Locations F-4 NV
From yesterday’s virtual tasting hosted by talented winemaker and founder of Orin Swift, Dave Phinney, this non-vintage blend from the Locations project. The blend from France is especially compelling, laden with black currants, roasted strawberries, and a slightly wild, earthy streak of underbrush, damp tilth, dried mushroom, and spearmint. Fruit sourced from the Rhone, Roussillon, […]
Locations E-4 NV
From yesterday’s virtual tasting with founder Dave Phinney of Orin Swift, this series of Locations wines based on regional blends that defy AOC labeling laws. Locations E-4 (E is for España) boasts a nose of stunning complexity. Cherries and Damson plums, rick dust, and balsam wood overlaid by finer, more savory notes—tomato paste, underbrush, and […]
Columbia Winery Chardonnay 2014
Columbia Winery’s 2014 Chardonnay is actually a blend—91% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Gris, 2% Viognier, 2% “select white varieties”. Lemon-hued, the aromatic profile is predominantly orchard fruit—yellow apple and Bosc pear with a suggestion of tropical fruit and lemon budino pudding layered in. Medium-bodied and straightforward on the palate, this is a wine that few will […]
Maîtres Vignerons de la Presqu’ile de Saint-Tropez Côtes de Provence Fleur de Mer Rosé 2016
The Fleur de Mer Côtes de Provence Rosé 2016 is fresh and genial, expressing a lovely melange of chilled melon, raspberry sorbet, turbinado sugar, and line dried linen. Lean on fruit, but generously framed in minerality, this pretty Provençal pink has an underlying structure of wet chalk and limestone that seemingly closes in on and […]
Columbia Winery Red Blend 2014
50-year old Columbia Winery is sporting new packaging, I’m always glad to be in the know of such things. The more important question, however—does the packaging match the contents? A supple blend of 40% Merlot, 39% Syrah, 8% Cabernet, 7% Cab Franc, and 6% Malbec the NV Red Blend sports a classic Columbia Valley profile […]
Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha 2015
Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha 2015″ width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>A solid Chilean Cabernet, Concha Y Toro’s Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is crafted from fruit sourced from a stony alluvial bench in the Maipo Valley. Classic aromas of black currant and blackberry rest well beneath layers of potting soil and […]
Lubanzi Red Blend 2015
This is a new brand—yet to be released, and one that I see as part of the growing trend combining wine and philanthropy. Cape Venture was founded by two young men who fell in love with South Africa’s rugged wine scene. They have pledged to give 50% of the winery’s profits to back the Pebbles […]
Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc Alsace 2015
Easy like Sunday morning, Paul Blanck’s 2015 Pinot Blanc Alsace boasts aromatic charm. Laden in white peach and pine, stargazer lily, line-dried linen, and rosemary blossom. It’s got some weight to it, though nicely balanced by citrus soaked acidity and a pleasant herbal flourish at the close. 12.5% ABV | Sample Paul Blanck & Fils 8.9 […]
Château Gassier Côtes de Provence Esprit Gassier 2015
Rosé seemed like the appropriate wine to drink after a 2+ week absence from the flu. And this bottle the 2015 Château Gassier Esprit Gassier is the color of ballet shoes with pretty aromatics that roll out of the glass. White peach, underripe watermelon, a touch of blood orange and loads of minerality. It’s the […]
Castello Banfi Brachetto d’Acqui Rosa Regale 2016
I wager that Banfi sent me this coquettish Brachetto d’Acqui in the hopes that I’d review it in time for Valentines day. Vivid magenta with a translucent rim, a fine mousse—which I appreciate—and considerable olfactive charm. Ripe, ripe black cherries, crushed raspberries, pungent decaying rose petals, earth, and an alluring pinch of spice. There is […]