Siduri specialises in cool-climate Pinot Noir from vineyards in three appellations within the Willamette Valley (Yamhill-Carlton, Chehalem Mountains, and Eola-Amity). Each brings something different to the party — fresh acidity, bright aromatics, and richer and rounder wines — and when blended together creates wine that is rich and zippy …the best of all possible worlds! Winemaker Adam Lee's constant pursuit of Pinot perfection has led to long-standing relationships with top growers in premier appellations in Oregon's Willamette Valley. On the nose aromas of Cranberry, persimmon, bay leaf and black pepper. On the palate: Black cherry, boysenberry, cinnamon and hints of clove. Pleasant tannins hold a long finish, and which are highlighted by juicy acidity and spice. This 2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir may be its finest vintage yet! Siduri, where serious wine and serious fun are not mutually exclusive!

Colour: bright, light gold.Nose: aromas of pineapple chunks, peach, citrus and vanilla with hints of musky, woody spice.Palate: juicy notes of white peach, pineapple and baked apple with vanilla custard, soft spice, slightly smoky, toasty oak and a touch of grilled grapefruit on the lingering finish.Food match: versatile with a variety of food, including chicken stroganoff, grilled chicken, scallops, vegetarian risottos and pasta dishes.

On the nose, there was buttery shortbread, lemon zest, white blossom, vanilla, crisp apple and a faint trace of nutmeg. On the palate, I found peaches, pears, lemon, Newtown Pippins apples (reminiscent of my childhood as our garden had 49 apple trees, mainly that variety), wonderful butteriness from malolactic fermentation, melon, pear, sweet almonds, vanilla and a distinctive minerality. This wine was perfectly balanced between fruit and acidity. It was also long on the palate.

Pineapple and peach aromas; apple, butterscotch, spice and minerals on the creamy palate. Good balance of oak and acidity. Good plus overall.

Yes, You Should Drink White Wine in the WinterHere's what the experts recommend.La Crema recommended.

Yes, You Should Drink White Wine in the WinterHere’s what the experts recommend.Similar to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc is a grape that’s a clone or mutation of Pinot Noir and is also found in the Alsace region of France. It also happens to be grown in California. Kendall-Jackson winemaster Randy Ullom points to Pinot Blanc as a perfect choice for a cold winter evening. “It should not be enjoyed very cold and should be served just below normal room temperature. Between 58 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit is just fine,” he notes. “Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay tend to be richer and heartwarming, making them both perfect choices for a cold winter evening.”

The 20 Best Cheap Wines Under $20 for 2021It’s nice to have a solid Sonoma wine as a grab and go. And this wine defines that. It’s widely available and is a crowd pleaser. It has good American Chardonnay depth with moderate acidity, resulting in a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. It smells like butter and pears and won’t weigh you down with too much alcohol.

La Crema winemaker, Jen Walsh, came to visit Miami over Sobe Food & Wine Festival week in February, and we had a fantastic night out on South Beach innocently dining at Juvia. I’m not at liberty to tell you about the end of that evening, but it involved Mojitos and not Chardonnay. However, prior to the Mojitos and salsa dancing, there were a few bottles of La Crema Chardonnay. Full disclosure–I am typically an ABC type of gal, but I was most impressed by Jen’s wines, especially the Saralee’s Vineyard Chardonnay. Just a perfect bottle of Chardonnay, if you ask me, and you totally didn’t, but I’m telling you anyway.

Le Désir is the Cab Franc dominant bottle in the trio of Vérité wines (La Muse, La Joie). As a Cab Franc lova, I was immediately drawn to this particular blend (82% CF, 12% Merlot, 6% Malbec). I’m too tired to write out my tasting notes, but you should just know it’s a damn good bottle. If you made any money this year, you should spend it on buying a few bottles of Vérité, or paying your rent, which is probably about the same.

The 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassegue is a blend of 90% Merlot with the remainder of Cabernet Franc. It shows deep color in the glass, nearly opaque. Aromas of dark cherry, espresso, hint of spice and violets leap out of the glass. On the palate the flavor is exuberant showing rich chocolate, velvety, textured and is polished. The tannins are finely integrated and finishes with fresh acidity. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc harmonizebeautifully in this wonderfully crafted second label from Chateau Lassegue from St Emilion.

