La Crema’s Willamette Valley Pinot is sourced from 8 vineyards across four sub-appellations of the Willamette Valley which results in a very complex and representative premium Oregon Pinot. The inviting bouquet draws you in with dark cherry, plum, baking spices, cured meat, and a hint of mineral/earthiness. Medium-full bodied, this Pinot shows great freshness, with dark cherry and raspberry tarts on the long finish. Enjoy now and over the next 5 years with classic roasted rack of lamb, bœuf bourguignon, or pan-fried venison with blackberry sauce.

Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrific pop ‘n pour wine that’s sure to please! Delicious blackberry, plum, graphite and herbs on the nose and palate makes this value-priced Cabernet a great choice to enjoy year-round with BBQ fare in the summer and braised dishes in fall and winter. Enjoy now and over the next few years.

The colour of the Chateau Lassegue, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015, is deep garnet-purple. Initially, it reveals expressive black forest cake, preserved plums and blackberry pie notes, joined by an undercurrent of mocha, grilled meats, sandalwood and cigar box, plus a waft of lavender.
The wine has a medium to full body and is rich and densely packed with opulent layers of spiced black fruit preserves and chocolate box notions. The tannins are wonderfully plush yet firm, complented by a lovely fresh acidity, and it has a long and fragrant finish.

The Chateau's flagship wine is the Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2018. It is the product of unique and meticulous winemaking and pays homage to the importance of family and dedication to craftsmanship. The 2018 is a blend of 62% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vintage exudes freshness, complexity, and power, and is a reflection of the estate's more than 50-year-old vines planted in clay and limestone soils. Present this luscious wine for sipping or pair it with your holiday foods. Because this wine has excellent potential for aging, consider gifting Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2018 to friends and family.

#WineWednesday: Winning Wines for Thanksgiving
Velvety pinot noir is the favorite varietal for the Thanksgiving meal because it goes with everything. Siduri produces a range of site-specific styles for every palate using grapes from the West Coast. Its 2020 Anderson Valley pinot noir flaunts fall notes of spice, ginger and black current.

13 Showstopping Wines That’ll Impress Even the Biggest Vino Snobs This Holiday Season
A winning holiday celebration involves one, or more, of these trophy bottles that are reaching their peak right now.
Sourced from multiple high-altitude Napa vineyards, this Cabernet with a touch of Merlot is a testament to winemaker Chris Carpenter’s blending skill. Eight years of cellaring at Cardinale coaxed out silky tannins and intense black-fruit flavors intertwined with notes of tobacco leaf, pencil lead and violet. While this could last another 20 years in your own cellar, nothing says “happy holidays” like pouring it now.

13 Showstopping Wines That’ll Impress Even the Biggest Vino Snobs This Holiday Season
A winning holiday celebration involves one, or more, of these trophy bottles that are reaching their peak right now.
Available through the winery’s 10-year rerelease program, this Merlot-dominant Sonoma blend from Bordeaux’s Seillan family has wow factor on impact. Flavors of cassis and blackberry are joined by notes of chocolate, baking spices, tobacco and cedar. Opulent tannins that have begun to mellow linger in the mouth long after the last sip.

13 Showstopping Wines That’ll Impress Even the Biggest Vino Snobs This Holiday Season
A winning holiday celebration involves one, or more, of these trophy bottles that are reaching their peak right now.
At high elevation in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley, Upper Barn Vineyard is regarded as one of California’s best sites for Chardonnay. Flavors of nectarine and lime with a subtle underpinning of chalk burst in the mouth amid still-fresh acidity. It is creamy on the palate with a long, elegant finish.

Aromas of fresh flowers, dried lemon peel, white peaches and ocean breeze. Medium- to full-bodied with dense texture and layered peach and apple fruit. Fresh character. Subtle and nuanced with very good persistence and gentle tannin structure. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Aromas of white peach, baked lemon and almond skin. Medium-bodied with supple, oily texture. Elegant with pleasantly ripe peachy fruit complemented by lees complexity and a bit of nutty character. Layered. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Charming aromas of sliced lemon peel, chopped hazelnuts and crushed thyme. Medium-bodied with silky texture. Fresh and open on the palate with crisp acidity and subtle tannin structure. Sustainable. Drink now.

Wanting to recreate the late days of summer and the shift into fall? You may find a good fit with this rich zippy pinot, which opens with autumnal notes of cranberry and persimmon. Pack an Oregonian picnic of spicy chicken wings, salad and marionberry pie and pair it with luscious notes of boysenberry, black cherry, and baking spices.

Nothing says summer like a bottle of pink bubbles. Bring back that carefree feeling with aromas of strawberry shortcake and toasted brioche mingled with hints of nectarine, watermelon and kumquat. Balanced acidity and a clean finish make it a great aperitif or perfect pair to cream puffs.

Good, creamy mousse, crisp, light cherry flavors, and lots of metallic minerality.

