Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 50th Anniversary Special Bottling 2015
Plush with ripe, juicy blueberries, blackberries, black currants, vanilla, and cedar. The 2015 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet was selected as one of the wines to bear a limited edition 50th Anniversary label, a nod to the winery’s past and former name of Ste. Michelle Vineyards. Plump and juicy in the mouth, this is classic Washington […]
Calera Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard 2005
I had the pleasure of sampling the 2004 vintage of the Calera Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir in 2014. The 2005 is one that I slightly prefer over the 2004—this bottle has developed beautifully and is within its drinking window. The nose, a symphony of leather, earth, spiced apple rings, Rainier cherries, raspberry, and dried lavender. […]
Sine Qua Non The Monkey 2010
Tasted from the dining room of the lovely SS Legacy, thanks to generous passengers who see fit to bring their own favorite bottles along on a wine cruise. Sine Qua Non’s white Rhône-inspired blend dubbed The Monkey 2010 proved to be a honey-hued showstopper. Rife with peach pit, apricot kernel, orange pastille, smoke, buddha’s hand […]
Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Riesling Eroica 2015
Tasted following an interview with Ted Baseler (for an article on Chateau Ste. Michelle’s 50th Anniversary forthcoming in next month’s Somm Journal), the 2015 Eroica is the result of a long and fruitful partnership with Dr. Ernst Loosen. As such, it sports an endearing touch of petrol on the nose, something I readily attribute to […]
Inglenook Reunion Reserve Cask Cabernet Sauvignon 1986
A wine that’s aged gracefully, Inglenook’s 1986 Reunion Cabernet Sauvignon is line with other Napa Valley Cabs I’ve tasted from that era. Poured from a magnum, the nose is reveals dried rose petal, dust, leather and dried black currants. It’s seems like it’s reaching the end of its drinking window, though there is still plenty […]
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir 2014
Enigmatic as all Véronique Boss-Drouhin’s wines are, the 2014 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir boasts freshness and poise in a ripe vintage year. Crushed lavender, cocoa powder, dried mint, underbrush, and an alluring array of red fruits lead into a wine that is medium-bodied and neatly trussed in fine tannins. White pepper and earth emerge at […]
Brooks Estate Vineyard Pinot Gris 2016
From Brooks’ estate vineyard, this is old vine Oregon Pinot Gris at its best. Aromatically, minerality that dominates this nose with wet stones co-mingling with white peach and tender spring blossoms. In the mouth, a lithe ribbon of chalk and talc course through it, along with bright lemon pith. Very nice. Sample Brooks 8.9 Points
Bluebird Hill Cellars Barrel Select Pinot Noir 2015
The perfect marriage of fruit and elegance, Bluebird Hill’s 2015 Barrel Select Pinot Noir, a micro-lot from the acclaimed Zenith Hill vineyard, is inlaid with ripe raspberries and pie cherries, dried orange peel, cinnamon stick, and rose petal—all rather more delicate notes that transform, at last, to an unexpected burst of iron ore. Undergirded by […]
Bluebird Hill Cellars Willamette Valley Reserve Pinot Noir 2015
Red cherries, boysenberries and perhaps a touch of wild bramble berry are enlivened by more delicate aromas of heirloom roses, underbrush, white pepper, and baking spice. I love the balance in Bluebird Hill Cellars’ 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, with its meniscus-tinged in violet, there’s a distinct backbone coursing through it—a balanced acid that crescendos in […]
Bridlewood Monterey County Pinot Noir 2014
A nice value with a distinctive underbrush and red cherry note I attribute to Monterey Pinot Noir, particularly the acidity and what it does in the mouth—a bright burst, even though this is a more delicate, fully translucent example from the region. In addition, wafting cherry blossoms, leaves crackling underfoot, instant coffee, a touch of […]