2013 Brancaia Maremma Toscana Ilatraia
A Cab-dominant blend that flirts with opulence, reigned in by its Tuscan provenance—and that is a good thing, a food-friendly thing. The 2013 Brancaia Illatraia quietly unspools with notes of plums and ripe blackberries steeped in thyme. Burning embers, dust, and juniper berries add layered complexity. On the palate, it’s round and plush, with mouth-coating […]
Brancaia Tre 2014
A stylish Super Tuscan that is as modern as its label, Brancaia’s 2014 Tre is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from all three of the winery’s estate vineyards. It’s softly textured on the nose and palate, a basket of freshly harvested, sun-warmed Italian plums and black cherries infused with […]
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
King Estate Limited Edition Blanc de Noirs 2008
Aged Sir Lee for 26 months, King Estate’s 2008 Limited Edition White Black is finely wrought, with a delicate bead that gives rise to baked apples and orchard fruit notes, followed by buckwheat, dried marjoram, and whipped butter. Nice concentration on the palate, with eccentric rings of kumquat, sea foam, and sandstone, which impart a […]
Brooks Sunset View Eola-Amity Hills Riesling 2014
Brooks is one of a handful of Oregon wineries to have mastered Riesling. Every year, they offer small lots of single vineyard Rieslings like this beauty from Sunset View Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA—the vineyard that sits at a 290′ elevation on a south-facing slope. It’s expressive, deliciously layered in white peach and golden […]
Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2013
An utterly breathtaking, seductive nose perfumed in rose water, rhubarb, black cherry, incense, anise, cola, sous bois. The underlying structure is there in Ponzi’s 2013 Pinot Noir Reserve, in the form of ultra-fine tannins framing out a wine of tremendous grace and elegance. Fruit on the palate—a tumble of red and black— is overtaken by […]
Ferraton Pere & Fils Côtes du Rhône Samorëns Rosè 2016
Like the perfect accessory, Ferraton Pere & Fils’ 2016 Samorëns Rosé matches my reading glasses. I sit here in my studio, pondering this Provencal pink, I am reminded of how much I love these wines despite a long, chilly spring in the Willamette Valley. It’s a wine that manages to be energetic and delicate all […]
Ellipsis Red Hills Lake County Petite Sirah 2013
A deep plunge, Ellipsis’ 2013 Red Hills Lake County Petite Sirah is subdued on the nose. What it lacks in aromatic intensity, it makes up for on the palate. The effect is enveloping—a surge of black fruit, powerful and baritone in tempo, shot through with swirling embers, dried herbs, cedar, spice and a well-structured acidic […]
Herencia Altés Terra Alta L’Estel 2015
A blend of 50% Samsó, 25% Garnacha Negra, and 25% Syrah, Herencia Altés L’Estel has a dark undercurrent running through it—preserved meat, matchstick, flint, dried blood and spice swirl about this wine like a secret waiting to be told—a beguiling top note anchored in black cherries, blackberries, and juicy ripe plums. L’Estel is aged five […]
Herencia Altés La Peluda 2015
Fortunate to have tasted some absolutely stunning wines while in the Terra Alta region of Spain last week, including this delicious wine from Herencia Altés. La Peluda is from the little known hairy Garnacha, translated, Peluda literally means hairy—despite the name, the wine itself is delicious with earthy, seductive aromas brimming with underbrush, bright red […]