julie nelson

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2014-2019

Elegant, delicate honeysuckle floral aroma. Sensuous peach on the palate parlays itself into a surprisingly dry(ish) finish. Chenin’s high acid comes on only after a few seconds, then keeps things sparking along to the finish. Does improvised gymnastics in the mouth for ages.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2015-2017

plush deep inky dark fruit, like falling into sculptor anish kapoor’s light-stealing vantablack.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2017-2018

Lovely + lively, uncomplicated, refreshing. Like a cool ocean breeze on a warm day. Portuguese whites make for great summertime sipping!

acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2013-2018 : available for purchase

Flinty mineral Chablis, like rain on a summer sidewalk — no oak in sight. As opposed to the widely-reviled California style that gained popularity in the 1980s, this Burgundian appellation prefers to make Chardonnay that foregrounds its more subtle, inherent fruit flavors rather than interfere with these by using oak barrels.

acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2012-2018 : available for purchase

This cru Beaujolais charmed me, changing my opinion of Gamay from wimpy to worthwhile. I thought all Beaujolais was made in the simple Nouveau style — but this one possesses a gravitas that took me by surprise! Red fruit, plus even more red fruit, but with a sturdy undercarriage that gives it some grounding.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 2019 : 20 x 16 inches

Perhaps an acquired taste in a red, the hint of herbaceous “green bell pepper” is a signature characteristic of this variety. It partners unexpectedly well with its blackberry fruit and brambly aspects. All but exiled from its native France, it thrives nowadays on the other side of the globe (and equator) in its adoptive home, Chile.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16 x 20 inches : 2018

This blend from the Southern Rhône is an in-your-face riot of luscious red and black fruit, punctuated by touches of pepper and spice. Grenache and Syrah each bring something to the party that the other one lacks, making them natural partners in blends from this region.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2014-2018

Full-bodied, lovely Alsatian style, with peach, mango, and honeyed notes. Made from grapes picked later in the season, this style of Pinot Gris has greater complexity than the more popular and better-known Italian version made from the same exact grape, known as Pinot Grigio.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 2017 : 20 x 16 inches

Known for its escalated lime-y acidity, plus a green herbaceous note, this Grüner tastes like a many-stringed instrument being simultaneously plucked by hundreds of tiny fingers.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16 x 20 inches : 2014-2018

Dense, nutty caramel flavors with a touch of raisiny sweetness in this amontillado sherry invite serious contemplation. To be sipped and savored.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16 x 20 inches : 2015-2018

Systematically organized, and also deep, like an old library filled with wisdom. Medium body, cigar box tertiary flavors, and grippy tannins provide this Bordeaux blend with the shelf-like structure upon which the red fruit notes from Merlot and the black fruit of Cabernet are perfectly balanced.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2013-2018

Grapefruity sparkiness with a bit of fairy dust sprinkled in. Hits all the right registers — dancing lime-y acid to more tropical fruit notes. Wine producers in New Zealand are allowed to blend grapes from vineyard sites with differing microclimates, enabling a spectrum of flavor rather than a simpler, single flavor profile.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 2021 : 20 x 16 inches

Layer upon layer of happenings in this complex Spanish beauty. Whiffs of vanilla float over dusty tannins, along with leather and mushroom notes — the result of being aged five years in American oak. Granted this time to mature, Tempranillo develops depth and intrigue.

available for purchase : acrylic on canvas : 16" x 20" : 2019

Full of poise, this Loire valley Chinon harmoniously balances the red fruit notes of the cab franc grape with its vegetal, bell-peppery, green notes. The result is an overall sensory “taste field” of seamless solidarity.