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Cornerstone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Michael’s Cuvée 2012

Cornerstone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Michael's Cuvée 2012

Black currant, smoky blueberries, cassis, and mint. Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Michael’s Cuvée doesn’t disappoint. It’s opulent, with palate-drenching blackberries and blueberries, lovely purity of fruit with seductively sueded tannins. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, this cuvée was assembled from the historic Oakville Station Vineyard (read that as To Kalon) 57%, 28% […]

Troon Vineyard Applegate Valley Zinfandel 2014

Troon Vineyard Applegate Valley Zinfandel 2014

Ripe blackberries, plums and spice. The palate is somewhat lighter than is typical for say, a California Zinfandel, especially those found in warmer climates. Troon’s 2014 Applegate Valley Zin is full and lush, and laden with black fruit, perhaps what is most remarkable is the finish. An organoleptic explosion of dark chocolate, Herbs de Garrigue […]

Brooks Rastaban Pinot Noir 2003

Brooks Rastaban Pinot Noir 2003

Generously shared by Janie Brooks during this week’s SOMM reunion, the 2003 Rastabon was her brother, Jimi’s first and last vintage produced under the Rastaban label. A significant wine to share, because Jimi passed away in 2004, and Janie stepped in to keep Brooks winery and Jimi’s vision going (if you’re not familiar with the […]

ROCO Rollin Michael Soles ‘RMS’ Willamette Valley Brut 2013

ROCO Rollin Michael Soles 'RMS' Willamette Valley Brut 2013

This is a brilliant wine. The RMS Willamette Valley Brut 2013 is ROCO’s first sparkling wine, a new release, it’s a perfectly-poised blend of 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay that fairly blossoms in the glass; red berries, pear, and apricot vie for dominance, floating above this, spice, white flowers, freshly laundered linen. That same yin-yang […]

Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Louis M. Martini Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Classic Louis Martini, the 2013 Alexander Valley Cabernet is rife with steeped blackberries, plums, and black fruit in general. I’ve lingered over this glass trying to tease out which ones. A top note of cedar and dried thyme re-emerges on the back palate along with firm tannins and medium + acidity. As with all Louis […]

Timeless Refinement

King Estate

It was a beautiful evening, from my vantage, I could see the hills that formed the backbone of the eastern side of the valley, densely robed in evergreen trees and hunkered against a backdrop of stars that seemed to draw closer against the indigo-black palette of an ever-darkening sky. The evening air, as it so […]

Durant Vineyards ‘La Paloma’ Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013

Durant Vineyards 'La Paloma' Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013

Durant Vineyard’s Dundee Hills La Paloma Pinot Noir 2013 doesn’t disappoint. This is their 40th Anniversary edition, and I can smell its heady aromatics with the glass sitting more than two feet away (that always charms me). Cherry turnover, vanilla, rose petal and anise are anchored in a subtly earthy embrace. It’s silky on entry, […]

Durant Vineyards ‘Ava Lucia’ Pinot Noir Rosé 2015

Durant Vineyards 'Ava Lucia' Pinot Noir Rosé 2015

Watermelon pink, bursting with red-skinned apples and tart pie cherries. On opening, the 2015 Durant Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé exhibited a candy-like top note of Wrigley’s gum that has wafted off after half an hour—a good thing. On the palate, it’s fresh, delivering bright red berries and acidity in equal measure, in a style that […]

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2010

Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2010

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards 2010 Estate Reserve Cabernet is suave, with no hard edges, and languid notes of creme de cassis, bluberry crumble, brown sugar, anise and a decadent, if unexpected top note of soy. In the mouth, sueded tannins lend structure to an overturned basket of juicy black cherries and ultra-ripe blueberries, leading into […]

Mumm Napa DVX Rosé 2009

Mumm Napa DVX Rosé 2009

Perhaps my favorite in a lineup of Mumm Napa sparklers I’ve tasted over the past few months, the 2009 DVX Rosé is alive with aromas of macerated strawberry, red apple skins and a really nice though quite subtle earthiness. A 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the DVX spends four years en tirage, and […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com