Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir Barrel Select 2013
Like fading autumn, where the sun hangs low against a clear November sky, the 2013 Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir Barrel Select offers integrated, finely wrought aromas of red cherries and dried mushrooms, decomposing leaves, woodsy trails and campfire smoke. And yet, it’s stunningly fresh on the palate, with vivid acidity lending tension to layers of […]
Raptor Ridge Rogue Valley Tempranillo 2013
Upon opening, the nose of this 2013 Rogue Valley Tempranillo from Raptor Ridge exhibited a strong savory green note, a cross between chervil and nettles that blew off to reveal a wine that quite primary in its expression. Mulberry and plum skirting earth and game and even a touch of wild lilac, these are notes […]
Knudsen Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2013
The Knudsen Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a new project, as the fruit grown by the Knudsen family has been sold almost exclusively to Argyle for years. Feminine and quite pretty in its expression, the nose imbued with freshly plucked rose petals, strawberry compote, incense and spice. On the palate, one can find darker […]
Schramsberg Cabernet Sauvignon J. Davies 2012
On a hunch, Hugh Davies replanted his Diamond Mountain estate vineyard with Cabernet in 1994. Since then, he’s moved his sparkling grape parcels to cooler regions. A stroke of brilliance, really because Cab flourishes on Diamond Mountain and the 2012 J. Davies offers the most sumptuous aromas of plums, black currents, anise, mint and allspice. […]
Domaine Giraud Prémices Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011
Oh my. The nose on Domaine Giraud’s Prémices Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2011 is unapologetically lush and even downright sensual with layers of blackberry reduction sauce, smoky plums, mesquite, Tahitian vanilla bean, and anise. It’s equally immersive and voluptuous on the palate, layers of black fruit are beautifully delineated against a structure that suggests good aging potential, balanced […]
Knudsen Erath Vintage Select Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 1983
Tasted together, the 1983, I’m told was the better vintage. After 32 years, that sentiment still holds true. The aromatics have developed into a demure and perfumey elixir of dried rose petals, forest floor, spearmint, sassafras, and allspice. Its brickish in the glass, the color of worn leather, and yields intriguing, notes of wild game, […]
Salton Intenso Tannat 2012
My first encounter with a Brazilian wine (about time!) the 2012 Salton Intenso Tannat is fittingly, Brazil’s oldest operating winery, founded in 1878. Intenso is somewhat lighter-framed than expected, with bold red fruit that pops out of the glass along with welcoming aromas of earth and spice. It’s not a complex wine—it offers a soft […]
Saint-Damien Gigondas 2012
The 2012 Saint-Damien Gigondas is seduction in a glass. A walled-in garden of lilacs and lavender, huckleberries, dried mint and dusty earth that offers both concentration and finesse. There is ample structure here, amid velvet layers of ripe plum, subtle gaminess, iron and ox blood and a lovely black pepper note on the finish. Accessible […]
Knudsen Erath Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 1985
Like drinking a piece of history, I felt privileged to taste the 1985 and 1983 vintages of Knudsen Erath Pinot Noir with Page Knudsen Cowles and Colin Knudsen, children of Cal Knudsen. Graceful, arching secondary and tertiary notes of sous bois, dried rose petal, wild mushrooms, brown sugar and dried mint. Brickish in the glass, like […]
Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT 2010
Always a great value, the Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre is a wine to buy for sheer drinking pleasure. In the glass, it’s inky and dioxazine purple-hued, due in part to a small fraction of grapes dried ripasso-style blended in post-fermentation—an addition that lends both satiny texture and richness. On the nose, black cherries, blackberry cobbler, […]