Beaux Frères Zena Crown Pinot Noir 2014
Diurnal flux, and cooling marine breezes can be felt in the 2014 Beaux Frères Zena Crown Pinot Noir. The wind-driven terroir of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has graced it with a degree freshness—vivid red and blue fruit rest beneath a garland of crushed lavender, exotic spice and freshly grated nutmeg. The palate delivers focused acidity, […]
Beaux Frères Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015
A vivid spectrum of red fruit and spice, Beaux Frères Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015 is awash in plump Rainier cherries, raspberries, rose hips, Christmas spice, and cola. On entry, it’s silky, sexy—delivering nuance and power, finesse and fine tannins that lend structure—guardrails on something that could quite possibly break free, such is its exuberance. […]
Producer Profile: The Expressive Wines of Erste+Neue
Located in Caldaro, a storybook village on Alto Adige’s breathtaking wine road, the Erste+Neue cooperative winery was established in 1986 following the merger of the Erste Kellerei (founded in 1900) and the Neue Kellerei (founded in 1925). Translated, the name First + New reflects the winery’s nod to tradition while embracing experimentation and an openness […]
Bergström Old Stones Chardonnay 2015
A bit of a powerhouse, really. Bergström’s 2015 Old Stones Chardonnay opens with aromas of Bosc pear and baked apple rendered more complex by swirling aromas of smoke, iodine, and flinty overtones that are more akin to the profiles I find in some white Burgundy. In the mouth, there’s not much fat, lemon curd adds […]
Bergström Silice Pinot Noir 2015
Named after the silica-rich sand and marine sedimentary soils that dominate Bergström’s picturesque Silice Vineyard the 2015 gracefully unspools in one long continuous ribbon, aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry form a dusky base that is knit together with crumbling limestone, kukicha twig tea and warm spice. Marine sedimentary soil reemerges on the finish, […]
Bergström Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
One of Oregon’s most revered vineyards, Dick and Deirdre Shea have farmed this extraordinary 140-acre site for over 25 years. Thin, low-fertility soil overlay sandstone bedrock—here, the vines are forced to burrow deep in search of moisture and nutrients. The 2016 vintage slowly unfurls to reveal smoky, sexy layers of crushed lavender, seedy raspberry, black […]
Bergström Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir 2015
Bergström’s sublime 2015 Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir was one of the more restrained as compared with the rest of the lineup we tasted. Red and black fruit, anise and cola aromas glide above the firmament, well above a base layer suggestive of freshly turned tilth. It’s more broad-shouldered on the palate as well, slightly weightier, […]
Bergström Sigrid Chardonnay 2015
Finely tuned and elegant, somehow it reminds me of a 1937 Talbot-Lago — Bergström’s 2015 Sigrid Chardonnay displays beautiful, sweeping lines. Lemon curd, and orchard fruit usher in a treasure trove of secondary aromas: buttered toast, spearmint, orange blossom, and flint. On the palate, orchard and stone fruit laced in lemon pith and stony minerality […]
Bergström Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
From John and Karen Bergström’s estate vineyard, planted in 1999, the 2016 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir offers up heady layers of raspberry eau-de-vie, sweet spice, and purple lilacs. The perception of lightness and nimbleness is probably one of the most important examples of Pinot Noir, but it does not matter . A long, glorious finish […]
Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP Classic Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015
Who says rosé can’t age [a little]? This, found in a dusty corner is a welcome surprise, bringing with it a tidepool of minerality and Provence’s warming summer breeze. The 2015 Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP is pale salmon pink in the glass, lithe and made from that most classic blend of cinsault, syrah, and grenache. […]