4/24/2024 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Rich dark fruit, yummy

4/19/2024 - Sheila Sund wrote:

At 7.5 years, this Chardonnay is wonderfully balanced but still has a youthful brightness. On the nose, apricot predominates, with additional fresh apple and tropical notes, as well as wonderful fresh baked bread. Behind this, there is a subtle minerality similar to a river breeze across a rock strewn beach. On the mouth, fruit and soft baked oak notes contrast beautifully with the noticeable acidity, and lead o a long yet bright finish. Lovely!

2/23/2024 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Let me start by saying this wine needs air! It was tight and unimpressive straight from the bottle on day 1, but by day 2 and 3, it was delicious. The nose was pear with citrus and peach, plus a touch of floral overtones. On the palate, a nice minerality and acid became dominant with minimal oak, and a long light finish. I liked it a bit cooler than a typical chardonnay, probably because it reminds me more of chablis. A lovely drink with a number of years ahead of it.

11/8/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Fruit predominates on the nose with mixed red and black berry. There are also secondary notes of dried prune and raisin, as well as light smoke. On the palate, there is noticeable acid and late sweet notes. Body and tannins were medium. Overall, it need both age and decanting. Right now, it's much better with food than sipped alone.

11/1/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

This was my first Australian Shiraz, as I am normally a Rhone fan. The nose on this wine was fun, with strong berry fruit as well as smoke and earth notes that invited pondering. On the palate, the fruit was less prominent, with new notes of milk chocolate, although overall the taste was less impressive than the nose. Overall, an easy drinker and great for the price. Buy it for a BBQ and drink it now.

9/12/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

On the nose, I appreciated red apple with apricot and melon notes, as well as nice floral and caramel overtones. In the mouth, a more generous meadow flavor dominated over the fruit and oak, with pleasant acidity. Body and finish are medium. Overall, a refreshing Oregon style chardonnay, that is bright and young for its age and should be drinkable for years.

8/7/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Beautifully smooth and rich, yet not overwhelmingly big. Great with grilled rib-eye steaks

3/4/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

I first had this wine in 2017, and it has evolved wonderfully in bottle. With a deep golden color, the nose is intense with ripe pear, baked apple, plus vanilla and brioche notes. On the palate, it is luscious, with fruit and oak blending into caramel apple. The 14.1 ABV gives it a nice energy before fading into a long, complex finish.

3/12/2023 - Sheila Sund wrote:

The beautiful deep purple red color suggested great things to follow, but unfortunately, the wine did not live up to its appearance. Nose was fairly light but had interesting complexity with bramble and dried fruit, black olive, and a touch of leather. In the mouth, the body was disappointingly light and fruity without the complexity suggested by the nose. Finish was quick - gone before you knew it. Overall lacking in the things that make syrah interesting, although I will say it was better on day 2 than on day 1.

1/24/2022 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Nose is nicely fruity, mostly with apple and peach, and a touch of Meyer lemon. Mild florals and vanilla are apparent in thr background. Taste is beautifully smooth and medium bodied, with wonderful baked notes - cooked pineapple, Meyer lemon bars - and a touch of lime. The acidity sneaks in but lingers as a key part of the long finish. Currently 6+ years since harvest, and tasting beautifully with promise of more years to come.

1/8/2021 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Citrus aromas are more apparent than orchard fruit, with strong minerality, nice white pepper, and light florals (iris?). On the palate, fruit (lime and pear) dominate over the minerality. Mouth feel was smoother than expected for age, and acid and body were both light.

1/13/2021 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Pleasant aromas of tangerine, white peach, almond, and flint, balanced nicely with vanilla and brioche oak notes. On the palate, the initial taste is a bit creamy before the fruit flavors, including some pineapple, kick in. Complexity was a little lacking, but overall this is a well balanced medium body Chardonnay with good acid and a pleasant long finish.

11/10/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Beautiful yellow color, with aromas of peach, kumquat, citrus, and wet stone. On the palate, there are three distinct stages - initial rich creamy vanilla, moving quickly to a big citrus acid kick, then evolving to a slow long baked bread finish. Very enjoyable and aging nicely, but not strong enough to stand up to most food pairings.

10/20/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

This is the third time I've tasted this wine (the first was 10 months after release). The nose is heavenly, like visiting a French patisserie, with baked apples and pear, almond, and lovely vanilla notes. The taste and body are surprisingly lighter than the nose, but add more mineral notes as well as citrus (along with a transient unusual sourness). The complexity and length were wonderful, evolving slowly back to baked fruit.
Of note, this wine needs aeration and a bit warmer temperature than many Chardonnays in order to experience all it's complexity.

It definitely benefits from aeration and a bit warmer temperature that many chardonnays.

10/16/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Beautifully colored wine with aromas of plum, cranberry, a hint of orange peel, and noticeable black pepper. In the mouth, the medium body was predominated by spice notes, evolving from pepper to cinnamon and clove, with traces of caramel and smoke, all of which lingered on into the fairly long finish. Despite all the spice, it still tasted wonderfully smooth with nicely mellowed mild tannins. Makes me wish I had another few bottles tucked away.

5/29/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Light fruit aromas of dark plum and prune, with good pepper, leather and tobacco notes, that are somewhat outbalanced by petrol/tar. Body is surprisingly light compared to nose, with initial fruit quickly overwhelmed by leather, tobacco – and again tar. The tannins take a while to develop and the overall finish is much shorter than expected. Overall a good but not great wine.

5/22/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Nice aroma of ripe eating apple, with notes of pineapple and wet grass. On the palate, ripe apple again shines through, but green vegetal notes are also prominent. Nice acid pop and long light fruit finish, followed by a surprising late bitterness (which increases with repeated sipping.) Overall this is a unique light bodied white which would pair well with lighter foods, particularly in summer.

