Mistinguett Cava Brut Nature NV
Another winery visited on a recent press trip to Catalunya, Mistinguett is one of the larger Cava producers in the region, turning out values like this Brut Nature. The arrow of their marketing is squarely aimed at youth and celebration, indeed, it was hard to glean anything about the technical aspects of this wine since […]
Lafou De Batea 2013
LaFou is a small producer in the Terra Alta region of Spain, one I was lucky to visit on a recent trip to the Catalan. An expressive, fruit-driven blend of old vine Garnacha Negra and Garnacha Carignan—it’s heavily laden in pie cherries, strawberries roasted in balsamic, olive tapenade, and warm spice. Intense and concentrated in […]
Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2015
Ruffino’s Lumina Pinot Grigio firmly falls in the great values category. The 2015 vintage is softly textured and crisp. Notes of Bosc pear and Golden Delicious apple are complicated by white flowers and lilting minerality. Easy drinking and bright, it’s a wine that offers versatility in spades—I paired this bottle with pappardelle with sauteed rapini […]
Ferraton Pere & Fils Côtes du Rhône Samorëns Rosè 2016
Like the perfect accessory, Ferraton Pere & Fils’ 2016 Samorëns Rosé matches my reading glasses. I sit here in my studio, pondering this Provencal pink, I am reminded of how much I love these wines despite a long, chilly spring in the Willamette Valley. It’s a wine that manages to be energetic and delicate all […]
Herdade do Esporão Douro Minas Quinta dos Murças 2015
From the steeply terraced hillsides of the Douro is this classic and expressive blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão. Layered aromas of plums and black cherries form the foundation, with lively spice and incense notes gliding over the top. On the palate, fruit is restrained by mouth-coating tannins and […]
M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône 2013
A wine I return to year after year, simply because it’s such a stellar value. Belleruche is one of Chapoutier’s entry-level labels, a tempting and fleshy blend of classic Rhône varietals: Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette, and Bourboulenc. It’s rife with pear and stone fruit with the merest twist of lemon peel, fennel and white […]
Herencia Altés Terra Alta L’Estel 2015
A blend of 50% Samsó, 25% Garnacha Negra, and 25% Syrah, Herencia Altés L’Estel has a dark undercurrent running through it—preserved meat, matchstick, flint, dried blood and spice swirl about this wine like a secret waiting to be told—a beguiling top note anchored in black cherries, blackberries, and juicy ripe plums. L’Estel is aged five […]
Bertani Bertarose Chiaretto Venezie IGT 2016
A beguiling blend of 75% Molinara and 25% Merlot grown in grown calcareous-clay soils in steep hillside vineyards overlooking Lake Garda, Bertani Bertarose Chiaretto 2016 is endowed with aromas of pie cherries and tart red currants swirl within a fine mineral net. On the palate, it’s as lean and crisp as any Provence rosé, with […]
Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Crianza Selección de Familia 2013
Smooth and open-hearted, Dinastia Vivanco’s Crianza Rioja 2013 is an effortless plunge in to ripe plums, juicy black cherries, vanilla, wafting anise and lavender notes followed by a daub of earthy soulfulness. Composed of 100% Tempranillo, this is a fresh, round Crianza framed in black tea and ripe tannins. Easy to drink and even easier […]
Szent Tamás Dry by Tokaj White 2015
I had the pleasure of visiting the Szepsy family last fall—the time spent with them gave me insight into why the Tokaj region, famed for its sweet wines is now transitioning to more dry-style offerings. The Dry by Tokaj, an entry level in their portfolio is the color of straw, with vivid aromas of bosc […]