Vinanmeldelser

Because he blends shortly after fermentation, Matt Loso's wines attain a seamless complexity early on; it's a hallmark of the winery. This beautifully crafted Claret has no rough edges; in fact, no e…

Quite roasty-toasty, this is heavily scented with coffee and smoke. Smooth tannins surround plummy fruit, and there is enough concentration for a good, long finish. The blend includes 8% Cab Sauvigno…

This is top drawer—elegant, detailed and richly varietal. The fruit is tart and tangy but not sour or thin. Mixed green fruits, apple, citrus, and a lightly toasty nose set up a wine with impressive…

I can see why so many of Washington's winemakers love this young vineyard. It is already expressing the sort of subtleties that most viticulturalists would kill for. The fruit is ripe but not too swe…

Always an interesting wine, Talbott's '03 Diamond T is so distinctive, it's almost eccentric. The candied apricots and cinnamon flavors have a baked pie-filling taste. With high acidity and a mineral…

This is 100% Riesling, and the intense, floral aromas suggest a smattering of Gewürztraminer, at least in essence if not in fact. Beeswax, lemon candy, orange blossom and other juicy citrus component…

A great Zin from Napa, this shows the classic structure of a claret, but with Zin's distinctive personality. Briary, brambly wild berries, mocha and masses of white pepper are the aromas and flavors.

The most structured of Sterling's recent releases and hence our favorite, the 2004 Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet boasts notes of cinnamon, cassis and clove, framed by firm tannins and finishing wit…

This is a big wine that's not ready now—it's too tannic. That gives it a lockdown, numbing quality that blocks a full appreciation of the fruit. But what fruit! Blackberries pure and simple, reduced…

This Bordeaux blend has a surprisingly broad aspect, with very young fruit that opens up and then sits on the midpalate. It's much more open and expressive than the last few vintages. At first it see…

This full-bodied blend of grapes from a wide assortment of top vineyards shows fine acidity, a good phenolic frame of citrus rind, and core flavors of lemon and grapefruit, green apple and white peac…

The blend on this complex red wine is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Petit Verdot and what the winery calls “other reds.” It's the most interesting of Geyser Peak's 2011s, showing ripe, forward…

This is a carefully made, almost calculated wine that showcases controlled herbaceousness around tight, crisp black fruits. The mix evokes earth, herb, barrel and grape.

A flood of delicious, sweet/sour floral and citrus flavors sweeps across the palate, a lush compound of satsuma orange and highlights of honeysuckle, Meyer lemon and apricot. It's a tart and vivid wi…

Still quite compact with youthful tension and energy, this will reward your patience. Dense flavors of raspberry, boysenberry and cassis are streaked with espresso and dark chocolate. The length is i…

Now a strong focus for the Tranche estate, this is inky purple/black in the glass, almost impenetrable, and lushly aromatic with dried berries, plums and cherries. A generous vein of vanilla and toba…

Sestina celebrates old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the Red Willow and Bacchus vineyards. The initial punch and power gives way to a wine with sharp acidity and somewhat co…

The floral spray and sweet nectar of fresh yellow cherries persist from start to finish on this penetrating semi-sweet wine. It's rich and ripe with stone fruit flavors, but balanced with tart lime a…

This four-grape, Bordeaux-style blend offers firm, concentrated plum and cassis fruit, stiff tannins and a touch of iron and graphite. It saw 45% new French oak—pretty impressive for a $25 red.

This shows the lovely balance of both the winery and the appellation, with a silky, lightly tannic mouthfeel brightened by plenty of acidity. The flavors are delicate and complex, suggesting wild ras…

Wölffer's dusty pink Grandioso has a saline minerality on the nose, accenting whiffs of raspberry and peach. As with the producer's standard-bottle rosé, the palate is crisp with acidity, but more in…

This Red Mountain cuvée falls nicely between the winery's Columbia Valley and single-vineyard offerings. Raspberry and cassis fruit, young and compact, is underscored with chalky minerality and sugge…

Made from a blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Syrah, this is a classically dry, refreshingly crisp rosé, pink-salmon in color that's intense yet soft, crafted in a Provence style. The grapes come from Ru…

Viognier is half the blend, with the rest Roussanne and Riesling, yielding a delightfully aromatic, lightly honeyed wine, with a lush array of ripe fruits. Apricot, papaya, pineapple and banana are a…