Argyle “The Art of Sparkling” Trio — Christin Engelberth Label
Argyle’s new Art of the Blend series is stunning. The wines are sold as a trio, with each bottle featuring an artist chosen from a juried competition. From the winery’s website: “After nearly thirty years of growing and making World-class wines in the Willamette Valley, we have opened the Argyle House to our Community to interpret […]
Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2014
Crafted from biodynamically grown grapes, Montinore Estate’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2014 is a fast-forward to Thanksgiving with fragrant aromas of spiced apple rings, cranberry compote, black cherry, cola, and baking spice. The palate is laden in fine, supple tannins, and lively red fruit—2014 is indeed a riper vintage. Spices reemerge on the end with an […]
Tendril Wine Cellars Tightrope Pinot Noir 2013
We named it Tightrope because we think it’s the perfect way to describe balance in Pinot Noir,” said winemaker Tony Rynders when I chatted with him at this year’s Grand Tasting during the International Pinot Noir Celebration. Indeed, his wines can be praised as having achieved that most precarious balance in one of the wine […]
Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay Arthur 2014
Beautifully delineated, Domaine Drouhin’s Arthur Chardonnay is pure and fresh, despite 2014 being a ripe year. Layers of crisp d’Anjou pear and apple, white flowers, white peach, granulated honey. It’s equally delicate and finely wrought on the palate, with French oak lending playing a supporting role to an ethereal vein of minerality shines through this […]
Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2014
Beautiful, as are all of Stoller’s wines, but young. I feel will benefit from just a little more time in bottle. I reviewed the 2013 Reserve Chardonnay and preferred it slightly over the 2014. Even so, 2014 offers layers of sensory charm and is laden with just-picked peaches and pear tartan, topped off with a […]
Troon Vineyard M*T Reserve 2013
Troon’s M*T 2013 is a blend of 56% Malbec and 44% Tannat that delivers baritone, pent-up aromas of blackberry reduction sauce, blueberries and plums that ripple and hover beneath cocoa powder, lavender and graphite. The expression is on of understated power, where acidity etches its way through a defined and well-structured core, leaving in its […]
Sokol Blosser Evolution Sparkling Brut NV
Convivial and crisp, Sokol Blosser’s Evolution Sparkling Brut is one of the better priced sparkling wines from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It offers up a nose of green apple, pear and white flowers. On the palate, it’s lively and crisp. It’s not a complex bubbly, but it is pleasantly carefree on a Sunday afternoon. 11.5% ABV | […]
Drouhin Rose Rock Pinot Noir 2014
Aptly named, Drouhin’s Rose Rock Pinot Noir hails from a parcel seated at the southern tip of the Eola-Amity Hills, the grapes harvested from this site are grown in ancient volcanic soils and benefit from the cooling Van Duzer winds. Blithe floral notes; a bouquet of wild roses, lavender, lilac, dust, anise, spice, and crushed […]
Stoller Family Estate Dundee Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2013
Lilting aromas of apricot, pear, dried honey, lemon curd, anise. Stoller’s Dundee Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2013 is clean and focused on the palate and more delicate than most. The perception is one of silkiness with beautifully integrated oak (you’d hardly know it’s there) except as a textural component, lending structure, allowing pure orchard fruit notes […]
Troon Vineyard Applegate Valley Vermentino Sauvignon Blanc 2014
This unusual blend of 80% Vermentino and 20% Sauvignon Blanc hails from Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley—A sub-appellation of Southern Oregon that finds itself a bit overshadowed by the Willamette Valley. I have tasted some lovely whites, especially Rieslings from this region, though this is admittedly, my first Vermentino. Bright lemon yellow in the glass, […]