Thursday 30 May 2019
Monday 27 May 2019
Stonehedge 2016 “Grand Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Stonehedge 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Grand Reserve
I took a deep dive while trying to figure out who made this wine. I hadn’t heard of Stonehedge before tasting this monolithic Cabernet Sauvignon. The label seems to have been started by Shahin Shahabi. He was cited in 1995 by Wine Spectator article, “Napa Valley’s Stonehedge Makes Impressive Debut”
From the beginning, this was a negotiant business with an eye towards international wine marketing. The original wines were made at Golden State Winery in St. Helena from purchased grapes. And he hired some serious marketing talent to launch the brand.
David Sayre began his career with United Vintners moving from production to marketing and in 2002 launched Prospect Brands sourcing and developing brands like Stonehenge and Cameron Hughes. Mr Sayre holds degrees in Chemistry, Business Administration and Graduate degrees in Marketing and Economics.
From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Sayre was also responsible for design, package development, sourcing, production and marketing for Stonehedge Wines, and developed a national distribution chain which grew this national brand to 250,000 cases
Mr. Shahabi went on to form the Smith-Anderson Wine Group of Napa. Under that group, he created a half dozen more wine labels, including a “Dawson Creek Winery”
the wine was first produced for a wine distributor in Scandinavia who also sold it to several European markets. Its name was chosen from a popular television series of the same name that was a much-admired show in Scandinavia.
He also launched a Diamond Ridge Vineyards and Winery. Not to be confused with Diamond Ridge Vineyard in Lake County (or the one in New Zealand). There was a Graymont Estate as well, but that disappeared from wine shelves in 1996. There was also a Napala Winery, a 39 North, Cool Fish, and Koo Loo Loo Vineyards, all of which have long disappeared from wine shelves. Some of their websites now redirect to online pharmacies.
This would be a story about another Napa dream that died on the vine, except for this “Grand Reserve” and Shahabi’s other wine label: Havens Wine Cellars. He purchased that winery’s intellectual property when its assets were liquidated in 2009. I worked for Havens a decade earlier, so I was very sad to see it’s ending. And even more surprised to see it resurface in 2013 at my local wine & spirits store.
The wines being produced under the Haven’s label were very good. Not as good as the original, but very good. In particular, the 2015 and 2016 vintages were a step above. Only recently, when I bought this Stonehedge Cabernet for review did I realize the connection: for a short period of time, Stonehedge and Havens had the same winemaker.
From 2015-2016, Eric Hanson was the winemaker for Smith-Anderson. He directly managed both brands. This was his first work as head winemaker after graduating from UC Davis, and his commitment to the Napa style is quite evident. Sadly, this is also the only bottle of Stonehedge he will ever work on. The winery at UC Davis hired Eric Hanson as Assistant Winemaker in May 2018.
Here’s the review of this one-shot cabernet:
Full-bodied, oak-driven, and decadently textured. Definitely geared towards the expense-account crew at the downtown steak houses across America. Toasted spices, a hint of varietal green notes, and a megaton blast of melted chocolate. A healthy edge of freshness keeps the dark fruit flavors from melting into jam. Listed at $55, this came in at under $30 in Philadelphia. At that price, this is a good find.
The post Stonehedge 2016 “Grand Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/stonehedge-2016-grand-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon-napa-valley/
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For May 27, 2019
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
- 2012 Oso Libre ‘Osezno’ Zinfandel (Paso Robles): Ripe, big, and stewed, but there’s life left in the old girl yet! $40 B+
- 2016 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Emerald Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir (Green Valley): Putting on a veritable spice-and-herbs clinic; and it’s quite the show. $62 A
- 2018 Mas de la Dame ‘La Gourmande’ Rose (Les Baux de Provence): You might not be totally wowed, but that won’t stop you from drinking several glasses of this. $15 B
- 2016 Domaine Jocelyn Raoux Rouge (Lirac): From white clay soils come blue fruits, purple flowers, & freshness to make other reds green with envy. $NA B+
- 2016 Domaine Jocelyn Raoux Réserve (Lirac): Darkness and focus, depth and beauty, spices and… Jeez, will somebody just bring this into the States already?!?? $NA A-
- 2016 Chateau de Montfaucon ‘Comtesse Madeleine’ (Cotes du Rhone): Heady, peachy, and generous, with a much sterner attitude on the palate; in other words, Rhone white done very, very right. $28 A-
- 2017 Ogier ‘Lou Caminé’ Blanc (Lirac): Tropical enough to slate the international thirst for those growing tired of Chardonnay all day. $17 B+
- 2017 Ogier ‘Lou Caminé’ Rouge (Lirac): Smoked meats for starters, followed by sexy, chocolate-covered desserts. $17 B+
- 2017 Ogier ‘Boiseraie’ (Vacqueyras): For those times when you wish CdP as brave enough to embrace the more feminine sides of its personality. $28 B+
- 2015 Ogier Les Dentellis (Gigondas): Still a pup; and its future is meaty, enticing, spicy, focused, and very, very bright. $37 A-
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source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-may-27-2019/
Friday 24 May 2019
Terroir Daronton 2017 Roaix, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Terroir Daronton 2017 Roaix Côtes du Rhône Villages
Le Terroir Daronton is a cooperative winery that includes about 200 winegrowers in the Southern Rhone. They don’t make a generic “Cotes du Rhone” instead, they focus on village-designated wines. These villages include famous ones like Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape. They also include less well-known crus like Seguret, Visan, and this bottle from Roaix.
