Posts Tagged white wine

Here’s a selection of interesting wines. These are wines that maybe don’t fit the usual categorizations, but they still deliver quality and something just a little different than the average everyday wine.

2006 Breaux Syrah Rose

This wine, from the Breaux winery near my home in Virginia, was a real find for me. Made from newly planted Syrah grapes, this was their first bottling of this wine. I’ve never been a huge rosé fan, so this surprised me with an extra level of fruit and body. It was a big fruity wine, with no bitterness and fresh notes of blackberries and raspberries. This was a really enjoyable summertime wine.  Priced around $20.

Rating: 89 pts

2006 Quinta Do Ferro Avesso Vinho Verde

The nose exhibited notes of grass, lemon and almond. There was also a distinct floral component.  The flavors were sweet and rounded in the beginning, however, a lemon and grassy nature exploded on the mid-palate. There was also a hint of spice, white pepper and eggplant. The finish was nice and long with herbal notes, a rounded edge and some sweetness to the finish. Almonds notes at the very end finished it out nicely. Overall I really enjoyed this wine.  It had a nice feel to it and extra intriguing qualities that kept me coming back for more.   Priced around $10.

Rating: 90pts

2005 Rutherglen Estates The Alliance Marsanne/Viognier Blend

This was an interesting white blend with a ton of floral components and a rich rounded finish. While there may have been too much going on in this wine, it was still an interesting bottle to try. The initial nose is not bad, with maybe a little over the top. Scents of honeysuckle and pear mixed with the grassy grapefruit. There were notes of pears, fig and apples, mixed with grassy menthol and almond flavors. The finish was well-rounded and long. The wine seemed to go from light to full-bodied all in one taste. Priced around $15.

Rating: 89pts

2006 Tangent Ecclestone

This wine had a really interesting blend.  Viognier, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat Canelli, and Albariño all blended together to make a crisp, and slightly sweet, wine.  The flavors are across the board from lemon-lime to apricots, oranges and mangos. The structure was supported by a nice level of acidity.  Overall the wine was big, rounded and carried a lot of weight on the mid-palate.  The finish was smooth and long.  Priced around $20.

Rating: 91 pts

Here’s a couple of Napa Valley chardonnays that I’ve tried fairly recently. Napa seems to have fully made the transition from over-oaked butterball wines to something a little more reminiscent of the Burgundian-style wines of France. Much more focus on the fruit and the acidity of the wines, allowing them to shine without a ton of manipulation. Both Pride and Neyers were definitely on the leading edge with this style and have helped push out the oak monsters.

2005 Neyers Napa Chardonnay

We took this wine to our favorite ‘BYOB’ restaurant in New Jersey.  It had not been chilled prior to opening.  I actually found it good both at room temperature and also chilled.  There was a lot of carmel, oak and earthiness at room temperature.  When it was slightly chilled, it had a little more of the crisp acidity flavor.

This winery always produces solid values.  This wine is no exception with classic Napa richness and caramel notes.  These flavors mix with apples and pears. The wine is not buttery by any means.  It is just a nice middle of the road wine between the California and Burgundy styles. Priced around $25.

Rating: 90 pts

2005 Pride Chardonnay

The nose from this wine was full of lemon and herbal scents, along with noticeable caramel notes. The flavor at first was a little muted, not tasting as strong as the nose would have indicated. The wine exhibited notes of honey, custard and lemon. However the flavors, for a wine of this quality, came across weak. The finish was smooth and rich, though not lengthy. Priced around $35, this wine did not have a great quality-price ratio (QPR) as would have been expected.

Rating: 88 pts

Here are some other chardonnay selections from California and beyond.

2003 Three Saints Chardonnay

This wine had a lemony explosion of flavor.  This $24 central Californian Chardonnay was a little on the acidic side. There was nice fruit in the wine, with apples, pears and a little caramel hiding at the edges.  I think it was tough at times to taste the classic Chardonnay body underneath the acidic nature of the wine.

Rating: 87-88 pts

2005 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Dominique Russian River Valley

This wine possessed a nose of butter and baked apples. The taste was like fall in a glass with baked apples, cinnamon, spice and a buttery crust. There was a good bit of malolatic fermentation that gives a lot of roundness and a slightly noticeable oak. This was a rich big wine. I also still had some great acidity that helps to balance the richness. It would make the perfect wine for the holidays. Priced around $40

Rating: 93pts

2006 Tolosa Chardonnay Edna Ranch

Here was an interesting wine, full of gravel and chalky notes. There was a distinct mineral quality. The wine wasn’t overly rich through had a nice depth. Lots of acidity on the wine means it might evolve a little over time. There was a little bit of a bitter taste on the end of the wine that was disappointing. Priced around $15.

Rating: 88pts

2006 Pierre Herni Chardonnay

This French chardonnay was a really nice find, especially for the price of around $7. The wine had a nice richness, possessing apples and lemon custard flavors. The wine had good body, all while being light and slightly crisp. The nose had some hints of almond and wet stones integrated. The finish was round and smooth and quiet refreshing. For the price and quality, I found the wine to be a great deal.

Rating: 89pts

2006 Step Rd Blackwing Chardonnay

This was a nice interesting wine. The flavors focused on a lemon-crisp style similar to Chablis. The mid-plate still possessed some rich layers of toffee and custard. The wine had a nice balance of acidity with a soft texture. The wine reminds me of key lime pie. This wine is a good value at around $12.

Rating: 90pts