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Dopff & Irion Crémant d’Alsace Rosé Brut NV

Dopff & Irion Crémant d'Alsace Rosé Brut NV

A luminous salmon-hued sparker, Dopff & Irion’s Brut Rosé is composed of 100% Pinot Noir and opens with a cascade of lively bubbles that give rise to a chorus of citrus, raspberry, alpine strawberry, and spice notes. Nice energy on the palate, with acidity that ebbs and flows as it darts through clean layers pink […]

Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Château Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

It’s an odd thing to taste Pacific Northwest wines halfway around the world at a wine show in Romania—but then, life is full of interesting surprises and it was even more fun to see how our domestic wines are received in Europe. Château Ste. Michelle is one of Washington’s State’s founding wineries, it’s also the […]

Yves Cheron Les Dentelles Côtes du Rhône 2015

Yves Cheron Les Dentelles Côtes du Rhône 2015

I wanted to find a little more concentration of fruit at the core of this otherwise easy-drinking blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah from Yves Cheron. The 2015 ‘Les Dentelles’ sports a classic Southern Rhône profile of plums and blackberries couched in garrigue, warm spice, and dried violet. It’s bright on the palate, not […]

Camille Braun Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV

Camille Braun Crémant d'Alsace Brut

Really loving this year’s crop Crémant d’Alsace sparklers, including this honey-hued biodynamic blend of 60% Auxerrois and 40% Pinot blanc from Camille Braun. It’s expansive on the nose, expressing baked apple and poached pear along with a heady topnote of shortbread, brioche, and earth. In the mouth, there’s weight, but there’s nice palate tension, too—a […]

La Marca Prosecco NV

La Marca Prosecco NV

La Marca Prosecco is a tasteful addition to any holiday table. A torrent of clinquant bubbles adds sparkle and elan to delicate aromas of yellow apple, lemon, white flowers, and acacia honey. This is a spritely, medium-bodied Prosecco graced with bright acidity, creamy texture, and a welcome burst of subtle minerality twining a pleasant bittersweet […]

Galil Mountain Winery Upper Galilee Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Galil Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Continuing my tour through Galil Mountain’s current releases, this lean and linear Sauvignon Blanc from Upper Galillee offers up a bouquet of lemon blossom, d’Anjou pear, and green apple. On the palate, an arching acid spine of pure white grapefruit, lemon pith, cress, and limestone. 13.5% ABV | Sample Galil Mountain Winery 8.9 Points

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Lemon zest, apricot, pear, honeycomb and spice, the 2016 Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling is lush and languid on entry. It unfurls at a leisurely pace, pierced only by a singular, racy vein of acidity followed by a burst of saline and pink grapefruit tipped minerality. An excellent value. 10.0% ABV | […]

San Marzano Talò Negroamaro Salento IGP 2015

Cantine San Marzano Talò Negroamaro Salento IGP 2015

If I were to describe San Marzano’s 2015 Talò Negroamaro Salento IGP in a single word, it would be juicy. A plush and plump mouthful of damson plums, black cherries, balsamic, sweet tobacco, and vanilla paste set against a backdrop of velvety tannins and moderate acidity. This is a generous, easy-drinking wine, and it’s all […]

Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner 2016

Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner 2016

Biohof Pratsch is a solid producer, both in terms of the winery’s commitment to environmental stewardship and in price, it’s always an excellent value. The 2016 Grüner Veltliner is awash in billowy aromas of pear, lime blossom, and lemon thyme. In the mouth, the frame is wonderfully light and lean, minerality contributes as much to […]

Vietti Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta 2015

Vietti Moscato d'Asti Cascinetta 2015

An affordable holiday bubbly—Vietti’s 2015 Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta has a classic profile for the varietal. Lovely notes of baked apple and poached pear lie well beneath granulated honey, star gazer lilly and chamomile. At 5% ABV, it’s quaffable and charming. — August 11, 2017 I have a weakness for Vietti’s Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta, the 2015 […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com