"On Top of the World" by SashaW on Flickr

Wednesday night, July 21st, 2010, we attended the annual blind tasting challenge held at Chris Hinton’s Bin 75 tasting room in Johns Creek. It is the mid-week event during their anniversary sale, which nets you 20% off cases of wine. You can also score some wines at 25% off solid cases. Check the website or call for more information.

My wife went into the event as defending champion and was ready to take down all challengers, myself included.

The event was a slightly different format this year, with the addition of a seventh wine, the reception wine. Normally we know what that wine is, but this year it was also poured blind and would act as the first tier tie-breaker.

You are given choices in each flight, one of four whites, the other of three reds. You have five choices of grape variety and country, with no repeats of correct answers within flights.

Keith, the wine manager, plays host. He goes through the basics of blind tasting, explaining what color will tell you, what the aroma and taste markers are for each grape variety, along with the same tidbits for each country represented and whether or not they even grow that grape in that country. For example, you aren’t going to guess Germany if you think the wine is Chardonnay. He wants each selection to be a solid representative of both the grape and the country, though every once in a while he does throw in a curve ball. Last year, it was in the form of an Italian Cannonau, which most of us know as Grenache.

We arrived just in time, as my lovely bride was returning from a business trip and of course, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. Go figure. Tired as she was, she got out her notepad and went to work, listening to everything Keith said and writing down notes as we went along. She swirled, sniffed and sipped. She contemplated and then, marked her answers. We don’t collaborate, so our results are completely our own.

The whites, were actually pretty straight forward, though I could see where the first one might trip up folks on the country of origin. When it came to the reds, the first was a bit shut down on the nose, but as it warmed the clues began to emerge. It was the second red which was not only my favorite, but my downfall as well. The third was fairly straight forward, though it could have easily been mistaken for another of the choices.

For whites, we had the following five grapes as our selections:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Gris / Grigio
• Riesling
• Viognier

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• New Zealand
• France
• Italy
• Germany

White Wine #1 (reception wine): The wine was a bit shut down for me, so my first thought was Pinot Grigio, but I wasn’t 100% sure since it was fairly cool at service. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of hourly parking at the airport and then sitting in traffic, not to mention having not eaten much that day. Eventually, the fairly simple citrus pointed to Pinot Grigio from Italy. 2008 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio $13.98

White Wine #2: Brighter than the first wine, with more white citrus than anything. It tasted sort of lemony to me at first, but eventually more like grapefruit, which of course marked Sauvignon blanc. There wasn’t any real grass or sweet hay notes, so I eliminated California / Oregon. It wasn’t super over the top either, so I got rid of New Zealand. That left France (Germany doesn’t make it and Italy wouldn’t be a good country for a typical SB), though for me it wasn’t obviously Loire Valley since I didn’t get as much minerality as I would expect. If I’d been doing this without choices, I’d have probably gone South African. Turns out, the 2008 Domaine Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) was from Cotes de Gascogne.

White Wine #3: The slam dunk of the night, as a couple inches from the glass and my brain went “OAK MONSTER!”. Yes, a California Chardonnay with plenty of sweet oak, but lacking any real fruit flavor. Nice for those who like this style. 2008 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay $13.98.

White Wine #4: Hello German Riesling. Again, this was a slam dunk for me, as I’d have to say that when it comes to still white wines, German Rieslings are my favorite. This was a mouthful of stone fruits, with a touch of slate and just the slightest bit of residual sugar. It was also the favorite of the crowd, with probably 80+% of folks saying it was their favorite. This continues the streak of every single blind tasting event I’ve attended where Riesling was the crowd favorite. Yet, they still languish on shelves. Pity that. This gem of a wine retails for $10.99 and as Keith suggested, you can drink this and mow the grass at the same time. Slammin’ good idea. 2006 GR8 Riesling $10.99.

Now came the more challenging reds. Our five grape choices were:

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Spain

Red wine #1: A bit reticent, but this eventually opened up and gave plenty of clues as to the grape and origin. It smelled of Sangiovese at first, but it seemed a bit more fruit driven than what I’d expect from a Chianti. Plus, I didn’t get a lot of that leather, bark note which is the classic marker for me. After about five minutes, those notes emerged and I went straight for the correct answer. 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico $18.99.

