The vineyards at Alexana Winery
Having been to numerous wineries around the world, nothing is more satisfying than discovering a real gem for the first time. Alexana Vineyards was that find for us on a recent trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Located in the Dundee Hills AVA, it is one of the most unique properties we’ve come across, with no less than eighteen soil types divided into 31 different parcels to extract the very best from each micro-region.
Read More“Wine to put a smile on your face” — Maria Lopez de Heredia, Proprietress & Winemaker
Lopez de Heredia Winery in Rioja.
We visited the Lopez de Heredia winery in the small town of Haro in the Spanish wine region of Rioja as a part of the Fine Vintages wine tour. We were very excited about this stop on the tour as we have been enjoying their wines for years and also because this winery holds a place of near reverence within the established wine community. We were about to learn first-hand just why this winery is so revered.
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2006 Bergstrom Vineyard Pinot Noir
Dark red in colour and showing some slight age on the rim. Wonderful floral aromatics combined with black cherry and cranberry on the nose. The palate also revealed dark fruits and kirsch along secondary notes of baking spice and earth. A lovely velvety mouthfeel, with an equally lovely long finish, this wine is in perfect balance and drinking at its peak. A wonderful example of why Oregon Pinot Noir is among the world’s best.
Excellent
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2010 Darby The Swagger
This delicious blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec shows classic Darby style: ripe, plush fruit, soft tannins and a smooth mouthfeel—a joy to drink! At age 6 this is fully mature showing lots of secondary notes of cedar and mocha to go with the black cherry and currant fruit. Perfect match for braised short ribs on a wintery night. Could go longer but drinking so well now, why wait?
Excellent (2011 Vintage available at their Woodinville Tasting Room for US$50)
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Tasting at Clos Saint Jean
We came to taste at this most revered and exclusive of wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape through a very nice bit of good luck. Perhaps there really are no more than six degrees of separation in the world. We were joined on a recent visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape by a friend who happens to be the former squash pro in Avignon as well as a very accomplished jazz violinist. A regular gig for him was to play at Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s best restaurant La Mère Germaine. He suggested we go there for lunch, and after consuming a sumptuous meal there he introduced us to the restaurant’s charming chef/owner, David Rocamora. David asked if we had lined up any tastings and when we informed him we had not, he said “leave it to me” and promptly lined us up with two of the best. That is how we got to meet Vincent Maurel and taste the magnificent wines at Clos Saint Jean.
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