Durant Vineyards ‘La Paloma’ Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013
Durant Vineyard’s Dundee Hills La Paloma Pinot Noir 2013 doesn’t disappoint. This is their 40th Anniversary edition, and I can smell its heady aromatics with the glass sitting more than two feet away (that always charms me). Cherry turnover, vanilla, rose petal and anise are anchored in a subtly earthy embrace. It’s silky on entry, […]
Faustino Rioja Reserva V 2006
Faustino’s Rioja Reserva V 2006 imparts little fruit. Expect notes of leather, sun-baked roof tile, grilled meat and tomato paste. Medium-bodied, this old-school Tempranillo offers moderate acidity and low-to-moderate, but fine tannins. The profile of the nose echoes that of the palate, and it paired reasonably well with grilled steak fajitas. 12.5% ABV Bodegas Faustino […]
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2010
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards 2010 Estate Reserve Cabernet is suave, with no hard edges, and languid notes of creme de cassis, bluberry crumble, brown sugar, anise and a decadent, if unexpected top note of soy. In the mouth, sueded tannins lend structure to an overturned basket of juicy black cherries and ultra-ripe blueberries, leading into […]
Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend 2013
Always solid, the Rôtie’s Northern Blend is composed of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, adding subtle sweetness to a nose is fairly brimming over with ripe Rainier cherries, Italian plums, and baking spices. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s own Rocks Estate Vineyard, a site that tends to contribute earthy undertones and, even a […]
Primož Štoka Kras Izbrani Teran 2013
Izbani Teran is a native grape of Slovenia’s Kraz region, a very small appellation bordering Northern Italy. The vines are grown in iron-rich terra rosa soils, and that iron note translates on the nose and palate. This is a wine that is an acquired taste, Izbani Teran has very high acidity and that translates too, […]
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 1999
I’ve been holding off on posting notes for months, DRC is admittedly, an intimidating wine to write about. The 1999 Richebourg is a pinnacle wine, the sweetest nocturne, a walled-in garden of the soul. Heady, slowly unfurling layers of rose petals, dark loamy earth, mahogany wood, black cherry, crab apple, game, and forest floor. On […]
Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013
Stoller’s 2013 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir opens with strawberry creme and raspberry tart, the nose is delicate, slightly faint and slightly sweet. On the palate—the only ripple amidst inner creaminess is a moderate level of acidity—just red berries, red apple skins, and a touch of minerality on the finish. I wanted to see a bit […]
Trinchero Cloud’s Nest Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Cloud’s Nest Vineyard, as the name suggests is perched 1,500 feet above sea level in the Mayacamas mountain range. Gravelly soils further limit the vines’ growth and the aromatics are striking. Earth and forest floor, wild mushrooms, underbrush, warm leather, and soy. The palate echoes this high-altitude Cab’s woodsy aromatics, with a medium-bodied countenance and […]
Kabaj Sivi Pinot 2012
For orange wine enthusiasts, the 2012 Kabaj Sivi Pinot, technically a Pinot Grigio, is this intriguing Slovenian example. Extended skin contact followed by full malolactic fermentation and aging in French oak barrique have endowed this wine with it’s orange hue. The aromatics are subtle and layered—a fusion of cling peaches, decaying rose petals, and coriander. […]
Mercer Estates Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
The Mercer family has a long history farming the arid rolling hills that form the Horse Heaven AVA in eastern Washington. They planted their first vineyard in 1972—older vineyards are far more rare in Washington as compared with California or even Oregon. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is big and voluptuous, with layered black fruit notes […]