The Eyrie Vineyards Spark NV
Dark salmon, with an ultra-fine mousse that washes over the palate like the tide coming in, Eyrie’s Spark NV is a poetic blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 37% Chasselas Doré, and 8% Pinot Blanc that’s aged for 12 months on the lees in neutral French oak. It’s bone dry with a core of bright red […]
Cristom Estate Pinot Gris 2018
From vines planted in 1993, Cristom’s 2018 Estate Pinot Gris is limpid sunbeam yellow, with lilting aromas of Asian pear, comice apple, granulated honey, pea tendril, and wet shell. In the mouth, there’s weight and flesh from full-malolactic fermentation combined with six months aging on fine lees—a taught vein of acidity wells up from the […]
Lange Estate Winery River Run Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018
The 2018 Lange River Run Cuvée was slightly closed when I last reviewed it, I’m pleased to report that it’s showing beautifully now and will only continue to improve in time. Sporting a seductive floral edge, it opens with aromas of pie cherry, raspberry coulis, rose petal, violet, underbrush, and lichen. Tons of finesse on […]
Lange Estate Vineyard North Block Chardonnay 2014
The acid balance and focus is perhaps the loveliest element this Lange Estate single-vineyard bottling. The 2014 North Block Estate Chardonnay is particularly lovely—with beguiling aromas of clementine, quince, pastry cream, and warm spice—on the palate, there’s weight and weightlessness. A nimble mineral-infused spine crests and ebbs, leaving the impression of apricot pit, baking spice, […]
Lange Estate Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2016
With nose is awash in raspberry coulis, cardamom, lilac, and forest floor, Lange Estate’s 2016 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is taut and laser-focused. High-toned red berries flesh out the core—cranberry and alpine strawberry are neatly framed by fine tannins and bright acid spine. Attractive mineral-and-spice-infused finish surges on, adding length and persistence to this wine’s […]
Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017
Cristom’s 2017 Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir is sourced from the winery’s steepest estate vineyard. Jessie’s blocks are planted in high-density and range in elevation from 320 ft to 550 ft—it unfurls slowly in the glass to reveal deeply perfumed aromas of red and blackberries, crushed lavender and rose petals, with a savory top note. It’s […]
Lange Lange Estate Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015
A riotous, deeply perfumed nose of blackberry crumble, Rainier cherry, rose petals, violets, and a touch of smoky, iron-tinged minerality. Lange Estate’s 2015 Pinot Noir is a study in precision and elegance. Beautifully integrated tannins and to a perception of overall silliness, it fans out across the palate before it’s hemmed in by mineral flecks […]
Domaine Trouvére Umpqua Valley Syrah 2015
A proper Umpqua Valley Syrah, this particular bottle is maturing into something that feels very much like an aged Côte Rôtie with earthy soulfulness shining through in cascading waves of plum and blackberry, sooty earth, grilled meat, dried violets, and pink peppercorn. It’s much more nimble on the palate than the nose suggests, like any […]
Bluebird Hill Cellars Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2017
With a nose bedecked in orchard fruit, orange pastille, candied orange peel, lemon curd the Bluebird Hills Cellars 2017 Chardonnay is a blend of 50% neutral French oak and 50% Stainless steel with partial malolactic fermentation. Round and silky on entry, there’s a lovely juxtaposition between bright lemon-tinged acidity and full-bodied richness. A prolonged mouthwatering […]
Domaine Trouvère Bricolage Rouge 2012
Oxblood red, the 2012 Domaine Trouvère Bricolage Rouge offers up an expressive, slightly rustic nose of leather, freshly turned tilth, dried mint, dark chocolate shavings, and a touch of balsam wood. Seven years on, the tannins are fully integrated—fine and sueded, they house dark fruit tones of plum and roasted black cherries—their pitch and amplitude […]