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Oregon’s Enduring Spirit of Collaboration

Ponzi Vineyards

Robed in luxurious, perpetual green, Oregon’s largest AVA is home to more than 270 wineries and over 1,000 vineyards. It’s a region that has enjoyed marked growth over the past few decades thanks, in part, to a handful of families that arrived in the late 1960s with little more than determination and vision. “My father […]

San Simeon Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

San Simeon Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

A well-crafted Cabernet from Paso Robles—a region that has yet to explode in popularity, thus, there are interesting values to be had. San Simeon is a brand owned by San Antonio Winery, which still maintains an urban tasting room in Los Angeles. The winery has been in operation since 1917. Sumptuous aromas and flavors of […]

Brooks Winery | Storyteller Wine Pinot Noir 2014

Brooks Winery | Storyteller Wine Pinot Noir 2014

From Portland’s iconic Storyteller Wine Company, this 2014 Storyteller Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir, the fourth and final label to emerge from an intensive two day blending session at Brooks winery last fall. Michael Alberty’s blend is imbued with the fragrance of pure, ripe strawberries, so much so, that it reminds me of making strawberry jam. […]

Argyle “The Art of Sparkling” Trio — Christin Engelberth Label

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

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 […]

Windstream Sarmento Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013

Windstream Sarmento Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013

Windstream Sarmento Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013″ width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>One of San Antonio Winery’s brands, the Windstream Sarmento Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2013 shows considerable marine influence, given its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Glass-filling aromatics of rose petal and cinnamon bark. and dry leaves that crunch underfoot. The attack is bright and […]

Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

I was skeptical of Louis Martini, after all, it’s a mass-distributed brand owned by Gallo. That said, Gallo has the capital to work with some of the best vineyard sites in the valley, while still producing a seriously good Napa Cab for less than $40.00 On the nose, the 2013 shows heady Crème de cassis, […]

San Antonio Winery Opaque Paso Robles Zinfandel 2014

San Antonio Winery Opaque Paso Robles Zinfandel 2014

True to its name, the Opaque Paso Robles Zinfandel 2014 is, well, opaque. Aside from that the nose is deliciously expressive. Rife with steeped blackberries and plums, anise, cedar, and chocolate mint. Expect a wallop of freshly ground black pepper on the nose and on the palate. The attack is full-bodied and lush, enlivened by […]

Tendril Wine Cellars Tightrope Pinot Noir 2013

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

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 […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com