October is “Merlot Month” and November 7th is #InternationalMerlotDay” so in celebration, today’s wine of the week is the 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassègue, from Saint-Émilion, France.The 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassègue comes from Saint-Émilion and is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. This wine is the second label of Chateau Lassègue and is made by father and son Pierre and Nicolas Seillan. A well-made Merlot is sexy and seductive with red fruit aromas and silky tannins.The 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassègue has notes of cranberry, cherry and violets with a hint of spice and vanilla. On the palate, the wine is round with silky tannins and fresh acidity.It is time to celebrate Merlot, not just because it is Merlot Month but because it is a delicious wine and at $27, the 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassègue is very affordable.

Mostly merlot and cabernet franc with a dash of cabernet sauvignon thrown in creates a big styled St. Emilion that can stand up to any cuisine. Cassis, plums, and dried cherry elements dominate with a subtle refined oak under-note. A bit of earthiness at the end and a long rich full finish.

Deep ruby color; cherry, black plum on the nose; cherry, raspberry, plum on the palate.Dry; dusty tannins. I’ve reviewed younger iterations of this wine where decanting was suggested. This is more mature bottle (nine years), and it did not require decanting. The vintage also may have played a part. I am happy I forgot this bottle in the back of my wine fridge. It makes a point on how bottle age affects a wine.Bold, voluptuous merlot flavors. Classic Bordeaux grapes with cabernet franc rivaling merlot in the emphatic presentation of fruit. A small amount of cabernet sauvignon rounds out the mix; 13.5% ABV.

Chateau Lassègue 2016, St.-Emilion Grand Cru, alters the balance with 60 percent merlot, 33 percent cabernet franc and 7 percent cabernet sauvignon. The color is an intense black-purple with a faint ruby edge; immediately come hints of cedar and tobacco, rosemary (with a touch of that herb’s woody resinous quality) and dusty dried porcini mushrooms, with concentrated notes of black and red currants and whiffs of blueberry and cranberry; yes, this is a highly structural wine — it received 70 percent new oak — yet it’s surprisingly fleet and buoyant on the palate, an amalgam of woodsy flowers and spices, heather and forest floor, bright acidity and layers of stalwart tannins and slightly leathery oak; the finish is very dry, dignified, Olympian. 14.5 percent alcohol. Try from 2022 or ’23 through 2032 to ’36.

The blend for the Chateau Lassègue 2012, St.-Emilion Grand Cru, is 70 percent merlot, 25 percent cabernet franc and 5 percent cabernet sauvignon, aged 12 months in French oak barrels. The color is opaque black-purple; the whole package is quite ripe and spicy — that is, slightly exotic cooking spices — but resolutely structured; notes of macerated black currants and cherries are permeated, in scent and flavor, by touches of cedar and tobacco, sage and dried thyme; give this an hour and waves of iron and iodine, graphite and mint emerge, wrapped about elements of lavender, bitter chocolate and walnut shell; dusty, velvety tannins gain power from mid-palate back through a finish framed by granitic minerality. 13.5 percent alcohol. Fine to drink now, with some airing and a platter of braised lamb shanks or a medium rare rib-eye steak, and with proper storage should develop beautifully through 2028 through ’32.

Les Cadrans de Lassègue 2016, with black cherry, cranberry, spice and violet on the nose, a rich and round palate and fresh acidity on the finish.

While chatting, we sipped Lassègue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 and Vérité Le Désir 2016. Both red blends are bold and elegant with an authentic sense of place and examples of meticulous and passionate winemaking.

While chatting, we sipped Lassègue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 and Vérité Le Désir 2016. Both red blends are bold and elegant with an authentic sense of place and examples of meticulous and passionate winemaking.

10 of the Best Champagnes and Proseccos for Valentine’s DayIf you need a few bottles for the Cupid’s big day, this is a good case buy. It’s solid and cheap, with a good balance of fruit to bubbles.

Pancake Day: The Perfect Wine Pairings for Your Favourite Pancake ToppingsCheese and HamFor those with a penchant for savoury crepes, cheese and ham is a logical starting point – and a classic combination. Patrick Schmitt MW says of the topping:If you’re going the savoury route, and stuffing your pancake with cheese and ham, I suggest a rich white wine, the most obvious being a classic barrel-aged Chardonnay from a warm climate. Such a wine style won’t be overpowered by the flavours in the food, while the dry, bright finish of well-made Chardonnay will refresh the mouth after all that mouth-coating cheese.With the current trend in Chardonnay-making in Australia favouring a leaner style of white wine, I suggest going to California for something with the richness that made this grape so popular in the first place. In this year’s Global Chardonnay Masters, I tasted an ideal option in Cambria’s Katherine’s Chardonnay from California’s Santa Maria Valley. I blind-tasted the 2018 vintage, which, along with my fellow Master of Wine judges, I gave a Gold-medal-winning score for its combination of peach and pear fruit, as well as notes of toast and caramel, and gently oily palate texture. And, retailing in the UK for around £25, it’s surprisingly affordable for powerful barrel-aged Californian Chardonnay with class.

