Murrieta’s Well The Spur 2014
Better on the second day, I recommend decanting on opening — a ripe blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petite Sirah, 18% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc from Livermore Valley — the 2014 Murietta’s Well ‘The Spur’ opens with notes of blueberry, black raspberry, black cherry, and blackcurrants couched in dark layers […]
Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
2014 marked Col Solare’s 20th vintage, giving the winery ample reason to celebrate the enduring partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori. A warmer, riper vintage than 2013, this memorable Red Mountain Cabernet is all about power and sinewy concentration, with black cherry, cassis, blackcurrant, dark chocolate shavings and espresso rippling across this wine’s […]
Domaine de Roche-Guillon Fleurie 2014
Crushed raspberries, pie cherries, cranberries, and underbrush waft from the glass. Beguiling secondary notes of dried violets, lilacs and potting soil lend perfumy complexity. It’s a light, nimble Gamay—classic Fleurie—with lifted red fruit tightly wound round a mineral vein of iron ore followed by loamy soil, and bay leaf. 13.0% ABV Domaine de Roche-Guillon 8.8 […]
Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
An auspicious collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori, Col Solare is one of the preeminent wineries in Washington State’s Red Mountain AVA. The 2013 Cabernet is elegantly robed in layers of black cherry and blackcurrant, crushed lavender, violets, sweet tobacco, and pencil shavings. It’s sumptuous yet precise, offering acidic lift and polished, supple […]
Au Contraire Pinot Noir 2014
The 2014 Au Contraire Pinot Noir is vastly more charming than I expected it to be given the price point. A well-crafted Pinot for less than $25.00 is a rarity and this bottle exceeds expectations. Swoon-worthy aromas of seedy raspberry, black cherry, underbrush, dried rose petal, and warm spice surge from the glass. In the […]
Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Apalta Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
The 2013 Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Apalta Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is furnished in fruit-forward that run the gamut from black currants to blueberries along with toast, cedar and woodspice. Concentrated, ripe, and fairly powerful in the mouth, making this an ideal steak wine, the finish is herbaceous—a hanging note where bell pepper and cracked black pepper […]
Catena Zapata Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Laura Catena last year for an article that charted the research she’s doing at the Catena Institute in studying the effects of high elevation on indigenous varieties and on international varieties like Cabernet. Of course, it’s great fun to taste a wine like this after such a rousing […]
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
It’s an odd thing to taste Pacific Northwest wines halfway around the world at a wine show in Romania—but then, life is full of interesting surprises and it was even more fun to see how our domestic wines are received in Europe. Château Ste. Michelle is one of Washington’s State’s founding wineries, it’s also the […]
Vinarte Castel Bolovanu Soare Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Another local wine from my recent trip through Romania’s picturesque countryside. This modern Cabernet Sauvignon from Vinarte Castel Bolovanu (it took some digging to figure out the actual producer) is fully-loaded. Chocked full of plums and vine-ripened blackberries, it’s fresh, plump and round on the palate with high levels of cedar-tinged tannins and acidity. A […]
Spring Valley Vineyard Katherine Corkrum Cabernet Franc 2013
The 2013 Spring Valley Vineyard Katherine Corkrum offers more complexity than I tend to find in Washington State Cabernet Franc. It’s a wellspring of mulberries and pie cherries neatly hemmed in by dried orange peel, baking spices and subtle, dusty earthiness. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, with velvety tannins and delightfully spice and white-pepper-laden finish […]