5/20/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Bright Meyer lemon bouquet, mixed with lime, adding sunwarmed peach, meadow, and wet stone as the aroma develops. On the palate, the bright mineral acidity is colored with touches of honeydew and pineapple. The finish is moderately long but light with lingering fruit and acid notes. Overall, a wonderful bright acidic Chardonnay, consistent with its origin.

4/27/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Wine was very boozy and out of balance at 5 years old - poor aging? Tasted more like whisky than wine. Couldn't finish.

3/23/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Dark red wine with strong bouquet of barnyard earthy tones mixed with smoke and leather. Initially overpowered the plum and black cherry aromas, but prolonged aeration brought them in balance, while allowing black pepper and vegetal notes to appear. The taste is full-bodied and complex, adding petroleum, tomato leaf, and bell pepper . Tannins are high and the finish is medium long.

Completely unlike other pinot noirs, this wine took time to grow on me, but I eventually became fascinated with the complexity, identifying more and more aromas with every sniff and taste. Aging should bring even better balance and blend.

2/17/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Good pinot blanc, bright and perfectly dry with blend of grapefruit and pear aromas. Taste adds “spring meadow” (white clover) along with nice river rock minerality. Finish is light but long, especially for a pinot blanc, and adds interesting earth flavors that color your next few sips.

1/27/2020 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Enjoyable bright Riesling, much better for having several years of aging. Nice balance of fruit, floral, and earth on the nose, with addition of honey and tropical fruit on tasting. The complexity is quite good for an Oregon Riesling, making it a pleasant sipping wine and great for pairing with food. Note: as bottle was open for three days in refrigerator, the earth notes virtually disappeared whereas the floral and honey increased. Still good, but quite different. Sad that the winery has now removed all their Riesling vines.

12/25/2019 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Domaine Serene’s 2015 Recolte Chardonnay is currently my favorite wine. A lovely golden color, the aromas suggest ripe apricots and Meyer Lemon, with undertones of wet stone (reminding me of Oregon’s pebbled riverbanks). Tasting adds soft caramel and a hint of butter. Wonderfully full-bodied and smooth, the balance has improved even more compared to last year’s tasting, including a a long-lasting, slowly fading finish. It paired wonderfully with our crab and lobster dinner, with flavors of both food and wine shining through.

11/8/2019 - Sheila Sund Likes this wine:

Very pale and light. Somewhat sweet nose, with “baked goods” overlying apple and lemon. Slight initial sweetness on taste that quickly disappears. Taste is light citrus with nice complexity, and wonderfully medium long finish. Overall very pleasant light Chardonnay.

11/6/2019 - Sheila Sund wrote:

This wine grew on me – it needs aeration and a bit of warming to fully appreciate. Its qualities are subtle, making it a sipping, not a pairing wine. Light nose shows citrus with a hint of cranberry, light oak, and definite minerality. There’s an interesting transient sweetness with the first touch on the tongue before becoming nicely dry and acid. The cranberry becomes much more noticeable, as does smoke, spice, and definite salinity. Finish is light but pleasant. I would recommend for those who like light, mineral driven Chardonnays.

11/3/2019 - Sheila Sund Likes this wine:

Bright pale yellow. Nose is a bit light, with pear, apple, and citrus, followed by subtle tea and vanilla. Body is also a bit light, but taste is more complex and interesting than expected -not typical Oregon Chard. Good acid, nice finish. Enjoyable and interesting wine, particularly for price point.

11/2/2019 - Sheila Sund Does not like this wine:

A pretty ruby in glass, but lighter than expected for 4 year old pinot. Aroma was mostly cherry with some blackberry and rose and a touch of vanilla, but not very strong. Not many secondary or tertiary odors. Dry, moderately acid and tannic, with surprisingly light body. Taste was weaker than nose and again somewhat disappointing in body and complexity. Finish was mostly tannins. Not what I was expecting.

9/23/2019 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Wine is 5 years old - probably older than ideal. Aroma had peach and light florals, but not strong. Bright, light, dry, and moderate acidity, with peach taste, all of which made it reasonably refreshing. Finish was short with slight bitterness reminiscent of grapefruit. Overall low complexity and fruit.

5/26/2019 - Sheila Sund Likes this wine:

Nicely golden in color consistent with a few years aging. The nose is honey and vanilla, with an underlying mineral tang. Taste is smooth, balanced, and medium body with melon notes. Off-dry with moderate acidity. Finish is medium and pleasant but not remarkable.

3/19/2019 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Lovely nose worth spending a few minutes on. Quite smooth. Not terribly unique but tastes like a typical good somewhat aged Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Moderate amount of fruit with nice spice and smokiness in the finish. Probably wasn't as good when young, as spent 18 months in new oak but after five years, it has mellowed nicely.

3/19/2019 - Sheila Sund Likes this wine:

Somewhat sweet, with lots of berries in both bouquet and taste. Much better than 2017 vintage which I also tasted. Reminds me of like a summer afternoon, which is when it would taste best, served quite cool.

3/19/2019 - Sheila Sund wrote:

Quite sweet (although winery owner says has very low residual sugar) due to high elevation, north facing location of vineyard, and relatively late harvest. This vintage has strong ripe fruit flavor (? raisin, apricot), quite different from 2016 vintage which I also tasted, and is fairly big bodied. Doesn't really taste much like a pinot gris - maybe more like a late harvest sauvignon blanc. I like dessert wines, so I enjoyed it, but others may not. Should be served quite cold - 45-50 F.

3/3/2019 - Sheila Sund Does not like this wine:

Aroma is light - apricot and peach, a little orange, followed by vanilla. Taste was smooth with no acid or butter, but bland and not much body. Finish was soft, and again underwhelming - probably the best descriptor for the wine overall.