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Pike Road Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2015

Pike Road Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2015

Glinting straw yellow and laden with aromatics of d’Anjou pear, lemon curd, petrichlor, lily of the valley, and a lilting top note of cinnamon stick. The 2015 Pike Road Pinot Gris is winsome and engaging with a light crisp palate that offers almost as much complexity as the nose. Honeydew melon emerge on the back […]

Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend 2013

Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend 2013

Always solid, the Rôtie’s Northern Blend is composed of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, adding subtle sweetness to a nose is fairly brimming over with ripe Rainier cherries, Italian plums, and baking spices. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s own Rocks Estate Vineyard, a site that tends to contribute earthy undertones and, even a […]

Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013

Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013

Stoller’s 2013 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir opens with strawberry creme and raspberry tart, the nose is delicate, slightly faint and slightly sweet. On the palate—the only ripple amidst inner creaminess is a moderate level of acidity—just red berries, red apple skins, and a touch of minerality on the finish. I wanted to see a bit […]

Trinchero Cloud’s Nest Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Trinchero Cloud's Nest Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Cloud’s Nest Vineyard, as the name suggests is perched 1,500 feet above sea level in the Mayacamas mountain range. Gravelly soils further limit the vines’ growth and the aromatics are striking. Earth and forest floor, wild mushrooms, underbrush, warm leather, and soy. The palate echoes this high-altitude Cab’s woodsy aromatics, with a medium-bodied countenance and […]

Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The Mercer family has a long history farming the arid rolling hills that form the Horse Heaven AVA in eastern Washington. They planted their first vineyard in 1972—older vineyards are far more rare in Washington as compared with California or even Oregon. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is big and voluptuous, with layered black fruit notes […]

Knudsen Vineyards Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2014

Knudsen Vineyards Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2014

From the Knudsen family estate vineyard, established in 1971, is this elegant 2014 Dundee Hills Chardonnay. What makes this bottling special is that the Knudsen’s have long been growers for Argyle. The 2014 vintage is the first wine they’ve vinified under their own label in over 25 years and it’s a stunning effort. A testament […]

Long Shadows Poet’s Leap Ice Wine 2008

Long Shadows Poet's Leap Ice Wine 2008

Amber-colored in the glass, the 2008 Poet’s Leap Ice Wine is a heady melange of apricot preserves, forest honey, and caramel richly perfumed with spice; cinnamon, allspice, powdered ginger and mace. Incredibly concentrated, with palate drenching viscocity, it’s reminiscent of a full-bodied Sauternes with the merest hint of Bachelet Maury. The finish is lengthy, punctuated […]

Big Table Farm Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2014

Big Table Farm Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2014

Big Table Farm has been on my list of Willamette Valley wines to try for some time now, and I’m pleased to report that the 2014 Chardonnay didn’t disappoint in the least. Wild yeast fermented and aged in concrete, it’s exceptionally well balanced, endowed with an incredible range of aromas—lemon tart, buttered croissant, cardamom and […]

Evening Land Summum Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2007

Evening Land Vineyards Summum Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2007

Lovely florality, spice and faint herbal notes blithely dance around richer tones of white peach and dried apricot. Evening Land’s elegant 2007 Summum Seven Springs Chardonnay is lightly framed in faint oak with satiny, creamy layers at the core. Everything about this wine is fined-boned, with twinkling inner luminescence and stunning grace. The finish is […]

Grgich Hills Estate Zinfandel 2012

Grgich Hills Estate Zinfandel 2012

It’s the spice that hits your nose first—aromas of cracked black pepper, mesquite and charred cedar glide above denser notes of sun-warmed blackberries and ripe Italian plums. It’s not as lush on the palate as some Napa Zins. Like all of the wines from Grgich Hills, the 2012 shows a modicum of restraint, in a […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com