Your Ideal Holiday Wine Line-Up
Something a Little Different. Mt. Brave 2019 Cabernet Franc from Mt. Veeder in Napa Valley, California is a statement wine – bold enough to hold its own against any holiday roast or buttery side dish, and sure to impress with its elegance and aromas of mulberry, Asian spice, black tea, and graphite. Cabernet Franc has been good-humoredly dubbed the “little sister or brother” to Cabernet Sauvignon, but there is nothing diminutive about this wine. Loaded with dense fruit and spice on the palate, it is full-bodied with beautifully balanced acidity and ripe, uber-fine tannins.

Your Ideal Holiday Wine Line-Up
A Perfect Pinot. Gran Moraine 2019 Pinot Noir from the Yamhill-Carlton sub-AVA in Willamette, Oregon is an ideal red accompaniment to rich, earthy foods like rib roast and Brussels sprouts. But it goes equally well with turkey and mashed potatoes. With aromas of soy, lilac, tamarind, Earl-grey tea, and blood orange, and flavors of tangerine, pomegranate, sassafras, saffron, pipe tobacco, spruce tips, and Himalayan blackberry, this multi-layered wine will please all the red lovers in your crew.

Your Ideal Holiday Wine Line-Up
A Chardonnay Fit For All Holiday Fare. Stonestreet 2018 Estate Chardonnay, also from Alexander Valley, provides the versatility to accompany any meal. This mountain expression of Chardonnay is blended with delicate precision, providing a balance of aromatic intrigue, texture, and structure. It displays notes of caramel apple and pineapple-upside-down cake paired with a subtle salinity. The rich and round palate is highlighted by the fresh tropical fruits and salted caramel. The focus and backbone of fresh acidity go great with green bean casserole, gravy-laden mashed potatoes, herb roasted turkey, or honey ham.

Your Ideal Holiday Wine Line-Up
Start the Evening with a Pop. Stonestreet 2014 Blanc de Blancs from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley is the perfect way to share a welcoming ‘cheers’ with your guests. This bottle is sure to impress and will help get the holiday party started with a bang (or a pop). 100% Chardonnay, and made in the ‘methode traditionalle,’ this lovely sparkler features lots of green apple goodness and razor sharp acid with notes of brioche.

13.5% alcohol. Three day cold soak, 40% whole bunch, 10% new oak, seven different clones. Sweetly aromatic cherry fruit nose with some ginger and cinnamon notes. The palate is sweetly fruited, textured and quite generous with smooth, ripe berry and cherry fruit. Supple and expressive, in a smooth style with some ripeness. Fine grained tannin.

La Crema got its start as a pinot specialist in Sonoma but has recently started producing from Oregon as well. This is fairly deeply coloured and ripe with black cherry fruit/plummy fruit, subtle florality and considerable wood spice. It is medium weight, quite smooth with a hint of sweetness. Good flavour intensity and very good length, but lacking a bit of edge and dimension, especially at $50.

Deep garnet-purple in colour, the Chateau Lassegue, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015 initially shows expressive black forest cake, preserved plums and blackberry pie notes, but then an undercurrent of mocha, grilled meats, sandalwood and cigar box plus a waft of lavender reveals itself. The wine has medium to full body, is rich and densely packed with opulent layers of spiced black fruit preserves and chocolate box notions. The tannins are wonderfully plush yet firm complemented with lovely fresh acidity. The finish is long and fragrant.

11 Romantic Food and Wine Dinner Menu Pairings for Date Nights at Home
Petite Beef Wellingtons
A steak and wine dinner is good. But you know what's even better? Red wine with steak topped with ooh-la-la mushroom duxelles (a mixture of mushrooms sautéed with onions, shallots, garlic, and parsley) and wrapped in puff pastry. *Chef's kiss.*
Pair it with: A light- to medium-bodied red such as Pinot Noir. Consider 2018 Siduri Pinot Noir Willamette Valley.

21 Bottles Of Wine We're Buying To Survive This Holiday Season
#18 - La Crema Sparkling Brut Rose
This bottle has flavors of lemon meringue, wild strawberries, fresh ginger on the palate and a vibrant lingering finish that will be sure to whet appetites.

From a cooler, slightly damp vintage “resembling the good old days” after a few in a row marked by drought and hot temperatures. One of the later harvests and so as a result we can expect this low, slow, long developed phenolic ripeness, layering of variegated fruit and a really unique set acidity and tannin. Pretty much the case in La Crema’s pinot noir, fruit of oscillating tones, some soprano, others baritone, all together in harmony and balance. Here a wine of great etiquette and respect, expressly varietal from Willamette if in the broadest sense possible. Drink 2022-2025.

Garden herbs and wet stones sing in harmony with rich strawberry-watermelon fruit and orange peel notes. Juicy and soft in the mouth, despite just 2 g/L of residual sugar. Very good length. Not inexpensive for a rosé, by any means, but this is quite polished stuff.