Havens Logo 23 White Small

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling 2016

Lemon zest, apricot, pear, honeycomb and spice, the 2016 Weingut Witwe Dr. H. Thanisch Erben Müller-Burggraef Riesling is lush and languid on entry. It unfurls at a leisurely pace, pierced only by a singular, racy vein of acidity followed by a burst of saline and pink grapefruit tipped minerality. An excellent value. 10.0% ABV | […]

Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner 2016

Biohof Pratsch Grüner Veltliner 2016

Biohof Pratsch is a solid producer, both in terms of the winery’s commitment to environmental stewardship and in price, it’s always an excellent value. The 2016 Grüner Veltliner is awash in billowy aromas of pear, lime blossom, and lemon thyme. In the mouth, the frame is wonderfully light and lean, minerality contributes as much to […]

Yarden Golan Heights Winery Odem Organic Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

Yarden Odem Organic Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

Lemon Yellow in the glass and medium-bodied without perceptible heaviness. There’s an air of restraint to this Israeli Chardonnay from Golan Heights Winery—yellow apple skin, white peach, poached pear, lemon tart, and a nuanced whiff of white flowers and toast. In the mouth, it’s focused—a textbook Chardonnay profile, and really nicely done. Perched acidity hits […]

Château Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc 2014

Château Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc 2014

Slightly smoky, flinty notes precede underripe pineapple, canned pear, gooseberry and grass. The 2014 Château Marjosse Bordeaux Blanc is inexpensive, moderate in weight, expressive in temperament—fleshy tropical and orchard fruit give way to leaner tones of white grapefruit. The oak component serves as more or less a backdrop, and the finish tapers off without fanfare. […]

Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Blanco 2016

Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Viura-Malvasía-Tempranillo Blanco 2016

Soft in tone and texture, Vivanco’s 2016 Rioja Blanco is a non-traditional blend of 50% Viura, 35% Tempranillo Blanco, and 15% Maturana Blanca. It’s the color of sun-bleached straw, and with a swirl radiates underripe pineapple, yellow apple, pear, lemon blossom, and barley flour. Lees contact has graced this Rioja blend with deceptive softness on […]

Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2014

Robert Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2014

An excellent value to be found in this estate grown, Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay. The site lies just thirteen miles from Carmel Bay, along the northern edge of the valley—planted in 1982, in Corton-Charlemagne Chardonnay clone vines, it’s a wine that delivers subtle, layered flavors of smokey baked yellow apples, figs, and lemon torte strike […]

Notable Oaked Chardonnay 2016

Notable Oaked Chardonnay 2016

Relatively new to the market, Notable Chardonnay comes in two versions, one for the oaky-buttery crowd and the other a crisp stainless steel ferment. This being the oak-laden version, with palate drenching caramel, praline, bruised pear, and lemon drop. Silky on entry with orchard fruit at the core neatly folded into toast that is most […]

Szent Tamás Hárslevelű 2012

Szent Tamás Hárslevelű 2012

Mad is the second label of Szent Tamás Winery, and both are masterfully crafted by 18th generation winemaker István Szepsy Jr. Like Furmint, Hárslevelű is indigenous to Tokaj, it differs from Furmint in that it’s lush as opposed to linear, and generously fruited. As a blend, it forms the mid-palate. Here, it shows of oxidized […]

Emiliana Natura Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2016

Emiliana Natura Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2016

Emiliana offers this surprisingly lean Chilean un-oaked Chardonnay. Perhaps a little more body than Chablis, but certainly less lush than most domestic versions of this versatile grape. Lime sorbet, yellow apple, underripe pineapple, and a pinch fresh green herbs. Silky on entry, it glides along, held aloft by bright grapefruit-pith tinged acidity. Lovely and fresh—a […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com