Applegate Valley, Oregon 88 Points | “Recommended” And now for something completely different…but first, a little reminder: white wines are customarily made by pressing juice from the skins following crush, and then fermenting that juice into wine without skin contact. Skins, therefore, play little or no role in a white wine’s color, aromatics, or flavors, and tannins in the skins do not leach into the...
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia 87 Points | “Recommended” Crafted from the Portuguese variety Touriga Nacional (a common blending grape in Port wine), this plump, medium-bodied red offers savory aromas and flavors of black fruit, tobacco, nutmeg, and earthy minerality over a velvety palate. Oak (9 months) and tannins are well integrated, with mild acidity. A solid showing for this variety in Virginia. Fresh, appealing, and food...
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A revelation as to the promises of grape growing and winemaking in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley came to us in 2015, when we visited Muse Vineyards in the town of Woodstock, in historic Shenandoah County, and tasted their Virginia Governor’s Cup-winning Bordeaux blend (2009 “Clio”). That wine, and its succeeding vintages, motivated us to take a deeper dive, so to speak, into Shenandoah Valley winegrowing and...
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Dry Creek Valley, California 92 Points | “Highly Recommended” Frick Winery’s Grenache Blanc is, vintage after vintage, a thing of beauty and rarity. There are only four acres of Grenache Blanc, a traditional white Rhone variety, planted in Sonoma County, all-told (as opposed to over 15,000 acres of Chardonnay), and we are fortunate that Bill Frick has some of those vines planted to his rocky,...
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Troon Vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley has been doing some intriguing things with Vermentino over the past several vintages. Their 2014 Blue Label Longue Carabine (NWR 92 Points) featured Vermentino co-fermented with Viognier and blended with a co-ferment of Marsanne and Roussanne; and the 2014 Black Label Vermentino (NWR 90 Points) delivered expressions reminiscent of the renowned white wines of the Vermentino di Gallura...
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The Utiel-Requena D.O. in the Province of Valencia, in eastern Spain, ranks among our top wine discoveries of 2017. Spanish wine, food, wine, and travel expert April Cullom introduced us to the region and its wines at a tasting she organized and hosted in Washington, D.C. — the Utiel-Requena Road Show 2017, which was also held in Boston and Houston. The tasting featured 13 producers...
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia 90 Points | “Highly Recommended” A blend of Marsanne (50%), Roussanne (40%), and Viognier (10%), the 2015 Thalia is aromatically complex and fresh on the palate, with velvety viscosity and quenching acidity. Aromas of apricot nectar, roasted hazelnut, and florals transition to flavors of baked pear, brioche, and fresh tarragon — all layered with impressions of orange peel and butterscotch over a...
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia 92 Points | “Highly Recommended” 2012 is the fourth vintage bottling of Muse Vineyards’ flagship Bordeaux varietal blend, “Clio,” and a composition of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec — all estate grown. It presents an appealing balance of fruit and earth, with aromas of macerated blackberry, grilled tomato, and violet that segue into flavors of fresh-picked...
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Rockingham County, Virginia 90 Points | “Highly Recommended” Veteran Virginia Vintner Gabriele Rausse’s winery is located in the heart of the Monticello American Viticultural Area, just south of Charlottesville, but he sourced his 2015 Cabernet Franc from across the Blue Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley. The 20 year-old Baer Ridge Vineyard, in Timberville, Rockingham County, is planted on a south-facing slope at an elevation of...
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