Red wine #2: I missed this one. It was bright, juicy and full of crunch red berry fruits, with a touch of earthiness and loads of bouncy acidity. I kept thinking, Grenache or Pinot Noir. I tossed it about and just went with Spanish Grenache, which turned out to be my undoing for the night, as this was the one wine I got wrong. It was my favorite wine of the night and once again, convinces me that if you want to drink Pinot Noir for under $20, you should be checking out the wines from New Zealand. I’m starting to see more of them available and I hope you’ll try this one. 2009 Over the Edge Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand) $16.99.

Red wine #3: Slam dunk again, as this had the dark black currant fruit and touch of tannic bite that I come to expect from Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess I could see where one might guess Merlot, but in the $20 and under price range (which we knew all the wines fell into), I’ve never tasted a Merlot that wasn’t creamy and velvety soft. 2008 Villa San Juliette (Paso Robles, CA) Cabernet Sauvignon was $14.99.

The answer sheets were turned in, the scores were tallied and the winner was announced. It was a gentleman whom I didn’t recognize and he got every possible answer right, except for the country of origin on the Pinot Noir. I think I neglected to mention, but the grape variety was worth 1 point, the country of origin 2 points, but it only counted if you got the grape right as well. Keith then went through all the wines one by one. The audience cheered and groaned with each reveal, until we were finally done and wait a minute, we had a RECOUNT!

My defending Champion wife had written down her answers and she had 100% of them right. Somehow, a mistake had been made. As it turns out, our sheets (I’m not sure if anyone else got missed) hadn’t been tallied. We had handed in ours first and I think they got put down where they got overlooked. A simple error that was then corrected.

So, not only is my wife now the FIRST EVER two time Blind Tasting Champion at Hinton’s, she is also the first person to get all the answers correct. I think two others have gotten everything right except one country. As for me, in case you weren’t paying attention above, I got everything right except for the Pinot Noir, which like I said, I mistook for a Spanish Grenache.

A grand time and congratulations to my @AtlantaWineGal.

Cupcake Vineyards

Adam Richardson’s first love is flying, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Before he became a winemaker, he was a lieutenant aviator in the Royal Australian Navy. He flew helicopter search and rescue missions for 8 years before making a dramatic change in careers, entering the world of the vine.

“You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”.

I had the pleasure of meeting this true flying winemaker for dinner at one of Atlanta’s finest new restaurants, Miller Union. Adam is the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, which is a part of the larger Underdog Wine Merchants organization. We enjoyed 9 different wines, along with great food during all three courses of our meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: The meal and wines were all covered by the winery, so I had to pay for nothing.

First, let’s talk about some of the highlights from our conversation.

Least favorite varieties to work with: Merlot and Pinot Noir. My wife was a bit taken aback by his lack of appreciation for Pinot Noir. We got to talking about it and he did say he loved (to drink) a good Burgundy, but that it could quite frustrating to really find those that really moved you.

Favorite variety to work with: Shiraz. He commented that his answer might seem obvious, being it is a major grape in his homeland, but he said that wasn’t the real reason. He felt Shiraz was a grape you could generally always make a good wine with, but that to make a distinctive, unique wine was a much more challenging task. It was finding that distinct voice which made it his favorite grape to work with.

Favorite wine to drink: Outside of his own wines, it was Barbaresco. His answer took me aback, as it wasn’t something I really expected. He said he was a big fan of German Rieslings as well, but when it came down to it, Barbaresco was his absolute favorite and it yielded my favorite quote of the evening, “You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”. I thought this was a great way to describe the passion for a particular wine and it is one I feel like many Burgundy fans could identify with.

Worst thing he’s ever eaten: Adam is an enthusiastic cook whose favorite cook book is [AMAZON affiliate link] The French Laundry Cookbook. Not exactly lightweight stuff there. The answer to the question was lamprey eels that had been boiled in their own blood. He said it was as disgusting as it sounded. As for an unusual thing he’d eaten that he did enjoy, it was drunken prawns.

Approach to winemaking for Cupcake: In our conversation, I think I’d say Adam is shooting for a broad audience, but without making wines geared only for newbies. He wants to make balanced wines which exhibit typicity for their region and grape. His personal affinity for European wines and understanding of the US market make him well equipped to pull off his aim of creating value wines that wine drinkers of all experiences can enjoy.

