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Kangarilla Road Chardonnay 2017

Kangarilla Road Chardonnay 2017

Lots of breadth and range in Kangarilla Road’s 2017 Chardonnay. Sourced from a single vineyard within the Adelaide Hills, 50% of this wine was fermented in new French oak Hogsheads, with daily lees stirring. White peach, underripe pineapple, orange pastille, blanched almond, dried mint, and toast leap from the glass—it’s lithe and citrus-driven on the […]

Planeta Sicilia Rosé 2016

Planeta Sicilia Rosé 2016

A straggler in my cellar, the 2016 Planeta Sicilia Rosé is a rose gold-hued blend of 50% Nero d’Avola and 50% Syrah. Light and lilting aromas of strawberry, tart pie cherry, and white peach gracefully twine spring flowers and fleeting mineral tones. It’s crisp, bright and perfect for these waning days of summer. The close […]

Prophecy Wines California Pinot Noir 2015

Prophecy Wines California Pinot Noir 2015

As a former student of design, I am ever drawn into a label series with thoughtful, enchanting imagery—such is the case with the Prophecy collection, it’s bottlings span several continents and I have been perhaps slightly more enamored with the whites and the rosé than the reds. That said, this 2015 California Pinot Noir is […]

Château de Saint Cosme Little James’ Basket Press Blanc 2014

Château de Saint Cosme Little James' Basket Press Blanc 2014

An inexpensive yet charming offering from Château de Saint Cosme, the 2014 is a blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 60% Viognier. Four years on, the Sauvignon blanc dominates with pronounced aromas of pineapple, muskmelon, white peach, lemon verbena, and dried grass clippings. In the mouth, it’s medium bodied—the acidity hits the sides of the […]

Wine By Joe Joe To Go Pinot Gris NV

Wine By Joe Joe To Go Pinot Gris NV

From one of Oregon’s most forward-thinking winemakers, Joe Dobbs—the Joe to Go series of canned wines is meant to be convivial, light, refreshing, and portable. That being said, canned wines and the canned wine trend is here to stay, and there are some perfectly quaffable examples out there, this being one of them. Straw yellow […]

Tortoise Creek Le Charmel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017

Tortoise Creek Le Charmel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017

Made from organic grapes, Tortoise Creek Le Charmel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017 is pale salmon in the glass, with lilting aromas of white peach, melon, white flowers and ladies cold crème. It’s a fairly delicate rosé, lighter in body, with vibrant mineral-tipped acidity. Nice persistence and nicely done for its price point. Sample 88 […]

Peter Zemmer Rollhütt Pinot Noir 2017

Peter Zemmer Rollhütt Pinot Noir 2017

Worth every penny, Peter Zemmer’s Northern Italian Pinot Noir is intensely perfumed, with lilting aromas of dried rose petals, cola, homemade strawberry jam, raspberry, and underbrush. The aromatic profile perfectly matches the nose—it’s elegant, buoyant, and reigned in, with a finish etched in floral undertones and limestone minerality. 13.0% ABV | Sample Peter Zemmer 9o […]

Emile Beyer Pinot Gris Tradition 2016

Emile Beyer Pinot Gris Tradition 2016

Pale straw in the glass, Emile Beyer’s Pinot Gris Tradition 2016 enchants with aromas of yellow peach, pear, lemon drop, stargazer lily, muskmelon, lemon thyme, and smoky minerality. It’s quite round in the mouth, while still maintaining balance as pitch-perfect acidity winds ’round a core that presents a textural landscape of pear skin, peach pit, […]

Domaine Bousquet Chardonnay 2018

Domaine Bousquet Chardonnay 2018

Abundantly fresh, Domaine Bousquet, an Argentine winery under French ownership, generally offers great value, particularly for those on the hunt for organic wines. This is not one of their more complex offerings, it shows classic orchard fruit on the nose with a hint of subtle spice. 70% of the Chardonnay is aged in stainless, while […]

Les Domaines Paul Mas Vin de Pays d’Oc Côté Mas Aurore Rosé 2017

Les Domaines Paul Mas Vin de Pays d'Oc Côté Mas Aurore Rosé 2017

Like a favorite pair of worn-in jeans, this is the rosé to turn to in a pinch and on a budget, and priced to please, the 2017 Côté Mas Aurore Rosé is pale salmon in the glass and hits all the right notes for a South of France pink. Summer berries, melon, white peach and […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com