This is a classic and lovely Cotes du Rhone Cru, closer in style to Gigondas than Chateauneuf du Pape. Aromas of toasted lavender and driftwood and core minerality on the nose. Medium bodied with iron-flecked plum notes, typical of high-altitude Grenache. Tannins are a bit astringent, so a decanter would be called for. For a food pairing, Sicilian caponata or Pasta alla Norma would be lovely. For a French meal, Hachis Parmentier (Shephards Pie) would do the trick nicely.
The post Terroir Daronton 2017 Roaix, Côtes du Rhône Villages appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/terroir-daronton-2017-roaix-cotes-du-rhone-villages/
Thursday 23 May 2019
On The Retirement Of Robert Parker
Robert M. Parker, Jr. – arguably the world’s most famous, but unarguably its most influential, wine critic – is hangin’ up the spurs.
Last week, The Wine Advocate announced that Parker, who had steadily been down-shifting his wine review duties over the better course of a decade, is retiring from the publication.
What’s poised to change in the wine world? Probably next to nothing; the days when the words of a lone critic such as Parker directed huge swings of the wine-buying needle for industry buyers and consumers alike are increasingly far behind us, a type of influence that has been on the wane for, well, the better course of the same decade in which Parker down-shifted his wine-reviewing beat.
Wine Advocate’s Lisa Perrotti-Brown once tried (unsuccessfully, IMHO – hey, I simple know too many winemakers at this point, so I know better) to downplay the effect of “Parkerization” on the wine world. But in that argument, she missed out on the most important aspect of Parkerization, or, in more positive terms, Parker’s enduring legacy in the wine world.
Namely, that the days of wine brands coasting their lazy asses on the basis of past performance, and consumers being forced to suck up junk-ass wines as a result, are largely a thing of the past, and that is in no small part due to the work ethic of one Robert M. Parker, Jr. In other words, like him or hate him, love points or gag at the sight of them, Parker’s influence in the wine world writ large is and will always be net positive…
Perhaps I am biased, and not just because I count current Wine Advocate staffers Monica Larner and (fellow Philly boy) Mark Squires as friends. I mean, in the same way that Parker legitimized so many otherwise unknown wine brands, he legitimized my “brand” when he granted me the first interview he’d ever done for a wine blog (and at a time when he just wasn’t really giving interviews). Having said that, I’ve been critical of the guy’s actions, have never been an Advocate subscriber, and more or less never paid attention to his reviews (not out of disagreement, but only because in general I don’t pay much attention to wine reviews with numbers on them).
But none of that keeps me from recognizing the fact that before Parker attempted his version of democratizing wine reviews about three decades ago, a crap-ton of shit wine was on the market, some of it being made by storied brands. Almost all of the people reading this won’t know that, because they got to come of drinking age at a time post-Parker. Parker was one of the first – and certainly the most accessible of – voices to call out shit when he tasted shit, and to reward quality when he tasted quality, regardless of pedigree.
The results, some decades later?
Firstly, yeah, there was a move towards some sameness in wine tastes broadly, in a strange capitalist feedback loop of high scores begetting trends in consumer tastes, begetting deliberate movement in winemaking styles towards those high-score-achieving, better-selling taste profiles. Just as we cannot blame George Lucas for every crappy, effects-driven blockbuster after the success of the original Star Wars, we can’t levy all of the blame of sameness squarely on Parker’s shoulders alone.
