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Quintessentia Amaro Nonino

Quintessentia Amaro Nonino

Amaro, where have you been all my life? That is a question that begs serious thought. I was first introduced to it by my host on a recent trip to Umbria, he graciously ordered us Amaro Monte Negro on our first night and later, this classic, Amaro Nonino. Orange peel, spice cake, brandied pear, star […]

Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012

Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012

Hauled out of the cellar in anticipation of another waterlogged week in Portland, I’ve contented myself with Allegrini’s classically styled Amarone della Valpolicella. The 2012 vintage, like the 2010 I sampled two years ago, is of similar richness and texture. Plums, aged leather, figs, and tar are denser notes that form the base and backbone […]

Golan Heights Winery Yarden Blanc de Blancs 2009

Golan Heights Winery Yarden Blanc de Blancs 2009

Another jewel from Golan Heights Winery—the 2009 Yarden Blanc de Blancs is made from 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Galil (Galilee) appellation, Israel’s coolest viticultural area. Aged five years en tirage, the 2009 boasts an orchard fruit and citrus mélange of yellow skinned apples, poached pear, pineapple cake, clover honey, and a kiss of brioche. […]

Domaine Guion Cuvée Domaine Bourgueil 2015

Domaine Guion Cuvée Domaine Bourgueil 2015

Sporting classic Bourgueil notes of red berries, underbrush, orange pomander ball, and an ethereal top note of delicate florality. The 2015 Domaine Guion Cuvée Domaine Bourgueil is angular and tight with high-toned acidity, like crushed raw cranberry—it has a definite edge and considerable tartness, with tannins perched on the fore-palate. An earthy, mineral note emerges […]

Château Angélus Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 1995

Château Angélus Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 1995

Lovely and accessible, the 1995 Angélus shows off its pedigree and high percentage of Cabernet Franc with only minimal decanting. A slightly woodsy bouquet of black currants, plums, cedar, forest underbrush, spiced orange pomander, dried lavender, and incense. On the palate, poised supple tannins and a fine acid backbone underpin steeped blackberry, crème de cassis, […]

Yarden Golan Heights Winery Odem Organic Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

Yarden Odem Organic Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

Lemon Yellow in the glass and medium-bodied without perceptible heaviness. There’s an air of restraint to this Israeli Chardonnay from Golan Heights Winery—yellow apple skin, white peach, poached pear, lemon tart, and a nuanced whiff of white flowers and toast. In the mouth, it’s focused—a textbook Chardonnay profile, and really nicely done. Perched acidity hits […]

Caol Ila 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch

Caol Ila 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch

Crafted from 100% malted barley and aged in used bourbon barrels and sherry casks, Caol Ila’s 12-year-old single malt scotch is a fine example of of Islay peat, offering up a smokey melange of wet fall leaves, rich, freshly turned tilth, and peat moss clinging to damp stones. It’s satisfyingly round in the mouth with […]

Champagne Drappier Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero NV

Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero NV

In honor of #ChampagneDay, though really isn’t every day well suited for a bubbly pink such as this? Drappier’s Brut Nature Rosé is a merry kaleidoscope of red berries, blood oranges, pink grapefruit, wet chalk, and oyster shell. There’s no dosage in this bottle and, of note, it’s unfiltered—the sort of deep pink that is […]

Côté Mas Sud de France Rouge Intense 2016

Côté Mas Sud de France Rouge Intense NV

Emblazoned with a sticker that proudly states 33% more, and it is indeed a larger than the average 750ml, though I failed to check the exact ml, it’s at a midway point between a standard bottle and a magnum. A blend of 45% Grenache Noir, 25% Carignan, 15% Cinsault, 10% Merlot, and 5% Syrah that […]

Falesco Sagrantino di Montefalco Rc2 2012

Falesco Sagrantino di Montefalco Rc2 2012

I had the pleasure of tasting the 2012 RC2 while during a visit to Falesco earlier this month. An impressive, baritone inky wine composed of 100% Sagrantino. The nose: a kaleidoscope of black fruit jelly, blackberry reduction, anise, along with a touch of iron and brick dust, black olive and ochre … The palate is […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com