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Cristom Estate Vineyards
September 26, 2019
Accolades, News, Oregon

Forbes: The Best Red Wines for Fall Under $100

By Lauren Mowry Here in the Northeast, the first wave of leaves has fluttered to the ground. Driving past a forest, I spied the golden tinge of fall pushing through the foliage and my thoughts turned to wines for the cooler season and a change in diet. I look for wines with warmth, spice even, but that are still fresh and fragrant with edge and bite. For that I turn to reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and always, Pinot Noir. Jordan, Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, California 2014 ($59) The Jordan family suspected Alexander Valley in Sonoma would make great Cabernet Sauvignon long before the rest of the world gained such wisdom. Their first vintage was 1976; ever since, the family has focused on two wines: a Bordeaux-style Cab and Chardonnay. John Jordan, who helms the winery today, does justice to the winery’s 40-year legacy with this excellent 2014. Left Bank-ish with its plum, pencil shavings...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
Cristom Estate Vineyards
June 15, 2019
News, Oregon

Cristom Vineyards Announces the Addition of Daniel Estrin as Vineyard Manager & Co-Winemaker

Cristom Vineyards, one of the leading producers of Pinot Noir in the United States, is pleased to announce the hiring of Daniel Estrin as Vineyard Manager and Co-Winemaker. Estrin comes to Cristom from Littorai Wines in Sonoma County where he served as Associate Winemaker for the last 7 years. He joins a long-tenured Cristom winemaking team which includes winegrower-proprietor Tom Gerrie, and winemaker Steve Doerner. Estrin’s first day at Cristom will be July 15th. Steve Doerner has been Cristom’s winemaker for 27 years, beginning with the brand’s founding in 1992, following a 14-year tenure as the first winemaker at Calera Wine Company in California’s Central Coast. Steve’s 41-year winemaking career began under the guidance of such Pinot Noir legends as Calera’s Josh Jensen and Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac. Over the years, Steve has tailored a very precise cellar approach for making wine from Cristom’s unique Estate Vineyards, one that is heavily laden...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
DeLille
April 10, 2019
Accolades, News, Washington State

Wine Game Changes on Red Mountain

Washington's "grand cru" wine region could be about to get even better, W. Blake Gray reports.By W. Blake Gray/Wine Searcher | Posted Tuesday, 09-Apr-2019Red Mountain is one of the trendiest AVAs in the United States. Its name describes not what the mountain usually looks like – it's actually desert-gray, with green when the vines are in bloom – but what the wines usually taste like. It's famous for big, ripe Cabernets: some of the best in the country, yet much cheaper than Napa's best.But Red Mountain, a young AVA, is in transition. In 1985, there were just 60 planted acres and the site was unknown to all but the geekiest of wine fans. Now two extremely expensive projects at opposite ends of the mountain promise to permanently change its reputation in very different ways.On the very peak, which once seemed unplantable, former Microsoft executive Cam Myhrvold (brother of the food engineer Nathan) is...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
Van Duzer Corridor AVA
January 22, 2019
News, Oregon

Van Duzer Corridor AVA Approval Shows Location Matters in Oregon

New AVA and new online profile by the Oregon Wine Board and the Willamette Valley Wineries Association honor uniqueness of the state’s winegrowing landscape Oregon wine lovers now have 19 reasons to celebrate Oregon’s acclaimed viticultural bio-regions. Now with the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) having approved the Van Duzer Corridor as an official AVA, or American Viticultural Area, Oregon has 19 winemaking regions—second only to California—with sufficient distinct features to be declared their own unique areas. The Van Duzer Corridor AVA and 18 others are showcased on the Oregon Wine Board’s trade site, each paying homage to their distinctive characteristics, and the Van Duzer Corridor has joined the Willamette Valley’s other six embedded AVAs listed on the Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA) site. Now that the federal government has approved the AVA, on January 14 bottles with “Van Duzer Corridor AVA” may be printed on labels from the AVA’s seven wineries nested within the Willamette...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
November 7, 2018
Accolades, News, Oregon

Meet Oregon’s French Winemakers

These pioneering expats have ventured to Oregon and are showing the world why this state is called the Burgundy of the Pacific Northwest.By Paul Gregutt | Posted November 7, 2018To some degree, the diversity and excellence of Oregon wines makes comparisons to Old World styles irrelevant. But those factors should not undercut the influence French-born and trained winemakers have had on the state’s success.Along with the pioneering Drouhin family, which enters its fourth decade making Oregon wine, a number of more recent arrivals have put their winemaking expertise to work in the state, which remains one of America’s leading producers of Pinot Noir.These French winemakers praise Oregon’s welcoming winemaking community and open horizons. Moreover, they seem to have a lot of fun as they revel in the palpable sense of freedom that the state’s wineries enjoy.Perhaps it’s simply the break from the constraints of tradition, but the biggest reward to leave home, and...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
Harvest Underway at Resonance Vineyard
November 6, 2018
News

Oregon Wine Press Reports: This Year’s Harvest Simply Too Good To Be True

By Hilary Berg If, indeed, karma exists, we, as a group, must have done something spectacular in our past lives to deserve this year’s wine grape harvest. Around the state, wineries are reporting flavorful fruit with ideal sugars and spot-on acidity. The weather this harvest has also made it memorable. Here in the Willamette Valley, early rain was a welcome sight, settling the dust from an extremely dry summer, giving the grapes a final drink before picking. Beyond that small amount of precipitation, the days have been clear and the nights cool. Overall, crews in both the cellar and vineyard appear happy, albeit tired, this crush. Winemakers are also quite pleased. [caption id="attachment_10027" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Harvest Underway at Resonance Vineyard. Photo by Andrea Johnson[/caption] On Sept. 25, in the southern Willamette Valley, Danuta Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Winery reported, “Harvest is lovely this year. The weather is warm, not hot, and the September rainstorms are holding...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com
Red grapes hang on vines in the Yakima Valley's Rattlesnake Hills region.WASHINGTON STATE WINE COMMISSION
August 30, 2018
News, Washington State

Forbes: The Essential Wines Of Washington State

By Courtney Schiessl Red grapes hang on vines in the Yakima Valley's Rattlesnake Hills region. Photo: Washington State Wine Commission It seems like there’s an official holiday for every kind of wine, a day, week, or month designated as “International Sauvignon Blanc Day” or “Drink Rosé Month.” While it can be confusing to keep the increasing number of wine holidays straight – and downright impractical to relegate a specific type of wine to just one day a year – these occasions can serve to shake up wine drinking habits with new genres. Take, for instance, the annual celebration of Washington Wine Month in August. Though the myriad of wines produced in the state of Washington warrant attention all year long, Washington Wine Month is an excuse to dive deep into the state’s 14 AVAs – particularly for those who haven’t checked in with the state in awhile. While the official, month-long holiday is drawing to a close, it’s...

by chavens@cascadiafinewines.com