But we are not poorer for that, in so far as the second result comes into play – wines, in general, just got better. Not because they were chasing Parker’s tastes, but because wine brands were on notice that shit wine wasn’t going to be able to coast into the market all that easily. Over time, shit wine (in terms of obviously flawed stuff) wasn’t really able to coast into the market at all. Most of us have grown up into a wine world in which it’s actually kind of difficult for consumers to encounter awful, flawed wines on the shelf, and I’d posit that Robert M. Parker, Jr. is the grandfather of all of that.
More could be said about Parker helping to engender a wine collectors mentality into the masses, or the influence of his work ethic (as I am fond of saying, Parker is a bit like George W. Bush as President – you might not like everything he wanted to do, of how he did it, but it’s difficult to argue that he didn’t think, deep down, that he was doing the right thing). But we needn’t enter into those discussions at all to acknowledge the positive aspects of Parker’s legacy. On the whole, we are a better wine world for having had him in it.
I’ll leave you with this, the last question I asked Parker when I interviewed him almost ten years ago, specifically related to his retirement:
1WD: Willie Mays didn’t do it, Michael Jordan couldn’t do it. Cal Ripken, Jr. did do it. Any consideration to “quitting at the top of your game?” How would you like to be remembered in terms of your legacy in the world of fine wine, if/when you do retire from it?
RMP: I have been blessed with extraordinary success, and I could have stopped working many years ago. If I ever felt that I had lost my passion or enthusiasm for wine, or that my abilities had declined, I would stop in a heartbeat. The one thing that separates me from just about everybody else in the wine world is hard work. Yes, I have plenty of talent, but so do many of my colleagues. However, no one has ever worked as hard or as comprehensively as I have. This might also explain the success for athletes such as Michael Jordan (a person who was well-known for spending more time on the practice court than anybody else) and Cal Ripken (a person who constantly worked at his game). Legacy is nice from a spectator point of view, but it is something I never think about. From the day I started tasting and reviewing wine in 1978, until today, I have always tried to do the best job I could, I write exactly what I believe, I am not beholden to anybody, and I sleep very well because of that. That will never change.
Cheers!
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source http://www.1winedude.com/on-the-retirement-of-robert-parker/
Tuesday 21 May 2019
Bodegas Berceo 2013 Rioja Reserva
Bodegas Berceo 2013 Rioja Reserva
The town of Haro has a long winemaking history, and Bodegas Berceo is its figurative heart. Berceo’s wine cellars were dug under the city streets, repurposing tunnels that dated back to the middle ages. In the 19th century, Calle Cuevas –nothing more than an alleyway– was lined with wineries stuffed into tiny townhouses.
Over time, most wineries relocated to the countryside. For the past century wineries such as Bodegas Muga, La Rioja Alta, CVNE, and Roda have all moved just past the town line. Founded in 1872, Bodegas Berceo is the oldest winery in Haro but never moved off Calle Cuevas. The winery continued to crush grapes in its centuries-old basket press, and process wine through its original gravity-fed systems.
Winemaking facilities have remained in the same location for centuries, the style has changed with the times. This is a lovely example of 21th Century Rioja, fermented in concrete tanks and aged in barrel for 2 years in older French barrels.
There is an effortless and charming quality to this wine. Notes of sandalwood and cigar smoke lift to the blue fruits aromas. Oak spices pierce the mineral-bright character of this wine and supple tannins make this a fantastic food wine. Grilled lamb chops with black olives would be a perfect pairing.
The post Bodegas Berceo 2013 Rioja Reserva appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/bodegas-berceo-2013-rioja-reserva/
Monday 20 May 2019
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For May 20, 2019
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
- 2017 Domaine Elodie Balme Côtes du Rhône (Rhône): A bit funky, a lot peppery, and even more fruity, friendly, and crowd-pleasing. $NA B+
- 2016 Domaine Combe Juliere (Rasteau): Sexy, grippy, and with the kind of density that requires advanced physics calculations. $30 B+
- 2016 Domaine du Trapadis ‘Les Adrés’ (Rasteau): Red fruits and spices, tied together with leather straps that are still tightening. $NA B+
- 2013 Cave de Rasteau Ortas Rasteau Prestige (Rasteau): Licorice, lavender, and power, in an easy to appreciate package. $18 B
- 2017 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel ‘Autrement Tavel’ (Tavel): A modern take on the Tavel power structure, and one that’s dangerously easy to imbibe. $NA B+
- 2016 Youngberg Hill ‘J Block’ Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Apparently the “J” is short for “jubilantly spicy.” $60 A-
- 2013 Jamieson Ranch Vineyards Double Lariat Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Getting earthy; as in, roots-to-branches earthy. $40 A-
- 2017 Halter Ranch Estate Adelaida District Picpoul Blanc (Paso Robles): Underrated region, underrated grape, damned good wine. $28 B+
- 2016 Wrath Wines Ex Dolio Falanghina (Monterey): Well, that’ll teach me about formulating premature hating notions on orange wines… $29 A-
- 2013 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley): Nearing the end? Dunno about that; there’s a lot of leathery, perky goodness left… $34 A-
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source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-may-20-2019/
Thursday 16 May 2019
Brittan Vineyards 2014 “Basalt Block” Pinot Noir, McMinnville
Brittan Vineyards 2014 Basalt Block Pinot Noir, McMinnville
Robert Brittan is best known as the winemaker responsible for Stags’ Leap Winery’s Petit Sirahs. Those inky monsters redefined the grape as a luxury Napa Valley wine. Robert was the head winemaker throughout the nineties and became the winery’s president when it was sold to Beringer Wine Estates in 1997. He was at the wine trade’s zenith.
