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 […]
L’Aventure Estate Rosé 2016
L’Aventure is a winery I’ve long been curious about—I was delighted to learn that it was one of our stops on a recent media trip to Paso Robles. And now, I understand all the fanfare. These wines all have a shimmering mineral thread running through them, like a silken cord, even in their heavier reds. […]
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 […]
Umpqua Undercover
The Umpqua Valley has a streak of wildness to it. Sparsely populated, its towns lie scattered amidst a series of rugged, undulating hills thatched in spikey Ponderosa pine and black oak. The Umpqua River and it’s winding tributaries churn and tumble through a network of valleys formed by the collision of three mountain ranges—the Klamath, […]