Wine of the Day: Belle Pente Cuvee Contraire Rose, Willamette Valley 2014 6-12-16

Belle Pente Cuvee Contraire Rose, Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($19.95) Buy Now: $16 special

You might be led to believe that Cameron corners the market on local deep-hued and delicious roses. Au contraire! Brian & Company over at Belle Pente craft this beautiful, layered ruby beauty from 90% Pinot and 10% Gamay and my-oh-my, is it a perfect hundred-degree-weather-wine!?! The wine tastes like freshly-cut strawberries with a flirtatious little cranberry underbelly. Summer heat seems less frightening with a great bottle of pink like this one. Enjoy it! – Tyler… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 6-12-16

Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 ($21.95) Buy Now: $18 special

Wine with great pedigree – Marcus Goodfellow has proven, across almost fifteen years, his talent in showcasing the terroir of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The ’14 is not overworked or overboard, coming from uplifted sedimentary and volcanic soils – pretty cool! – and the wine spends 15 months in French oak. Juicy red fruit and notes of blackcurrant work towards an enduring finish with this playful, refreshing wine. – Tyler… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Cameron ‘Saignee of Pinot Noir’ 2014 6-11-16

Cameron ‘Saignee of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $18 special

This is a pretty wine from every perspective. For starters, it’s another episode in the series of sub-$25 selections from Cameron which have been a hit this year. Then there’s the contrast of the ruby-rose juice and the electric-teal label that has my graphics receptors feeling all fuzzy… We haven’t even opened the bottle yet!

The saignee method entails ‘bleeding off’ the juice after limited contact with the skins – in this instance, of Pinot Noir. In this case, the resultant wine has some nice body to it, with lush cherry elements, rhubarb, strawberry, and a perfect little kiss of white pepper. We can’t get enough of it personally, but are happy to share our staff for rose-lovers and Cameronites nationwide! … Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses, Loire 1990 6-10-16

Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses, Loire 1990 750ML ($69.95) Buy Now: $59 special

Were the Loire Valley to be a house, the ‘Les Picasses’ vineyard would be the attic: full of secrets, haunted if by history, and unscathed by the harsh hand of modernity. Domaine Olga Raffault, now run by Mme. Raffault’s grandaughter Sylvie and Sylvie’s husband Eric, is the perfect guide to the tour of this beautiful – if fictitious – house.

‘Les Picasses’ sits atop the steep slopes along the Vienne River in Savigny-en-Véron, a bucolic little commune east of Saumur and south of Bourgueil. Vines there are roughly fifty years in age, planted in alluvial clay soils with a chalk-limestone base. Chez Raffault winemaking is careful, organic, and traditional.… Read the rest

Wine of the Day: Crowley ‘a la votre’ Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 6-9-16

Crowley ‘a la votre’ Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014 ($19.95) Buy Now: $16 special

We’re always excited about a new wine from Crowley. Tyson’s wines tend to be quite cerebral, understated, and complex. The ‘a la votre’ cuvee is new to this year; the wine showcases the freshness of W.V. fruit in a way which is approachable and direct without lacking character. Cranberries, spice, and a touch of earth make for a perfect summer red! – Tyler… Read the rest