Havens Logo 23 White Small

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. […]

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

Burnished gold in the glass, and crafted from Muscat Hamburg planted in 1935 within the Snipes Mountain sub-appellation of Yakima Valley—Stoller’s 2014 History Upland Vineyard Muscat is imbued with complex, layered aromas of preserved lemon, baked apple, dried orange peel, chamomile, wild daisy, and granulated honey. The lilting florally that’s present on the nose and […]

Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

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 […]

Kin & Cascadia Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

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 […]

History Mont Elise Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014

History Mont Elise Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014

Stoller’s History series is all about unearthing the oldest vines in the Pacific Northwest and making single vineyard, small lot expressions from them. The 1968 Mont Elise Vineyard is a Pinot Noir from one of the oldest vineyard plots in the Columbia Gorge AVA. Limpid garnet in the glass, it’s finely wrought with aromas of […]

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014

A rarity from Washington State’s Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, these plantings of Muscat Hamburg date back to 1935, and, had I have tasted this blind, I would have pegged it as an Old World wine, given its restraint and lissome form. The color of onion skin and imbued with ephemeral, fleeting tones of stargazer […]

History Cabernet Sauvignon Otis Vineyard 2014

History Cabernet Sauvignon Otis Vineyard

Stoller’s latest project, a series of wines named History aims to showcase some of the oldest plantings in Oregon and Washington State. The 1957 History Cabernet is sourced from Yakima Valley’s Otis Vineyard, the oldest panting of the variety in the state. It’s an elegant, pure expression of Cabernet opening with plum and black currant […]

Pacifica Evan’s Collection Riesling Washington 2017

Pacifica Evan's Collection Riesling Washington 2017

Pacifica is interestingly owned by Herzog Wine Cellars—and the wines from this line, as with wines from the Herzog lines, are Kosher. Profile-wise, it’s a classic Washington State Riesling with fruit-forward aromas of pear and crisp green apple, lime zest and lemon drop. On the palate, it’s round and subtlety sweet, with acid that finishes […]

Columbia Winery Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Columbia Winery Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Tasted at a recent winemaker dinner with the Columbia Winery team, the 2015 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is a new release and a new rendition of their absolutely stunning packaging. The profile is classic Red Mountain and offers up a sumptuous aromatic sensory arc of blueberry pie, blackberries, cassis, dried orange peel, sandalwood, and warm […]

Bledsoe Family Winery Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Bledsoe Family Winery Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

From Bledsoe Family Winery, Flying B 2016 is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah aged in 64% new French oak for 20 months. At this stage in its development—the nose is heavily laden in primary fruit—juicy blackberries, black currant, and black cherry precede lighter tones of cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, and sweet […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com