WINE! It’s National Drink Wine Day!From the Santa Maria Valley, Cambria’s sustainably farmed Tepesquet Vineyard sits nestled on the Santa Maria Bench where Pinot Noir fruit was first planted in 1971 in soils filled with shale, limestone, and sand. With a long growing season filled with very warm days and cool nights, delicate fruit maintains freshness, as shown in Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir while revealing ripe fruit notes of blackberry, cherry, and cranberry melding with sweet baking spice and a hint of wild herb.

Winter WhitesStimulus spend-worthy winesIf a wine could taste like slipping on a classic little black dress, this golden wine would be the perfect fit. It has remained the cream of the crop of Chardonnay’s for over 25 years, and this year, especially, it’s best enjoyed with a favorite companion during an indoor picnic. Behind the making of this wine, whole grape clusters were pressed to retain the fresh fruit qualities and the fruit was sur lie aged with monthly battonage (lees stirring) to create a Kendall-Jackson signature velvety texture and creamy flavor.Its silky texture delivers powerful and seductive tropical notes of pineapple, mango and papaya and aromas of vanilla, honey and toasted oak. If this wine were a celebrity, it would be Meryl Streep, simply due to its versatility to act as a lovely accompaniment to winter squash, creamy pasta dishes and pork loin.

Planted in 1988 (originally for sparkling production), the Wombat Creek vineyard is located on north-east-facing slopes. Rising to 410m elevation, the 16ha vineyard lays claim to being the Yarra Valley’s highest. This Chardonnay (clone I10V1) is planted in classic Upper Yarra red/ferrous volcanic loam. The vines behave very differently in this soil, said Flamsteed, producing much larger canopies than the Sexton vineyard; the roots drop deeper (you could dig 2 to 3 metres with a shovel, said the winemaker). According to the fiche, the soils produce “distinctively soft yet long wines.” Being deep and moisture retentive, I suspect they contribute to the long hang times. But I imagine that elevation is a major factor too? Whilst the Sexton vineyard (perhaps 50 minutes away) is typically picked in mid-February, Flamsteed said Wombat Creek is picked 4-5 weeks later, because it is so much higher. I think of long hang times as producing softer wines with finer, seamless acidity (so less overt/punchy drive). With longer hang times, the fruit profile is different too – stone fruits, not the citrus of the Sexton site (although Flamsteed sees more citrus in this wine, with poached pear with bottle age). Thanks to the different (finer) acid structure, Wombat Creek delivers its softer stone fruit in ‘slo mo,’ elegant fashion. No hurry here. And plenty of layers to unfurl, with nectarine, honeysuckle, apple pie, acacia and almond paste. The finish is long, textural, ever so subtly nutty and floral, with a hum of acidity.

Phil Sexton planted his eponymous 30ha vineyard in 1997 with cuttings from Leeuwin Estate (where Flamsteed used to work). It is located between 130 – 210 metres on a steep, exposed north-east-facing slope of the Warramate Ranges. The soil is grey clay loam over shallow granite/ironstone. Flamsteed described this chunky, compressed 450 million years old eroded clay with its thin topsoil as ‘hungry.’ It has water-holding capacity, he added, but also good drainage. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavoured fruit with a high skin to juice ratio. With ‘hen and chicken,’ the Leeuwin Gin Gin clone cuttings play into that too. With not a lot of juice and phenolic input on pressing, Flamsteed finds lemon curd notes are quite typical for this wine. I certainly found it citrus-driven – zesty, relatively punchy, with mouth-watering lime, together with lime blossom and green almond to nose and palate. The citrus flavours have lovely drive, clarity and (fresh grated zest) perfume. Subtle hints of savoury lees bring mouthfeel, balancing the acidity. Persistent finish, with slate undertones. Very good.

Best Wines to Pair with Valentine’s Day ChocolateCabernet Sauvignon with Non-Sweet Dark Chocolate & Cherry Infused Dark ChocolateFeaturing dark fruit flavors, Kendall-Jackson’s 2017 Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon combined with the bitterness from the cacao accentuates the wine’s tannins creates a match made in heaven.