Domaine de la Sanglière Spéciale Côtes De Provence Rosé 2015
Domaine de la Sanglière’s 104 acres under vine are perched at the edge of the sea, and that saline-ness, an ethereal wafting, beachy salt air readily translates in this delicate blend of blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Rolle, and Clairette. The fruit, something like apricot or peach skin hover at deeper layers till the […]
Durant Vineyards ‘Ava Lucia’ Pinot Noir Rosé 2015
Watermelon pink, bursting with red-skinned apples and tart pie cherries. On opening, the 2015 Durant Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé exhibited a candy-like top note of Wrigley’s gum that has wafted off after half an hour—a good thing. On the palate, it’s fresh, delivering bright red berries and acidity in equal measure, in a style that […]
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve 2010
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards 2010 Estate Reserve Cabernet is suave, with no hard edges, and languid notes of creme de cassis, bluberry crumble, brown sugar, anise and a decadent, if unexpected top note of soy. In the mouth, sueded tannins lend structure to an overturned basket of juicy black cherries and ultra-ripe blueberries, leading into […]
Mumm Napa DVX Rosé 2009
Perhaps my favorite in a lineup of Mumm Napa sparklers I’ve tasted over the past few months, the 2009 DVX Rosé is alive with aromas of macerated strawberry, red apple skins and a really nice though quite subtle earthiness. A 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the DVX spends four years en tirage, and […]
Pike Road Willamette Valley Pinot Gris 2015
Glinting straw yellow and laden with aromatics of d’Anjou pear, lemon curd, petrichlor, lily of the valley, and a lilting top note of cinnamon stick. The 2015 Pike Road Pinot Gris is winsome and engaging with a light crisp palate that offers almost as much complexity as the nose. Honeydew melon emerge on the back […]
Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives
Feeling confounded about what to pair with this dish, I turned to one of my favorite wine writers, Fiona Beckett and her excellent website, Matching Food & Wine. Her suggestion proved to be spot-on, as she recommends not a dry white wine, which she writes “tends to be too similar, too lemony,” because of the […]
Domaine de la Sanglière la Riviera Côtes De Provence Rosé 2015
Fragrant, very ripe cantaloupe flesh and some of the skin as well, co-mingling with a bit of papaya followed by wafting mineral notes of sea foam and salt. It’s quite lean on the palate, with minimal fruit—I’d like to see a bit more fullness, more fleshiness, to balance the high-toned acidity in this salmon-hued Côtes […]
Domaine Houchart Rosé Côtes De Provence 2015
The 2015 Domaine Houchart Rosé exhibits sweetness at the core verging on Watermelon Jolly Rancher, along with fresh, poppy notes of white peach and apricot. The wine label notes that the a blanket of CO<sub>2 </sub>is applied to the grapes during harvest in order to preserve freshness. I’d say they’ve achieved that goal<sub>, </sub>this is […]
Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend 2013
Always solid, the Rôtie’s Northern Blend is composed of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, adding subtle sweetness to a nose is fairly brimming over with ripe Rainier cherries, Italian plums, and baking spices. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s own Rocks Estate Vineyard, a site that tends to contribute earthy undertones and, even a […]
Primož Štoka Kras Izbrani Teran 2013
Izbani Teran is a native grape of Slovenia’s Kraz region, a very small appellation bordering Northern Italy. The vines are grown in iron-rich terra rosa soils, and that iron note translates on the nose and palate. This is a wine that is an acquired taste, Izbani Teran has very high acidity and that translates too, […]