Knudsen Vineyards Pinot Noir 2015
Established by Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen in 1971, Knudsen Vineyards had long been a primary supplier of fruit to Argyle. The family’s second generation, Page, Colin, and David Knudsen were determined to make their own wines from the estate. The 2015s mark their fourth vintage, and the wines are still vinified at Argyle. The […]
Spring Valley Vineyard Nina Lee 2012
Co-fermented with 1% Viognier, Spring Valley Vineyard’s 2012 Nina Lee Syrah opens with a lilting topnote of dried violet that floats above weightier aromas of blackberry cobbler and black cherry. The wine’s namesake, a nod to the family’s enduring history in Walla Walla, Nina Lee was the wife of Frederick Corkrum. After meeting following her […]
Spring Valley Vineyard Sharilee Petit Verdot 2012
Aged 19 months in 100% neutral oak, the 2012 Spring Valley Vineyard Sharilee Petit Verdot is within it’s drinking window, the nose a confluence of fleshy plum and ripe blackberries underscored by spice and a subtle top note of wild fennel. On the palate, the structure is particularly lovely—velvety tannins frame out a plush, black-fruited […]
Ledger David Rogue Valley Southern Oregon Sauvignon Blanc 2016
This is my first experience tasting David Leger wines, and I am absolutely blown away by their 2016 Rogue Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It opens with eccentric rings of guava, kiwi fruit, juniper berry, and chervil. On the palate, it’s an acid metronome—an electric, energetic pulse that flows in and out of a tropical and orchard […]
Simonsig Tiara 2010
A smoldering Bordeaux-blend, the 2010 Simonsig Tiara is a gripping tale—with rising, writhing notes of singed black cherries, mulberries, and blackberries couched in gamey, meatier tones of bacon fat, creosote, scorched earth, and wind-blown dust. It’s terroir-driven, an expression that can only be South African—that captivating wildness that explodes and yet, has a kind of […]
Ellipsis Red Hills Lovett Vineyard Petite Sirah 2014
Lake County wines are admittedly a new discovery for me. Thus far, the feeling is that the appellation deserves more attention than it currently sees, at least outside of California. Known for it’s high-elevation mountain vineyards with predominantly volcanic soils, the wines from the AVA are graced with intensity and poise. The 2014 Ellipsis Red […]
Rain Dance Vineyards Nicholas Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
From the Chehalem Mountains sub-appellation, Rain Dance’s Nicholas Vineyard sits at an elevation of 544 feet and consists of silty clay loam Jory and Laurelwood type soils—the expression is more black fruit than red. A spicy mélange of black cherry and black raspberry hovering between vanilla and more compact forest floor notes. Smooth and silken […]
Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Tasted in Transylvania of all places at the ROVINHUD wine show, during a master class led by MW Patrick Farrell. The 2014 proves to be as sumptuous and profound as the 2013. Opaque as a starless night, it’s a deep plunge into blueberry and crème de cassis bliss, followed by sandalwood and vanilla, dried mint […]
Patricia Green Cellars Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016
These notes, posted in honor of Patricia Green—her untimely passing was announced on the winery’s website today. I enjoyed this elegant 2016 Sauvignon Blanc only a few days ago. Glinting lemon yellow in the glass, with heady tropical notes of kiwi fruit and papaya rendered more complex by lilting herbaceousness. It’s generous in the mouth, […]
Waters Loess Vineyard Syrah 2012
Co-fermented with 4% Viognier, Waters 2012 Loess Syrah is crafted from fruit sourced from Leonetti Cellars estate vineyard. Earth, Italian plum, and blackberry reduction weave through seductive notes of brûléed turbinado sugar, earth, and charcuterie. It’s a sumptuous, well structured wine, framed in moderate toast with enough acidic lift to maintain balance. A meandering, lengthy […]