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Spring Valley Vineyard Sharilee Petit Verdot 2012

Spring Valley Vineyard Sharilee Petit Verdot 2012

Aged 19 months in 100% neutral oak, the 2012 Spring Valley Vineyard Sharilee Petit Verdot is within it’s drinking window, the nose a confluence of fleshy plum and ripe blackberries underscored by spice and a subtle top note of wild fennel. On the palate, the structure is particularly lovely—velvety tannins frame out a plush, black-fruited […]

San Marzano 62 Anniversario Primitivo di Manduria Riserva 2014

San Marzano Primitivo di Manduria riserva Anniversario 62

From San Marzano, the 2014 62 Anniversario Primitivo di Manduria Riserva is made from 100% head-trained Primitivo grapes grown in highly weathered, calcareous soils rich in iron oxides. Opaque quinacridone violet in the glass, the nose explodes with blackberries, plums, black cherry, anise, candied violets, and sweet tobacco. It’s supple and smooth on entry, with […]

La Marca Prosecco NV

La Marca Prosecco NV

La Marca Prosecco is a tasteful addition to any holiday table. A torrent of clinquant bubbles adds sparkle and elan to delicate aromas of yellow apple, lemon, white flowers, and acacia honey. This is a spritely, medium-bodied Prosecco graced with bright acidity, creamy texture, and a welcome burst of subtle minerality twining a pleasant bittersweet […]

Château Suduiraut Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2010

Château Suduiraut Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2010

A decadent elixir, Castelnau de Suduiraut is the second label of Château Suduiraut—in an excellent vintage like 2010, it offers fabulous QPR—and is exactly the sort of wine I’m inclined to haul out of my cellar during the holidays. Lavishly layered aromas of dried apricot, quince, dried orange peel, sultana, and crème brûlée rise from […]

Ledger David Rogue Valley Southern Oregon Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Ledger David Rouge Valley Southern Oregon Sauvignon Blanc 2016

This is my first experience tasting David Leger wines, and I am absolutely blown away by their 2016 Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It opens with eccentric rings of guava, kiwi fruit, juniper berry, and chervil. On the palate, it’s an acid metronome—an electric, energetic pulse that flows in and out of a tropical and orchard […]

Galil Mountain Winery Upper Galilee Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Galil Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Continuing my tour through Galil Mountain’s current releases, this lean and linear Sauvignon Blanc from Upper Galillee offers up a bouquet of lemon blossom, d’Anjou pear, and green apple. On the palate, an arching acid spine of pure white grapefruit, lemon pith, cress, and limestone. 13.5% ABV | Sample Galil Mountain Winery 8.9 Points

Commanderie St. John 1947

Commanderie Saint john 1947

A rarity from Cyprus, composed of sun-dried indigenous grapes, Xynisteri and Mavro. The Commanderie Saint John 1947 is a resonant, deep amber brown in the glass that boasts a welcome and pleasantly oxidized range of aromas—Dalmatia orange-fig spread, espresso, walnut shells, and sultana. Burnished by time, this is a solera-aged dessert wine, with its oldest components […]

Domaine Perrault-Jadaud Vouvray Pétillant Haut Les Choeurs 2014

Domaine Perrault-Jadaud Vouvray Pétillant Haut Les Choeurs 2014

A charming and expansive nose of baked apple, brioche, white flowers, and acacia honey graces this lemon-yellow Vouvray. Full and voluptuous on the palate, with a laser thin beam of acidity cuts a wide swath through orchard fruit, fine lees, and dried honeycomb. It’s slightly sweet, but well balanced. Overall a delight on a brisk […]

Lacerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Lacerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

One of the wineries I had the pleasure of visiting on my recent whirlwind tour of Romania, Lacerta lies South of the Romanian Carpathians—on the day we visited, we drove through a light dusting of snow at higher altitudes to reach the estate. The wine itself, a powerhouse Cabernet heavily laden in aromas of plum […]

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Lemon zest, apricot, pear, honeycomb and spice, the 2016 Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling is lush and languid on entry. It unfurls at a leisurely pace, pierced only by a singular, racy vein of acidity followed by a burst of saline and pink grapefruit tipped minerality. An excellent value. 10.0% ABV | […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com