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Columbia Winery Chardonnay 2014

Columbia Winery Chardonnay

Columbia Winery’s 2014 Chardonnay is actually a blend—91% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Gris, 2% Viognier, 2% “select white varieties”. Lemon-hued, the aromatic profile is predominantly orchard fruit—yellow apple and Bosc pear with a suggestion of tropical fruit and lemon budino pudding layered in. Medium-bodied and straightforward on the palate, this is a wine that few will […]

Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

An fine pairing with this evening’s steak fajitas. Grgich Hills wines have impressed me as more restrained stylistically speaking, the 2012 Cabernet is brooding, though neither glossy nor opulent as so many Napa Cabs can be. After an hour, it’s finally relinquishing black currants and plums, incense and Christmas cake. On the palate, fine, silky […]

J Vineyards Pinot Noir Monterey, Sonoma, & Santa Barbara Counties 2015

J Vineyards Pinot Noir Monterey, Sonoma, & Santa Barbara Counties 2015

J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir is a blend of Pinot Noir from three AVAs: Monterey County, Santa Barbara County and Sonoma County. It’s a big, voluptuous wine, not quite opaque and neatly inlaid with black cherry, roasted strawberry, warm brown spices, and decaying rose petal. Silky on entry, with well-integrated tannins—the acidity hits at […]

L’Aventure Estate Rosé 2016

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

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

Terry Brandborg, Stephen Reustle, and Earl Jones

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, […]

Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc Alsace 2014

Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc Alsace 2014

Soaring aromas of yellow peaches, mango, dried mint, and wet limestone—this is classic Alsatian Pinot Blanc. The palate boasts moderate weight with a spritely arching spine of oyster shell, pleasantly bitter peach skin, and grapefruit pith pit co-mingling with flecks of sea salt. A wonderful ying yang between lushness and vivid acidic verve in this […]

Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha 2015

Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha 2015

Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Marqués de Casa Concha 2015″ width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>A solid Chilean Cabernet, Concha Y Toro’s Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is crafted from fruit sourced from a stony alluvial bench in the Maipo Valley. Classic aromas of black currant and blackberry rest well beneath layers of potting soil and […]

Lubanzi Red Blend 2015

Lubanzi Red Blend 2015

This is a new brand—yet to be released, and one that I see as part of the growing trend combining wine and philanthropy. Cape Venture was founded by two young men who fell in love with South Africa’s rugged wine scene. They have pledged to give 50% of the winery’s profits to back the Pebbles […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com