Christine Havens

9.4

My first Cabernet Sauvignon from Morlet Family Vinyards—I've only been lucky enough to taste and have been dazzled by their sublime Chardonnays. That said, the 2010 Mon Chevalier didn't disappoint, displaying classic Knight's Valley character, it's a treasure trove of cassis, black currants, incense and sandalwood, tar and menthol. Black pepper and spice box. The palate is a layered as the nose, with a dark-fruited succulent core framed in an understory of fine, mouthcoating tannins. 15.0% ABV — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.0

Tablas Creek has long been one of my favorite Paso Robles producers. From the care they put into their vineyards—biodynamic farming, noisy sheep, a rambunctious trio of winery dogs, and a resident shepherd—the good folks at Tablas turn out elegant wines that are nuanced, superbly balanced and long aging. For the price, they're just that much more attractive. The 2016 Patelin de Tablas is fresh, light, convivial. Lemon curd and yellow apple lifted by a starburst of white mineral acid that courses through the center. — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.3

The 2014 W.T. Stony Vine Vineyards Syrah reverberates with abundant blackberry and black cherry notes couched in a complex melange of green hay, black licorice, Chinese 5-Spice, sassafras, roasted meat, and green peppercorn. Medium weight, very Rhône-like in its countenance. Fresh and vivid, nicely balanced, and graced with a minerally vein that suspends itself over the tongue. An absolute joy to drink. Sample — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.0

Precise as all Stephen Reustle's wines are—the 2014 Winemaker's Reserve Tempranillo is opaque quinacridone violet in the glass, with a swirl one can coax from it classic varietal aromas of earthy sun-warmed terra cotta tile, aged leather and dried herbs, all neatly folded into a background of black cherries and plums. It's softly textured on the palate, with a warm and dark fruited core cradled in a pillow of toast. 13.9% ABV | Sample — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.2

Comprised of grapes sourced from seven vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley, 35% of which is from the winery's own Bishop Creek Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA—the 2015 Nicolas Jay Pinot Noir strikes a balance between power and elegance. More red fruited than black, the nose is perfumed with rose hips, underbrush, damp soil, and crushed stone. Texturally, I love what the acid does in this wine, as it builds and crescendos, fanning out towards a finish of nuanced white pepper and mineral splendor. 13.0% ABV | Sample — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.0

Eccentric rings of roasted apple, dried honey, lemon curd, orange blossom, and dried Medajool figs greet the taster. The 2016 Adelaida Cellars HMR Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is flatout sexy, silkily textured, with a center of gravity that's nicely balanced against a backdrop of light toast. That classic Paso Robles calcareous vein emerges on the finish—one that exhibits an attractive creaminess and great persistence too. — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.2

Illahe's winemaker Brad Ford is a former English and poetry teacher—tasting his wines it's impossible to ignore the prose in them. Pinot Noir used in the 1899 is delivered to the winery by a team of horses, and it's racked by way of a bicycle pump, in short it's a wine made entirely without electricity. Every aspect of it requires hand labor. In the glass a novella of underbrush and brambly fruit, decaying rose petals and crushed stone. Subtle minerality ripples through a red-fruited core, and lingers at the close. — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

8.9

BlueBird Hill Cellars is a tiny winery located in Monroe, Oregon—one can find it navigating a series of winding, scenic backroads between Salem and Eugene, that wend their way to the foothills of the Coastal mountain range, their 2016 Duology is a blend of 55% Viognier and 45% Chardonnay that emits pear, white peach, white flowers, and coconut flake on the nose. The attack feels quite dry, but there is a subtle nuanced sweetness at the core, like tender peaches at the height of ripeness nicely balanced by nicely balanced by a mouthwatering burst of acidity that adds length to a gently meandering finish. — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

8.7

A bright, angular wine with an acid core that serves as the fulcrum around which other aspects of this wine flows. The 2015 Laurent Perrachon Juliénas Vieilles Vigne Centenaires displays slightly chewy tannins encasing bright cranberries and rose hips that merge with crushed watercress and chervil followed by stratified, rock strewn soil. 13.0% ABV | Sample — 7 years ago

Christine Havens

9.1

Conch shell pink, Jean-Luc Colombo's Les Pins Couchés Rosé is a pretty blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Mourvedre sourced from Cape Bleue, a maritime-influenced site just outside Marseille. The 2016 delivers white peaches, raspberries, cherries, and line-dried linen, but what I'm most excited about what this wine does on the palate. The influence of calcarious soils dominates this blend—texturally, it's almost slippery in the mouth, reminiscent of slip casting with fine porcelain clay. Bright and buoyant, a perfect wine for summer. 13.0% ABV — 7 years ago