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Prosper Maufoux Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé NV

Prosper Maufoux Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé

A lively, cheerful bead set against a vibrant background—the sort of orangey-pink one finds in a sunset—sets the stage for this ebullient Crémant de Bourgogne from Prosper Maufoux. Aromas of peach, candied orange peel, crème fraiche, and hazelnut spread grace the nose. On the palate, limestone-etched acidity gives lift to more tender notes of peach […]

Clos des Lunes Lune Blanche 2014

Clos des Lunes Lune Blanche 2014

Clos des Lunes, as the name implies, is limpid, yellow moonlight buckled in and braced by moderate oak. Bosc pear, baked apple, fading prairie flowers, and lemon curd permeate the nose. In the mouth, texturally, there is a suggestion of skin contact in addition to light toast—vibrant acidity gives it lift, freshness and a touch […]

Château Léoube Rosé de Léoube 2016

Château Léoube Rosé de Léoube 2016

Oh, the sweet promise of summer, Château Léoube Rosé de Léoube hints at ripe melon and fleshy, fuzzy-skinned peaches from the market, a whisper of minerality and jellied raspberries adds layered complexity. It’s light and lean, with a well-formed mineral backbone that chaperones what fruit there is from start to finish, unfurling in a final […]

Besserat de Bellefon Champagne Cuvée des Moines Brut NV

Besserat de Bellefon Champagne Cuvée des Moines Brut NV

The color of onion skin, Besserat de Bellefon’s Cuvée des Moines Brut is offers decadent creaminess on the interior. The aromatic profile is decidedly autolytic—freshly churned butter, almonds, baked apple, pear skin, chalk and a trace of white wild flowers. In the mouth—focus and energy, as pent-up acid courses through a rich orchard-fruit-laden core. Ultra-fine […]

Château de l’Aumerade Côtes de Provence Cuvée Marie-Christine 2016

Château de l'Aumerade Côtes de Provence Cuvée Marie-Christine 2016

An eponymous rosé, for me at least, not the winery—as I’ve been given that most pedestrian 1970s middle name of Marie—pale salmon in the glass, Château de l’Aumerade’s 2016 Cuvée Marie-Christine is awash with yellow plums, peaches, salmon berries, and wet pomace. It’s clean on the palate, prominently featuring blithe acidity and a texture infused […]

Spring Getaway: Dining in Champagne

Amuse bouche

My previous life as a winemaker found me living amidst the rolling hills of southeastern Washington’s Palouse. Carved out by the Missoula floods and crowned in layers of wind-blown loess, it’s a breathtaking landscape that attracts photographers from all over the world. Following harvest, the region changes her gown from green to gold. In the […]

Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP Classic Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015

Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP Classic Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015

Who says rosé can’t age [a little]? This, found in a dusty corner is a welcome surprise, bringing with it a tidepool of minerality and Provence’s warming summer breeze. The 2015 Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP is pale salmon pink in the glass, lithe and made from that most classic blend of cinsault, syrah, and grenache. […]

Besserat de Bellefon Champagne Cuvée des Moines Brut Rosé NV

Besserat de Bellefon Champagne Cuvée des Moines Brut Rosé

Rose-gold in hue and yeast-driven in style, Besserat’s Champagne Cuvée des Moines Brut Rosé offers smoky overtones of brioche, bing cherry, red currant, and linden flowers. On the palate, pronounced autolytic tones of wet dough and a sensation of creaminess at the core sink beneath a garland of fine bubbles, cresting and dissolving into chalk […]

Château Rieussec Sauternes 2010

Château Rieussec Sauternes 2010

I couldn’t resist pulling one of my remaining bottles of 2010 Château Rieussec from the cellar. Burnished gold in the glass, it’s exactly as I remember the last bottle I sampled in 2014—a sumptuous mélange of dried apricots, mango, creme brûlée, cloves, acacia honey and a heady whiff of smoke and dried mint. Round, glycerol-laden […]

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Vieille Vigne du Levant Grand Cru 2007

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Vieille Vigne de Cramant Grand Cru 2007

With a mousse like seed pearls embroidered on golden-threaded brocade, Larmandier-Bernier’s 2007 Champagne Vieille Vigne du Levant is precise and delicate. And while there is vinosity and weight suggestive of old vines, its luminous and filligred layers are etched with the character of ancient limestone soils found in Cramant. Crushed oyster shell, wet chalk are […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com