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The Eyrie Vineyards Spark NV

Eyrie Vineyards Spark NV

Dark salmon, with an ultra-fine mousse that washes over the palate like the tide coming in, Eyrie’s Spark NV is a poetic blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 37% Chasselas Doré, and 8% Pinot Blanc that’s aged for 12 months on the lees in neutral French oak. It’s bone dry with a core of bright red […]

Cristom Estate Pinot Gris 2018

Cristom Pinot Gris 2018

From vines planted in 1993, Cristom’s 2018 Estate Pinot Gris is limpid sunbeam yellow, with lilting aromas of Asian pear, comice apple, granulated honey, pea tendril, and wet shell. In the mouth, there’s weight and flesh from full-malolactic fermentation combined with six months aging on fine lees—a taught vein of acidity wells up from the […]

Lange Estate Winery River Run Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018

Lange River Run Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018

The 2018 Lange River Run Cuvée was slightly closed when I last reviewed it, I’m pleased to report that it’s showing beautifully now and will only continue to improve in time. Sporting a seductive floral edge, it opens with aromas of pie cherry, raspberry coulis, rose petal, violet, underbrush, and lichen. Tons of finesse on […]

Storypoint Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Storypoint Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Syrah, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 2% that’s listed as “other varieties,” the 2017 Storypoint is an excellent value for lovers of California Cabernet. The nose offers up an expressive bouquet of macerated blackberry, plum, vanilla, and a lifted note of tar and dried mint. It’s full-bodied with […]

Lange Estate Vineyard North Block Chardonnay 2014

Lange Estate Vineyard North Block Chardonnay 2014

The acid balance and focus is perhaps the loveliest element this Lange Estate single-vineyard bottling. The 2014 North Block Estate Chardonnay is particularly lovely—with beguiling aromas of clementine, quince, pastry cream, and warm spice—on the palate, there’s weight and weightlessness. A nimble mineral-infused spine crests and ebbs, leaving the impression of apricot pit, baking spice, […]

Lange Estate Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2016

Lange Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2016

With nose is awash in raspberry coulis, cardamom, lilac, and forest floor, Lange Estate’s 2016 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir is taut and laser-focused. High-toned red berries flesh out the core—cranberry and alpine strawberry are neatly framed by fine tannins and bright acid spine. Attractive mineral-and-spice-infused finish surges on, adding length and persistence to this wine’s […]

Apothic Californian Sparkling Red NV

Apothic Californian Sparkling Red NV

An excellent value, Apothic’s latest introduction to their lineup is a Californian sparkling red made from a bevy of undisclosed varieties. It’s a deep shade of carmine red, with a steady stream of lively bubbles—morello cherries, vanilla, and strawberry jam made up the nose and palate with a subtle touch of orange pith shining through […]

Leonetti Walla Walla Valley Reserve 2001

Leonetti Reserve 2001

2001 marked my enrollment into the Institute for Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla. It was the first year I tasted Leonetti, the following year the Figgins family awarded me a scholarship. To revisit this wine brings back memories—the 2001 Reserve is an opulent blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 7.5% Cabernet Franc. […]

Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Cristom Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

Cristom’s 2017 Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir is sourced from the winery’s steepest estate vineyard. Jessie’s blocks are planted in high-density and range in elevation from 320 ft to 550 ft—it unfurls slowly in the glass to reveal deeply perfumed aromas of red and blackberries, crushed lavender and rose petals, with a savory top note. It’s […]

Lange Lange Estate Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015

Lange Lange Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015

A riotous, deeply perfumed nose of blackberry crumble, Rainier cherry, rose petals, violets, and a touch of smoky, iron-tinged minerality. Lange Estate’s 2015 Pinot Noir is a study in precision and elegance. Beautifully integrated tannins and to a perception of overall silliness, it fans out across the palate before it’s hemmed in by mineral flecks […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com