Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Cuvée Rosé NV
The color of this pretty brut rosé exactly matches the label, I’m sure that’s intentional. It’s fine-boned and delicate with convivial seed pearl bubbles and aromas of ripe raspberries, tart red currants, blood orange and rose petal. Lively and fresh on entry, Laurent-Perrier’s pink shows very little yeast, the merest suggestion wet dough, fleeting and […]
Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Another heavy hitter from a lineup spanning four decades of Napa Cabs. The 2013 Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet is still quite primary. It’s opaque, with a bold magenta rim. Structurally, opulent—the core furnished with juicy black fruit, ripe, glossy tannins and a hint of how it will evolve—a palate pleasing melange of […]
Inglenook Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon Estate 1997
Classic Rutherford dust twining a startling degree of freshness. At 20 years on, the Niebaum Coppola Rubicon 1997 is opaque and ruby-robed, with a watery rim. 1997 was a watershed year in Napa, marking a shift toward extended hang times and higher alcohols, here it’s at 14.1% and generously fruited with mulberries, black currants, anise […]
Beaulieu Vineyard Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1975
Tasted in a lineup of Napa Cabs spanning four decades, and led by wine icon Kevin Zraly, the BV Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1975 is quite evolved at this stage. We were lucky enough to sample a wine direct from the winery’s own library, where storage conditions have been perfect. It’s brickish and translucent save […]
Beringer Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1986
Beringer’s 1986 Mature, Beringer’s Napa Valley presented plum sauce, beef jerky, and leather followed by more ethereal notes of spearmint, sarsaparilla and dried flowers. With a mantle that is decidedly garnet, it is still round and generously fruited with fine, well defined mid-and-fore palate tannins effortlessly twining flavors of black currants, black tea, and cracked […]
Opus One 2006
Sampled at the 2017 Wine Writers Symposium, while a dinner with the charming Karen MacNeil seated directly across from me, and legends Bill Harlan and Andrea Robinson at the table behind me. The Opus One 2006 sang—one long, melodic, satiny chord drenched in wild blueberries, steeped blackberries, and black raspberry. It unfurls slowly, releasing a […]
Frog’s Leap Heritage Blend 2013
This bottle was gifted to me on arrival at Meadowood Resort in Napa, a nice way to kickoff the 2017 Wine Writers Symposium. My first time tasting Frog’s Leap, it’s young and primary. Juicy blackberries, blackcurrants, kirsch, and camphor tumble from the glass. It’s very structured with chalky, grippy tannins neatly encasing a tooth-staining core […]
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2010
Infused with smoky blueberries and blackberry jam, and crowned by lighter notes of ash, dried violets, and baking spice—the Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2010 has much to offer. It’s softly textured on entry, with fine, slightly woody mahogany-tinged tannins encircling a richly fruited core. From start to finish, it’s a seamless wine, […]
Bérêche & Fils Champagne Brut Réserve NV
Served at as the warm up wine (an excellent choice, I might add) at a recent tasting held at Portland’s beloved Le Pigeon, Berêche has long been one of my favorite bubblies. This particular bottle, a powerful and slightly yeast-driven Brut Réserve offered up a riotous nose of French baguette, granulated honey, white peach, and […]
Abacela Reserve Tempranillo 2009
Tempranillo grown in Southern Oregon, in this case Umpqua Valley, shows great promise, as Abacela has demonstrated time and again through their bottlings of this earthy, Spanish queen. The 2009 Reserve Tempranillo is resplendent in an earthy mantle of dried blood, brick dust, roasted black cherries, and plums. The balance on the palate is spot […]