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Veuve Clicquot Champagne Réserve Brut Rosé NV

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Réserve Brut Rosé NV

The base wine for this salmon-hued sparkler is 2008 and the blend feels Pinot Noir heavy, though I’m unclear of actual percentages in this particular lot. Fresh and vivacious, Veuve Clicquot’s basic Brut Rosé offers up a bouquet of strawberries and ripe raspberries, along with a suggestion of white flowers. Red fruit is anchored at […]

Clos Bellane Les Échalas Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas Blanc 2015

Clos Bellane Les Échalas Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas Blanc 2015

A 50/50 blend of Marsanne and Viognier, the enchanting Clos Bellane Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc hails from a higher altitude site, with vineyard blocks set on 410″ plateau opposite Mont Ventoux. Sunbeam yellow with lemon drop and d’Anjou pear leading into more diffuse aromas of dried laurel and slate. The attack is round and […]

Feudo Arancio Chardonnay Sicilia Stemmari 2013

Feudo Arancio Chardonnay Sicilia Stemmari 2013

Stemarri’s charming Chardonnay Sicilia 2013 presents billowy notes of golden delicious apples, pineapple, blanched almond and banana custard. While the aromatics lean toward tropical, it isn’t heavy. This is a lighter expression of the grape, with moderate acidity—15% of which is aged in French barrique. The toast is very discreet, one might not even notice […]

Slightly Last Minute Gifts for Wine Lovers

Christmas

The holidays are upon us, and if you’re anything like me, you haven’t yet begun shopping. Most people in my immediate circle love wine and are connected to the industry one way or another—a bottle of Bruno Paillard Brut Champagne is always welcome, but I like to give gifts that last. The pursuit of wine […]

Tokaj’s New Golden Age

Mád Village

How a quiet revolution in Mád will change the way think about Tokaji. To visit Tokaj is to pull back the curtain on an extraordinary place, an ancient place that, at first glance, appears frozen in time even as the region embraces change. Storybook houses cluster together, defining this village from that; only the town […]

Domaine Paul Autard Côtes du Rhône 2015

Domaine Paul Autard Côtes du Rhône 2015

I’m revisiting this on the third day, it’s still lovely and fresh—Paul Autard’s basic Côtes du Rhône 2015 offers a sweeping palate of aromas. Macerated strawberry, cherry and plum notes are hemmed in by anise verging on violets, crushed stones, black olives, and sweet tobacco. It’s decidedly medium bodied, with dark fruit at the core, […]

Michel Gassier Nostre Païs Costières de Nîmes Blanc 2014

Michel Gassier Nostre Païs Costières de Nîmes Blanc 2014

The composition of Michel Gassier’s Nostre Païs Costières de Nîmes Blanc changes from year to year—2014 is 60% Grenache blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Roussanne and 5% Viognier. That’s a shift from previous vintages with no Clariette, and yet this wine’s personality and intensity remain intact. A melange of bruised pear, ripe melon and yellow peach […]

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Rosé de Saignée Premier Cru Extra Brut 2013

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Rosé de Saignée Premier Cru Extra Brut 2013

The Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Rosé de Saignée Premier Cru Extra Brut NV is self-possessed, elegant, and resplendent in tart pie cherries, rose petals, earth, and spice. Pinot Noir is the dominant profile in the blend. A vigorous mousse subsides to reveal lovely balance, finely tuned acidity that amplifies red berries, chalk, anise, white tea. Pierre Larmandier […]

Feudo Arancio Moscato Terre Siciliane Stemmari 2015

Feudo Arancio Moscato Terre Siciliane Stemmari 2015

Continuing on with the Stemmari line, their 2015 Moscato Terre Siciliane sports a classic Moscato nose. Brimming over with honey, chamomile, white flowers, and mandarin orange. It’s not as heavy or as cloying as some d’Asti, the palate is soft, I’d like a touch more acidity to offset the residual sugar. here. Apricots and stone […]

White before Red: An Interview with Winemaker Giuseppe Franceschini

Tony Hartl & Giuseppe Franceschini

Born in Padua, winemaker Giuseppe Franceschini likes to think of himself as a gypsy. He studied enology at the University of Udine, following graduation, his wanderlust and curiosity led him to Veneto, Friuli, Sicily, Mendoza and most recently, Slovenia. From these experiences, Giuseppe absorbed a lifetime of regional winemaking styles, each with unique challenges and […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com