In 2004, he resigned and left Napa and Petit Sirah in the dust. In a few months, he resurfaced in Oregon. He had bought a vineyard of Pinot Noir in Willamette Valley. On the surface, it seemed like a crazy move. Anyone who has visited both wine regions will attest, there are no two wine regions as different as Willamette and Napa. And there are no two grapes as enologically divergent as Pinot and Petit Sirah.
For the first few years, he and his wife spent their time replanting and expanding the Brittan Vineyard. After a few more years he also started making wine for other wineries, including Ayoub, Fairsing, and Winderlea vineyards. Some big, juicy 90+ wine ratings started trickling in from the Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, and Wine Enthusiast. By 2010, he was making it rain in Willamette (pun intended). It was increasingly clear Robert was the “Bo” Jackson of American winemaking: he excelled in two very different worlds of winemaking.
Let’s talk about this wine. It is a masterpiece, so instead of the usual descriptions, I’m going to use another modern masterpiece of popular culture as a metaphor. Imagine if Wile E. Coyote filled a hundred barrels with flowers and chocolate. Let’s say he took those barrels and squeezed them until they were small enough to fit each one into a blueberry. He places them on a bullseye, with an anvil dangling high above.
The plan is for the Road Runner would stop and take a nibble,.. and KAPOW! Does this work? Does Mr. Coyote dine on a roulade of ground bird? Of course not. The stuffed berries are too delicious, he forgets himself and eats the blueberries. And for a minute, he is very very happy. And yes, this is a metaphor for this awe-inspiring Pinot Noir. And yes, after a sip you will be hit KAPOW with an anvil-sized bolt of acid and mineral. And yes, you will still be very happy.
The post Brittan Vineyards 2014 “Basalt Block” Pinot Noir, McMinnville appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/brittan-vineyards-2014-basalt-block-pinot-noir-mcminnville/
Tuesday 14 May 2019
Infinito 2014 “Winemaker’s Selection” Malbec, Mendoza
Infinito Winemaker’s Selection Malbec Mendoza 2014
Out of nowhere, a 90-plus rated wine shows up on the wine shelves at the local wine & spirits store. As a wine critic, I like to know who makes the wine. I know there isn’t a winery named Infinito anywhere in Argentina, so who should we give credit for this well-priced beauty?
Well, it’s time to turn into Wino-Sherlock. All I have is the small print on the label. , the bottler code: INV A-73337. A number of wines from the exporter Vino Del Sol show under that bottler code, so I am pretty sure this is a control brand that they commissioned. Their partner in the United States is Tri-Vin Imports of New Rochelle, NY. All that’s left is to figure out which of the wineries they have under contract would have made this beauty.
That bottler code is registered to the address ROQUE SÁENZ PEÑA 8650,. LAS COMPUERTAS, LUJÁN DE CUYO, MENDOZA. I Google Map the results, and that is the address to Bodega Lamadrid. Sure enough, it’s one of Vino Del Sol’s wineries. Bullseye! This family-run producer is responsible for the Durigutti and Lamadrid labels.
This bottling is a step-up from those labels, which means this is probably a selection of the top barrels from both those lines. Thank you Bodega Lamadrid for this great Malbec! And here’s the review:
Rested in French oak for over a year. Aromas of cracked pepper and dark fruit. Pencil shavings and crushed violets emerge with decanting. The tannins here are smooth but impressively firm. A balance of freshness keeps the chocolate and melted licorice from overpowering the structure. Well done.
