Hot Sheets

Château Peyrou is within the boundaries of the Bordeaux region formerly known as Côtes-de-Castillon. Now classified as Côtes-de-Bordeaux Castillon, this estate is owned by St-Émilion goddess, Château Gaillard's Catherine Nouvel-Papon and a mere small roadway separates her vines from those of that famed appellation. From the younger vines (40 years) on this property, the Colombe de Peyrou is aged without the utilization of any new barrels. The 2010 is absolute essence of over-achieving Right Bank Bordeaux and like the rest of France, these regions reached astronomical heights with quality.

Aromatic nose of dark cherries, red plum, raspberry, roasted earth, cocoa, cedar and sweet herbs that transfer seamlessly onto a palate that is redolent of ripe red and blue berry fruit; chewy, full and dense, yet with silky-structured tannins. Very long and polished finish with spiced chocolate and cedar tones lingering. Scrumdidliumptous right now with but it will grow and continue to delight through 2017.

Yet another 2011 Pinot that has impressed me. Then again, Jay Somers and team consistently accomplishes this with their flavorful Pinots. Instantaneously classy, this Pinot truly is exactly what Pinot should be: tender, aromatic, graceful, mouthfilling without ever becoming heavy and possessing loads of silk.

A true to form Willamette Valley "village" wine, Pinot fruit from 4 appellations (Yamhill-Carlton, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity and Chehalem Mountain) are blended into this cuvee. Beautiful combo of red berry, violet, sage, lavender and spicy earth flow nicely from the alluring aromatics into the smooth, gliding texture. Sensuous throughout this wine will be lovable over the next 4-5 years.

There is something about equating great soul music artists with the great wine artists. Cristina Geminiani would undoubtedly be the Gladys Knight of female Italian winemakers. Not only does she produce wines of great range, she also is somewhat of a gambler, too. When it's all said and done, Cristina's wines are some of the boot's true hidden gems. In Italy these wines get snapped up quickly, but here in the States, her brilliant wines are incognito, just waiting to be discovered. Pound for pound, this offering and the remainder of her range, are some of the most stunning values in the world.

When I tasted this recently, I commented in my notes that it is a meat and potatoes red and in Italian terms, meaning a meat and potato filled gnocchi wine! Savory and spicy with warm, bright, classy, sneaky-powerful Sangiovese character of red cherry along with some hearty spice and an a pleasantly intriguing and elusive rosemary undertone. Drink this BEST BUY over the next 18-24 months, and really, have it with meat, potatoes and pasta.

While the rest of the Southern Hemisphere's wine regions are relatively young, grapes have been grown in South Africa for over 160 years. Sadly, too many of this nation's fine wines are lumped into the Chilean "cheap overcropped wine that'll get you a buzz" category or the inevitably overblown expensive Barossa experience and then tend to be ignored. Kanonkop's Kadette Blend is ultra-delicious.

41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Pinotage, 9% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, this is a different kind of red wine experience. A full-bodied pepper-pot of a wine, plenty of wild strawberry, herbs, rose petal and mineral tones penetrate the nose and the assertive palate. Extensive, complex and flavorful, this wine pairs nicely with roasted meats, especially game. Not all South African wines at this quality are 14 bucks, many are a bit more spendy, take advantage!

It's hard work. If you think that Oregonians have a tough go with an average of about 35 inches of rain a year, try telling that to a producer in the Northwestern Spain's Rias Baixes Denominacion, he or she would love to grow grapes in our climate! Truth be told, wine lovers shouldn't look at it in a negative way, the cool climate as well as 60+ inches of rain a year allow the thick-skinned albariño grape to thrive and to be the culprit that is the result of one of Spain's most joyful white wines.

Persistent aromas of grapefruit and orange, an underlay of perfumed rocks, along with hints of herbs and subtle spice careen from the glass. Broad and relaxed in the mouth with fleshy tangerine and pear notes filling out with crisp, lemony vibrancy. The finish is lingering, fruit filled and livewire, calling you back for another glass. Have it with just about any sea critter.

Owen Roe's David O'Reilly has never been one to sit still and let success run to his head. Always motivated to keep on improving his style and craft it's just like Willie Wonka said, "you must never ever doubt what you are not really sure about", hence the creation of these 3 single vineyard, virtual NW Grand Cru blends from the Yakima Valley that after tasting a few weeks back, are utterly outstanding. All of these wines are very limited and undoubtedly the finest wines that I have ever seen emerge from these cellars of which we've been featuring since day one of their inception.