Through a cloud of beige dust kicked up from the gravel road, I see the outline of an industrial building that could not be more out of place here on the floor of the bucolic Green Valley. It’s mid-afternoon, and the curtilage around the no-frills structure is so devoid of activity that the site looks almost abandoned. A knock on the side door goes unanswered. Continue reading
Green-tinged pale gold. Leafy aromas (like holding a handful of green leaves plucked from a fern and maple forest in spring), with attractive green fruit notes countenanced by a strong chalk note and hint of mushrooom. Medium-bodied, sharp, with more cut than a Sabatier knife on the mid-palate, and a touch of warmth on the backend. Really intense and fine.
Sparkling brass-tinged yellow in color, with a greenish hue at the rim. Seductive aromas of hazelnuts, truffle oil, minerals, and lemons are also fused into the palate, where sun-kissed flavors of ripe apple and lemon curds are sweet and generous. Attractive notes of oak, ginger, minerals and lanolin provide an extra dimension of character on the well-focused finish. A superb wine from a domaine now owned by Louis Jadot.
Medium ruby color. Aromas of cherry pie, strawberries, and crayons. Slightly dilute on the palate, this medium-bodied wine offers flavors of cherries and dry, green tannins.
Driving towards the coast on Route 116, just beyond the town center of Forestville, the straight two-lane highway suddenly breaks into a series of zigzags. As the road twists and turns through primordial redwoods, the spell cast by the wide-open plains and undulating hillocks of the Russian River Valley is broken. Continue reading