The post Infinito 2014 “Winemaker’s Selection” Malbec, Mendoza appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/infinito-2014-winemakers-selection-malbec-mendoza/
Monday 13 May 2019
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For May 13, 2019
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
- 2015 Ravenswood Winery Angeli Carignan (Sonoma County): High-toned, perfumed, and about as large-and-in-charge as Carignan can possibly get. $42 B+
- 2016 Turley Wine Cellars Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah (Napa Valley): When the Valley puts on its best Mountain Man impersonation, & it’s a good one. $75 A-
- 2017 St. Amant Winery Alicante Bouschet (Lodi): Linear, brambly, and sporting ample florals that belie the OOMPH! your mouth is about to receive. $21 B+
- 2016 Hartford Family Winery Hartford Dina’s Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian River Valley): For all of its sexy polish, there’s no denying it’s a wild child deep at heart. $60 A-
- 2015 La Pandolfa ‘Pandolfo’ Romagna Sangiovese Superiore Riserva (Emilia-Romagna): Smokes tobacco. Also smokes oragne peel, herbs, and if it could, it would smoke mineral rocks, too. $NA B+
- 2016 La Pandolfa ‘Godenza’ (Romagna Sangiovese Predappio): Dark cherries that have a firm grip on their tobacco pipe, as well as on your gums. $NA B+
- 2016 Domaine Brusset ‘Les Travers’ (Cairanne): A hipster’s paradise of black pepper, low abv, and floral vibrancy. $17 B+
- 2017 Brotte ‘Les Eglantiers’ Rosé (Tavel): So in touch with both its masculine and feminine sides, it might as well be called Tiresias… $NA B+
- 2016 Brotte ‘La Marasque’ (Gigondas): Dark blue sexiness, about as far as the eye [tongue?] can see. $23 B+
- 2015 Brotte ‘Bouvencourt’ (Vacqueyras): Brought to you by the letter “L” – for Leathery, Lithe, Long, and Lovely. $NA B+
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source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-may-13-2019/
Thursday 9 May 2019
Rimapere 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Rimapere 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
A single vineyard bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Rimapere vineyard, in the highly regarded Rapaura district of Marlborough. This is a joint venture between Bordeaux’s Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (owner of Château Clarke and Château des Laurets) and New Zealand’s Craggy Range Winery.
This is the fifth vintage of this collaboration, and the wine’s dual citizenship is evident. While it retains a New Zealand grassy crispness, it also sports a saline minerality of crushed oyster shells. There is also a textural gravity that is reminiscent of the top Bordeaux white wines. It’s a style that is also reminiscent of the early days of winemaking in Marlborough; in particular, the 1998 vintage of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
This is a charming wine; light of body and bright in acidity and a light body. Fruit flavors steal the show: mostly melon, passion fruit, and lime. A bundle of tarragon and hay lay down the finish.
The post Rimapere 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia.
source https://www.vinology.com/rimapere-2017-sauvignon-blanc-marlborough/
Monday 6 May 2019
Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up For May 6, 2019
I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!
- 2017 Tenuta St Lucia ‘AlbaRara’ (Albana di Romagna Secco): Eating apricots & edible flowers while sitting on a rock at the seashore. $NA B+
- 2012 Fattoria Paradiso Vigna delle Lepri Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva (Emilia-Romagna): Harmonious, powerful, and gorgeous, and… wait, how much is this again?!?? $25 A-
- 2012 Fattoria Paradiso ‘Il Dosso’ Barbarossa (Emilia-Romagna): Mint and chewiness that sticks to your ribs, gums, teeth, and soul. $NA B+
- 2015 Piccolo Brunelli ‘Dante1872’ (Romagna Sangiovese Superiore Riserva): Pure, tight, sinewy, and smoking tobacco while peeling fresh oranges. $NA A-
- NV J Vineyards & Winery Brut Rosé (Russian River Valley): Perennially berry, berry good… I know, I know… sorry… $45 A-
- 2016 Lenne Estate Pinot Noir (Yamhill-Carlton District): Mature enough that it likes meat, young enough that it still likes cocoa. $40 A-
- 2016 Youngberg Hill Vineyards Cuvée Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Witness when WV gets super-fruity, in crowd-inspiring ways. $35 B+
- 2016 Alloro Vineyard Estate Chardonnay (Chehalem Mountains): Brought to you by the letter ‘A’ – in this case, also for “Alluring.” $39 A-
- 2015 Alloro Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir (Chehalem Mountains): Just dark and handsome enough to add an air of intrigue to your weekend dinner plans. $40 A-
- 2018 Bells Up ‘Helios’ Estate Seyval Blanc (Chehalem Mountains): Inaugural effort that’s punchy, grounded, and not fooling around. $38 B+
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source http://www.1winedude.com/wine-reviews-weekly-mini-round-up-for-may-6-2019/