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Bodegas Faustino VII Tempranillo 2017

Bodegas Faustino VII Tempranillo 2017

An old-school Rioja from Bodegas Faustino, of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less from this producer. The Faustino VII is a label I haven’t seen before and looks to be a value line crafted from 100% Tempranillo that’s been aged in American oak for six months. It offers up a classic profile of macerated strawberry, […]

Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Reserva 2014

Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Reserva de Familia 2014

Soft and seductive, this 100% Tempranillo from Bodegas Riojanas, the 2014 Monte Real Reserva slowly blooms in the glass with plums and black cherries interweaving notes of dusty earth, wet terra cotta, and mahogany wood. In the mouth, tannins are gathered at the fore and mid-palate—they’re fine, yet still tightly wound. Stewed prune and dried […]

Hōm Merlot by Robert Eden 2018

Hōm Merlot by Robert Eden 2018

Vibrant purple on the meniscus, Hōm Merlot is part of a new collection from acclaimed biodynamic winemaker, Robert Eden of Château Maris. It’s a fresh and vivid Merlot, with aromas of blueberry crumble, black cherries, lilacs, spice, and cinnamon bark. The wines are vinified in the first cellar made from hemp that passively consumes carbon […]

C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Cune Gran Reserva 2010

CT 90.3 171 user reviews 2010 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Cune Gran Reserva

Complex aromas of plums, Spanish roof tile after a rain, dust, earth, leather, dried violets, and baker’s cocoa grace Cune’s (CVNE) 2010 Gran Reserva. Fine, dusty tannins coat the palate followed by a core of tart pie cherry, sweet tobacco, tomato leaf, balsamic, and cedar, all of which lead into a meandering, satisfyingly mouthwatering finish. […]

La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 2005

La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 2005

A fabulous La Rioja Alta, the 2005 Gran Reserva 904 is a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano aged in American oak barrels. It opens with a kaleidoscope of subtle, alluring aromas of Japanese plum, dried leaves, dusty earth, mahogany wood, leather, pomander ball, dried mint, and Dutch cocoa powder. In the mouth, sueded […]

Bodegas Altos de Torona Albariño Rías Baixas Sobre Lías 2017

Bodegas Altos de Torona Albariño Rías Baixas Sobre Lías 2017

A more fruit-driven expression of Albariño, the Altos de Torona Sobre Lias 2017 is fairly bursting with aromas of yellow peach, banana chip, green apple, and citrus. Lovely freshness and roundness in the mouth, followed by saline-tinged smokiness—the wine’s granitic origins come through on the finish as well as a rather haunting, singular banana note. […]

Pazo Pondal Rías Baixas Albariño 2016

Pazo Pondal Rías Baixas Albariño 2016

Lovely mouthfeel in this biodynamically farmed, multi-dimensional Albariño from Pazo Pondal. Dewy pear, melon, lemongrass, a whiff of gunflint, and smoke round out the nose. Texturally it’s quite pretty, and round in the mouth, with a bit of skin-ferment bite. That wonderful texture persists through to a moderate finish tipped in lime zest and fleur […]

Bodegas As Laxas Albariño Brut Sensum Laxas 2016

Bodegas As Laxas Albariño Brut Sensum Laxas 2016

A rare sparkling Albariño from Rías Baixas, the 2016 Sensum Laxas offers up billowy aromas of freshly milled flour, green apple, d’Anjou pear, and pea shoot. It’s medium-bodied with lively bubbles and piercing acidity that begins as lemon pith, gently fanning out across the palate as it dissolves into sea foam and mineral inflections. 12.5% […]

Santiago Ruiz Rías Baixas O Rosal 2016

Santiago Ruiz Rías Baixas O Rosal 2016

A glinting pale yellow blend of 76% Albariño, 11% Loureiro, 5% Godello, 4% Treixadura, and 4% Caiño Blanco, the 2017 Santiago Ruiz Albariño opens with aromas of lemon drop, white peach, Opal apple, white flowers, lemon verbena, and a lilting touch of spice. Very fresh, with taut acidity, pear skin, mineral verve and plenty of […]

Producer Profile: Finca Viladellops

Finca Viladellops

Along the rocky spine of the Massif Garraf, a calcareous mountain chain that extends to the Mediterranean Sea, in the heart of the Penedès is the hamlet of Viladellops. The town is a tightly-knit group of 18 farmhouses—Viladellops’ history dates back to the year 958 when the order of the Templars flocked to the town […]

CHRISTINE HAVENS
McMinnville, OR

christine@christine-havens.com