David Shaw

9.2

Last bottle of vintage. Light to moderate extraction of pigment, mostly red in color. Raspberry caramel and herbal-spearmint notes in nose, spearmint, blackberry and blueberry flavors, raspberry (and later dill) in finish. Barrel smoke emerges four hours after opening. Good balance, moderate medium-weight skin astringency with some seed bitterness. Still age worthy but drinkable now. Great varietal character, shows real depth and complexity of fruit without wood or barrel components dominating. Makes me wish I had six more bottles put down. — 3 days ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of bubbly egg white. Nose of roasted nuts, honey, some tropical fruits, mineral, spice, and indeed quite nice. Taste of zest, acidity, mineral and tinkling spice. After taste of some more peppery note. Very good indeed. — 18 days ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Correction! Left my notes behind. This the Chardonnay was actually great they included plenty of stem. I was not a big fan of the higher end Pinot. — 2 months ago

Seth Morgen Long

Broker • Arterberry Maresh / Winemaker • Morgen Long

9.3

Reductive and tense, more mineral than fruit. High pedigree Willamette Valley Chardonnay from an amazing vintage. Very high qpr. — 6 days ago

Ryan Vento

9.3

Now this is some really good PN. Bright cherries laced in minerality, and floral fragrances as if walking through a rose garden that is planted parallel with a road that’s just had fresh asphalt applied. Perfumed yet damp and earthy. Love the back-label note:

“The best of our barrels comes to you in this very limited bottling. It is comprised entirely from our Ribbon Ridge vineyard’s sweet spot, all from Clone 667. Named in honor of an Oregon Trail pioneer, this is a wine that could stand up to such a journey.” — 9 days ago

with Krystal

Tom Casagrande

9.4

Needs some air to blossom. But then it’s classic Rocks: smoky basaltic minerality (a/k/a “fire pit”), grilled asparagus, iodine, and cassis ooze. So concentrated and mouthfilling. Plushly-textured, filling every nook and cranny. Low acids, but the savoriness and minerality of the wines from this AVA actually negate that as an issue (it would be a different story if the wines from the Rocks more fruity rather than savory). Rhône varieties grown in this district are some of the most interesting wines in the world IMHO. — 6 days ago

David Shaw

9.1

Pale yellow in color with a golden tinge, excellent clarity. Honey, apple and spice notes in nose. Off dry, rounded mouthfeel. Honey and peach flavor with length (later guava), malic finish with a hint of leesy-lactic acid and fine-grained skin astringency. I might prefer it drier, but given the style, there is still much to like here. Less complex than the 2015 — 2 days ago

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for #MerlotThursday. Here's a great one from Columbia Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, black currants, cherries, cooked plums, wood, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, smoke, dark coffee, mocha, earth, leather, coke and black pepper. What a great nose.

Full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, spices, espresso, chocolates, peppercorn, earth sweet vinaigrette, dark coffee and light mocha.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 4 year old Merlot from Washington State surprised me.
Well balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

Soft, spicy and smooth. Peaking now, and better now than a year or two ago.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (1 hour).

I paired it with a filet mignon and grilled asparagus.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$20. — a day ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

DeLille produces classic styles of Bordeaux, Rhone & Provence wines in the state of Washington. A blend of 58% Merlot, 36% Cab Sauv, 5% Cab Franc & 1% Petit Verdot. Dark Ruby with aromas of dark berry fruits with toasty sweet spice notes. On the palate flavors of blackberry and cherry with cacao and subtle oak. Soft tannins, vivid acidity, lingering ending with a nice punch of fruit on the finish. — a day ago

Brendan Baker

9.0

Sweet and tart - ripe white peach and underripe green apple. Mineral. Would like to try again with a bit more age. — 2 days ago