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Angela Estate Pinot Noir 2012

Angela Estate Pinot Noir 2012

Angela, sweet Angela, you sang just as I’d hoped you would…with a lovely floral countenance of hibiscus flowers, rose petal, clove and baking spice swirl above richer, denser notes of black cherry, boysenberry and forest floor. Concentrated without being heavy, these wines are a masterpiece from Ken Wright, expressing Pinot’s full range and potential. The […]

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Vieille Vigne du Levant Grand Cru 2007

Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Vieille Vigne de Cramant Grand Cru 2007

With a mousse like seed pearls embroidered on golden-threaded brocade, Larmandier-Bernier’s 2007 Champagne Vieille Vigne du Levant is precise and delicate. And while there is vinosity and weight suggestive of old vines, its luminous and filligred layers are etched with the character of ancient limestone soils found in Cramant. Crushed oyster shell, wet chalk are […]

Angela Estate ‘Abbott Claim’ Pinot Noir 2012

Angela Estate 'Abbott Claim' Pinot Noir 2012

A blend of Pommard and clones 777 and 115, all rooted in ancient marine sedimentary soils that form the foundation and consequently the backbone of the 2012 Angela Abbott Claim Vineyard. Textbook growing conditions combined with this stellar site have yielded a wine with heady, rapturous aromas of hibiscus, musky black tea, mushrooms, truffles, smokey […]

Lingua Franca Mimi’s Mind Pinot Noir 2015

Lingua Franca Mimi's Mind Pinot Noir 2015

Mimi’s Mind, so named to honor the work of Mimi Casteel, and her east-facing vineyard site of Woodburn, Nekia, and Jory type soils planted in the 1970s. I am told that the vines are own-rooted and phylloxera-free, making them a rarity in the Eola-Amity Hills. The 2015, dressed in a translucent ruby robe, is poised […]

Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir 2015

Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir 2015

Cristom’s 2015 Mount Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir combines all five of the winery’s estate vineyards, and fruit from a few, select neighboring sites. The palate is both seamless and precise in its acid balance, truly, this is where this silken cuvée shows its pedigree. Fine, sueded tannins gather and fade—a slow, amaranthine unfolding of white […]

Alain Jaume & Fils Rasteau Les Valats 2015

Alain Jaume & Fils Rasteau Les Valats 2015

Soft, plummy and plush, the 2015 Alain Jaume & Fils Rasteau Les Valats offers ample drinking pleasure. On opening, black cherries, ripe Damson plums, cedar, sweet tobacco and menthol. The palate takes its cues from the nose, with a uniform profile—juicy black fruit cozened in velvety, ripe tannins and tempered acidity. This is a wine […]

Schäfer Dry Rosé 2016

Weingut Schäfer-Fröhlich Dry Rosé 2016

Spring is on the way. Heirloom rose petal pink, Schäfer’s 2016 Dry Rosé opens with vivid aromas of delicately spiced pie cherries, strawberries and apple blossom. Medium-bodied, this fresh organic rosé of Pinot Noir features a lean, tensile acid spine that crescendos with a burst of delicious pit fruit bitterness and oyster shell. 11.6% ABV […]

Alain Voge Les Vieilles Vignes Cornas 2014

Alain Voge Les Vieilles Vignes Cornas 2014

Crafted from 60 year-old biodynamically farmed Syrah, Alain Vogue’s Les Vieilles Vignes Cornas 2014 is expressive, yet restrained. Blueberries and blackberries wind ’round earth, black olive, and pink peppercorn. As its opens, secondary aromas emerge: clove, cinnamon bark, cardamom, lanolin, spice, violets, incense. It’s poised, with all of the power Syrah commands, but there is […]

M. Chapoutier Saint-Joseph Les Granits Blanc 2015

M. Chapoutier Saint-Joseph Les Granits Blanc 2015

M. Chapoutier’s Saint-Joseph Les Granits Blanc 2015 opens with a smoky undertow that burns off like morning fog to reveal denser aromas of mandarin orange, lemon curd, poached pear, and a base note of grilled pineapple. In the mouth, this 100% Marsanne is round, silky, and wonderfully expressive—orchard fruit and orange pastille are enlivened by […]

Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2016

Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2016

A household staple in the Pacific Northwest, Kung Fu Girl Riesling is crafted from sustainably farmed grapes grown in Washington State’s newest AVA, Ancient Lakes. On opening, vivid aromas of white peach, pear, lemongrass, and lemon drop lead into a wine with peppy acidity that adds lift to a white-fruited core. There’s nice length on […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com