Vargas Aha! Albariño 2018
Taught as a drawn bow, the 2018 Vino Vargas Albarino expresses Bosc pear, lemon pith, white flowers, and wet gravel. In the mouth, a sweeping textural landscape with a deep mineral vein that wells up amidst orchard fruit, quince, and dried thyme. The finish is long and protracted. Rare for me to lavish this sort […]
LXV Cira Vineyard Reserve Merlot 2015
LXV’s 2015 Cira Vineyard Reserve Merlot opens with pie cherries, macerated strawberries, cola, mocha, graphite, and spice followed by a pastry note that’s steeped in vanilla bean. As with all of LXV’s Reserve wines long aging in 53% new French oak has resulted in a wine that’s softly focused with satiny, well-integrated tannins and lovely […]
Edna Valley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Sourced from California’s Central Coast, the 2017 Edna Valley Vineyard Sauvignon is crisp and refreshing. A classic bouquet of melon, dewy pear, guava, and grapefruit are the aromas that comprise the nose. In the mouth, it’s clean and bright—and terminates in a lively streak of lime zest and white grapefruit. A lovely everyday drinker. 13.1% […]
Penman Springs Vineyard Paso Robles Artisan Cuvée Meritage 2016
A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 14% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Penman Springs Artisan Cuvée Meritage is aged for 18 months in American oak. Boysenberries, black cherries, dried violets, and dutch process cocoa powder make up the nose. Mouthcoating, ripe tannins neatly couch a core of densely packed, sweet black fruit that […]
Orin Swift Blank Stare Sauvignon Blanc 2017
An energetic whorl of pear and juicy musk melon, Opal apple, stargazer lily, and lime zest comprises the nose of Orin Swift’s 2017 Blank Stare. A blend of 97% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscat, 20% barrel fermentation and aging in French oak is evident on the nose and palate, lending a just the right amount […]
Venteux Tache le Verre Alisos Canyon 2016
High praise for Venteux Vineyard’s Tache le Verre. Crafted from 100% organically farmed Syrah from the renowned Alisos Canyon region of Santa Barbara, the 2016 is substantive and baritone in expression. Stratified layers of blackberries, black cherries, incense, tar, earth, smoky Pu-er tea, and violets compose the nose—a complex sensory arc that leads into a […]
Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Deftly balanced, the 2016 Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 70% Horse Heaven Hills fruit with the balance coming from the Wahluke Slope AVA. This bottling is an excellent representation of tapicity for the varietal—the expression is classic Washington State Cabernet—it’s packed full of ripe blackberries, black currants, violets, mountain herbs, and dried […]
LXV Kiler Canyon Vineyard Reserve Syrah 2014
Garnet robed, LXV’s 2014 Reserve Syrah is made from fruit sourced from Kiler Canyon Vineyard in Paso’s Willow Creek District and is vinified in 50% new French oak. Heady waves of Damson plums, black cherries, and blackberry pie rest beneath secondary aromas of lilacs, black olives, freshly turned soil, crushed limestone, and iron shavings. Medium-bodied, […]
Kin & Cascadia Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2017
Tortoise Creek and The Charmel, a charming, well-preserved range of sustainably farmed varietal wines that bridges two continents, with offerings from the Languedoc region and California. Translucent ruby in the glass, the 2017 Kin & Cascadia Willamette Valley Pinot Noir offers a bouquet of Rainier cherries, strawberries, vanilla, and baking spice. Medium bodied and silky […]
Kin & Cascadia Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Kin & Cascadia’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from fruit sourced from the Wahluke Slope—a region that resembles an inland sandy beach, the Columbia River curls around this arid AVA. It is, for the most part, a massive alluvial fan. Sandy soils give rise to Cabernets with silky tannins, bright red berries, and savory tones—which […]