o […]
Emile Beyer Pinot Gris Tradition 2016
Pale straw in the glass, Emile Beyer’s Pinot Gris Tradition 2016 enchants with aromas of yellow peach, pear, lemon drop, stargazer lily, muskmelon, lemon thyme, and smoky minerality. It’s quite round in the mouth, while still maintaining balance as pitch-perfect acidity winds ’round a core that presents a textural landscape of pear skin, peach pit, […]
Haubs-Barzen Erben Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese 1997
A nice little find from Garagiste—where it’s sometimes possible to pick up an aged wine like this one, direct from the producer. The 1997 Haubs Barzen Erben Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese requires some coaxing as far as aromatics are concerned. A good swirl of the glass reveals fleshy yellow peach, pineapple, melon, dried mint, pea […]
Les Domaines Paul Mas Vin de Pays d’Oc Côté Mas Aurore Rosé 2017
Like a favorite pair of worn-in jeans, this is the rosé to turn to in a pinch and on a budget, and priced to please, the 2017 Côté Mas Aurore Rosé is pale salmon in the glass and hits all the right notes for a South of France pink. Summer berries, melon, white peach and […]
Château de Berne Inspiration Rosé 2017
A Grenache-dominant blend, the Château de Berne Inspiration Rosé unfurls to reveal fragrant notes of white flowers, golden raspberries, peach, and crisp alpine air. The palate is awash in tart cherries and pomegranate. Light and vivid, with the delicacy of a ballerina, it pirouettes to a graceful, meandering finish. 12.5% ABV | Sample Château de […]
Abbazia di Novacella Stiftskellerei Neustift Pinot Grigio 2016
Fuller in body than is typical for an Alto-Adige Pinot Grigio, the 2016 Abbazia di Novacella Stiftskellerei Neustift is and endowed with aromas of peach kernel, peach pit, stone fruit, lemon drop, and white flowers, and maybe a daub of honeysuckle. It’s round in the mouth, but high lemon-pith charged acidity gives it lift, a […]