Wine of the Week The 2015 vintage in the Willamette Valley was considered to be excellent, with high quality and high yields. This pinot is fully ripe but not overripe, and it has a lovely woodsy quality to complement its lively, dark raspberry fruit and baking spice flavors. It finishes with fine tannins and a supple texture. At $30, it’s not cheap, but the price is reasonable relative to the quality. The wine is a good choice for Saturday’s National Pinot Noir Day. No matter what pinot you like to drink, there’s a good chance that your favorite producer has some sort of promotion going on, so check it out.
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of this Jackson Family Wines brand, originally named La Crema Vinera – which translates to “best of the vine.” Craig McAllister has taken over the Willamette Valley winemaking for Elizabeth Grant-Douglas, and his approach seems to be akin to “don’t mess with success.” The barrel program of nine months in 100% French oak, 25% new, remains a constant, and there’s a focus on two estate vineyards – Gran Moraine in the Yamhill-Carlton American Viticultural Area and Zena Crown in the Eola-Amity Hills. Those sites allowed Grant-Douglas and McAllister, who took over in 2015, to increase production by nearly 23 percent from the prior vintage. The collaboration has created aromas of Montmorency cherry, dark blueberry and pink strawberry. Flavors are filled with bright red fruit, led by boysenberry, and include anise and lime zest. Suggested pairings range from pepper-crusted prime rib, rosemary rack of lamb, sautéed salmon, lentil soup with tarragon, curried mussels and Chicken Masala. Excellent.
Best Buys in the Market, 1 star New Pinots will be featured in next month’s edition, but a few recent Best Buys favorites deserve mention while they still might be found…and four very affordable bottlings, the (One Star)*LA CREMA Sonoma Coast 2015, its cellarmate, the (One Star)*LA CREMA Monterey 2015...
Top-quality producer La Crema continues to make inroads on liquor store shelves. Made in a rich and refreshing style, La Crema's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay delivers an attractive juicy fruit flavour and a bright character. There's appealing concentration and mouth-filling textre here, with good complexity and a lingering spicy finish. 4 stars.
Why You Need To Leave The Office & Visit These Four Incredible California Wineries Today What I recommend: The 2015 Kelli Ann Chardonnay and 2015 Shell Ridge Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay is aged in French oak and has a wonderful nose of pear, golden apple, sweet lemon, and spices. The blackberry, pomegranate, orange zest, and cedar aromas of the Pinot perfectly express the richness of the Goldridge loam from which the grapes are harvested.
Best Buys in the Market, 1 star …There are a good many Rosés being made from Pinot Noir these days ranging from light, lively and crisp to somewhat more substantial, and among the better values to be had,...and the Pinot-dominant (One Star)*KENDALL-JACKSON Vintner’s Reserve California 2017 come with the added bonus of being widely available and regularly discounted…
New Products The Newest Beverage Options Kendall-Jackson released its 2017 Vintner's Reserve Rosé. Featuring citrus, strawberries, watermelon rind and white floral elements, the rosé has a suggested retail of $17, contains 13.5 percent ABV and is available in select markets nationwide.
Alternative White Wines Generally noted for stone fruit and citrus, there are stylistic differences: Pinot gris is expected to be fuller bodied and sumptuous...and the energizing melon of the 2016 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve.
Alternative White Wines Riesling. Riesling has had to overcome a reputation as only a sweet wine, though it usually balances sugar and invigorating acidity. More and more, dry or off-dry Riesling _ intensely aromatic, impressively structured, and amazingly expressive — is taking its place at the table...The 2016 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Monterey County presents an easygoing, slightly sweet, softer textured drink.
Kendall-Jackson's Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay has ranked as the top-selling Chardonnay in the United States for years. This coastal blend is fermented and aged in French and American oak barrels for added richness and complexity. The smooth texture and polished, fruity character makes this easy to appreciate. 4 stars.
What wine and spirits are Pennsylvanians drinking? The top 20 ranked Kendall-Jackson 2016 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay - #19.
Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The flagship wine named ‘The Peake’ after the original founder of Clarendon – Sir Edward John Peake – is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Shiraz which were planted in 1971. Powerful and seductive, the wine showcases the best of both varieties. Chocolate, vanilla, violets, and spice all encompass the nose. Tasting it actually took me by surprise. I was expecting a big, brooding wine with brash tannins, but that’s not what I got. Rich and full-bodied, the wine showcases both smooth tannins and substantial backbone to accompany the ripe, juicy blackberries, cherries, and spice. I may have even heard whistles of appreciation from the wine squad. After a lengthy decant, this was such a beautiful wine. I can only imagine what it will be like in a decade or so. And the finish just goes on and on…
Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard Crafted of 100% Merlot, the wine poured a deep ruby in the glass. Initial aromas of black fruit and baking spice emerge the minute you take a sniff. Giving it a swirl, violets, cassis, pencil shaving, and cocoa emerge. In the mouth, the wine decadently wraps around the tongue like a velvet glove offering up ripe black cherry fruit. Smooth, integrated tannins make this one fine to sip on its own, but the present acidity will allow it to hold its own with food. A long lingering finish makes it even more memorable. I seriously don’t know why people don’t love Merlot more. This is such a beautiful representation of this noble variety.
Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard I’m still on my Syrah comeback. A once maligned (by me) grape has had me swooning as of late – this one included. Crafted of 100% Shiraz and sourced from predominantly 1971-planted blocks, it shows a deep intense, purplish ruby in the glass. I absolutely loved the nose on this one with opulent, rich black plum preserves, cedar, and cinnamon spice. On the palate, the tannins were nicely melded along with more black fruit and spice. Voluptuous yet elegant. Even with all the ripe fruit, the wine was so nicely balanced with the acid and tannin keeping it all in check. This is no fruit bomb. A fine effort that would pair nicely with a braised short rib.
Terroir. Heritage. Excellence. - Wines From Australia's Iconic Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and just a gorgeous effort here. This one was drank over three days, and I enjoyed more each day. The nose offers up blackberry preserves, graphite, dried savory herbs, smoke, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is lively and vibrant, offers nice structure, approachable, integrated tannins, and strikes a beautiful balance of acidity and black fruit. The acidity brings such vibrancy to the fruit. Blackberry and cedar greet the palate initially while the spice and cedar just linger on the finish. A great wine today will be even more amazing in a few years (if you can hold on that long).
Sexy, complex, herbal, and like a card deck, sporting just the right mix of the red and the black. A-.
Pop Open These Bottles of Sparkling This Summer Now wineries like...Gran Moraine are producing extraordinary, truly exceptional bubbles from estate grown fruit. A favorite, Gran Moraine Brut Rose shines, with delicate subtlety and refinement.
Save or splurge: 8 great red, white, rosé and sparkling wines for any budget Oregon's Willamette Valley — and the Yamhill-Carlton area within it — is home to world-class Pinot Noir. This expressive pink captures an ethereal lightness and delicate floral spiciness that could only come from Pinot Noir. Gran Moraine refers to the landscape carved by devastating floods that took place in the region during the last Ice Age. In its wake was left a place that would ultimately be ideal for growing grapes. After I tasted Gran Moraine's roster of wines, I knew this one was special.
Wine of the Week I highly recommend this wine. It is a beautiful rosé made with great care, attention and passion. In the glass the first thing you notice is the soft beautiful pale pink hue. On the nose I had wonderful aromas of citrus, raspberries and lemongrass. On the palate there was a burst of cherry, rhubarb, and pineapple . The mouthfeel was crisp and fresh with zippy acidity. A perfect wine for a summer soirée, a day at the beach or sipping poolside. So grab your bottle today.
10 of the Best Rosés to buy in Magnums If you gotta be able to namecheck the varietal, put this Pinot Noir pleaser in your wine bag. (Wait, does anyone actually use those things?)
Why It's Time To Try Oregon Pinot Noir Now This wine is named for the epic floods of the last ice age---floods that dominated the northern Willamette Valley and whose earthly remnants are the very terroir that inspire so many Oregon wines. The 2015 shows bright, almost sweet notes of bing cherry and pomegranate. Very juicy and silky on the palate.
15 Awesome Summer Wines Lovely baked bread, baked apple, ripe pear, lemon curd, and spice. Super savory. Get a good amount of the oak, but it’s well integrated and not distracting. Has a great lighter style body, yet boldly flavored and fresh in the mouth. Loved this one.
The day after his keynote address, Spurrier led a tasting at the CIA Greystone of current and older vintage wines from estates that participated in the 1976 tasting. My notes from my favorites appear below... The Napa Valley, Rutherford, Bosché, Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 has rich earthy aromas, round and spicy in the mouth and chewy tannins needing time to pull it all together. The 2002 Napa Valley, Bosché Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 shows how beautiful the 2014 can be when it does come together. This wine is seamless and balanced with cassis flavors with a note of dark chocolate and smooth with silky tannins.
Napa Valley: 2007 Retrospective - Napa's Turning-Point Vintage Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder features an incredible perfume of potpourri, baking spices, charcuterie and forest floor with a core of ripe red and black plums, blackcurrant cordial and black cherries plus a hint of violets. Full-bodied, very tightly knit and incredibly youthful, the concentrated fruit flavors reveal a myriad of earth and mineral accents with a rock-solid, grainy texture to support and a very long, lively finish. Give this beauty another 4-6 years in bottle and then drink it over the next 25+.
From Block 31, the highest section of the vineyard at 210m planted '46, 50% whole berries, 50% destemmed, wild yeast open-fermented, matured for 10 months in used French oak. For many devotees of McLaren Vale grenache, Yangarra Estate High Sands is the king. It's not for idle dalliance as is young grenache that is focused on freshness and purity of red fruit flavours, this has power and depth, the oak simply softening an edge or two here and there, most assuredly not about imparting oak flavour. Red and black fruits both contribute without cutting across the power of the other.