A formidable competitor to any of Napa’s top Cabernets, this is lavishly endowed with dense fruit recalling blackberries, dark cherries, and blackcurrants. Toasty, spicy oak aromas and flavors are equally abundant and deftly balanced against the wine’s fruit. Built for the cellar, it only got better over each of four days when left uncorked on my tasting bench. A rock-solid bet for future greatness.
Subtle and refined without tipping over into austerity, this is exemplary Provence Rosé. It offers alluring aromas of strawberries and cranberries that are replicated with consonant notes on the palate that last through the notably sustained finish. However fashionable restrained rosé wines may be, they still need to deliver, and this one gets that balance just right.
This red shows less density and overt ripeness but more aromatic complexity than most of its Argentine counterparts, with little whiffs of cedar, spices, and eucalyptus. Emphatically Chilean, but still Malbec.
An alliance of graphite, plum skin, espresso, and Herbes de Provence maintain an athletic presence. Underbrush and blackberry are emboldened by a foundation of minerality and spiced oak.
While salinity prowls the upper palate, a creamy base of lemon verbena and cashew line the back of the tongue. Orange blossoms and a glossing of chamomile are held high by a grassy, lean profile. With lifted acidity, it finishes with notes of crisp, chilled pears.
Herbal undertones of sage and eucalyptus enhance the wine’s plummy aromatics. Blue fruits deepen to purple plum and black cherry, surrounded by black tea tannins. Structure exists within its approachable frame while an earthy mid-palate forecasts a savory finish of dried violets and charred oak.
This reserve offering is notably concentrated, yet it is admirably restrained and refined. With a nice touch of spice and the faintest whiff of toast to accent dark cherry fruit notes, it’s a reminder of why Pinot pioneers first moved from California up to Oregon in search of a more Burgundian style.
Fully ripe but still delicate in weight and texture, with minimal wood influence. Classic notes of red cherries and strawberries lead the way, with fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins that are nicely proportioned to the wine’s weight.