Overall, I got the impression that Adam was quite a fan of food and wine, especially when you consider he is responsible for making wines on four continents and continues to add new wines to the portfolio. At this point in time, the Cupcake brand alone has 12 different wines, with more coming this Fall. From a business point of view, the brand is easy to remember and hints towards a more fruit driven style.

Here are quick notes on all the wines we tasted:

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) 12.5% alcohol: As before, this was a very nice balanced approach to the grape, which can often exhibit overwhelming grapefruit and herbaceous character. This wine weaves together grapefruit, pear and sweet lemon flavors that make it suitable for drinking alone or with seafood, be it raw, grilled or sautéed.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio (D.O.C. Trentino, Italy) 13% alcohol: So, the wine world used to be pretty crazy for this grape, which I often found to be more akin to lemon water as the mass market producers tend to make it. This was actually pretty good and while I’d not personally run out to buy it, I’d have no issue with recommending this as a solid example of the grape.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Mosel Valley, Germany) 10.5% alcohol: We had a nice chat about German Rieslings and how they are becoming an endangered species in the wine world, as the vineyards are hard to work and many of the younger generation have no desire to work the land. At this price point, you have a nice wine that exhibits stone fruit and citrus, but lacked the punch of slate and overall flavor that I so enjoy from this region’s wines. I think you can do better with other choices.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington) 13.2% alcohol: Creamier and drier than the German wine, I found this more to my liking. It just required the right food, which we weren’t really having and honestly, we sort of rushed through the two Rieslings and the next wine, as our entrees had arrived and we were eager to get to the whites. I’ve got a sample bottle of this in the fridge and think I may try it with some veggie spring rolls.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California) 14% alcohol: Well made, with a nice balance to the oak and fruit flavors. The oak shows some character in the buttery vanilla nose, but the palate exhibits some nice tropical fruit flavors and I felt this was well made, though I don’t know if the world needs another $10 Chardonnay. This strikes a nice balance between the classic butter bomb Cali-style and the surging popularity of un-oaked wines. California Chardonnay fans will enjoy.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot (Central Coast, California) 13.9% alcohol: Juicy, but lacking any real character and was just sort of there. My least favorite wine of the night.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.5% alcohol: Starts off with a great smoky leather aroma that lays over the black fruits, which make their presence known once you get this lovely drop in your mouth. I liked the sort of restraint this wine shows, as I’ve been finding so many Malbecs of late to be over ripened fruit bombs that are one trick ponies. This went really well with my NY strip, which was cooked to a perfect rare. (Thank you Miller Union!). This was my favorite wine of the night and something I’d buy.

Overall, the Cupcake brand is off to a fairly good start. They have an easy to remember name, no critters or low-brow marketing, an appealing price point and cover most of the major grapes. I had my favorites, as any wine drinker will, but it wasn’t like I found any of the wines undrinkable. Those I didn’t care for (Merlot and German Riesling) weren’t bad, I’ve just had better for the money.

A big thanks to Adam for taking the time to meet with me and my wife, we really enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Lucien Albrecht

When you work wine retail, there are several  comments you’ll hear repeatedly from your customers. These are your opportunities to educate and expand palates. One of the most typical was the comment regarding my recommendations for Riesling, which was often right around Thanksgiving, or if someone wants something to pair with spicy pan-Asian cuisine.

Can you guess what the comment was?

“Rieslings are too sweet.”

To quote one of my favorite sages of childhood, Col. Potter, “horse pucky!”

Okay, so I didn’t actually say that, but I did think it. I would explain to people that while yes, most Rieslings from Germany and many we produce right here in the good ol’ USA are a touch sweet, there were bone dry examples readily available from Australia and Alsace. Al-who?

Alsace, the region of France which borders Germany and has often been under German control. That would explain why so many of the wine makers there have German sounding names (the same goes for Champagne, which isn’t too far away).

So, when I was invited to attend a lunch featuring wines from Lucien Albrecht, a top producer of the region, I was more than happy to say yes. Of course, I will have to say that our venue of choice was a bit surprising (Chops), because I wouldn’t associate wines from this region as being those that pair well with steak. As it turns out, we had no red meat served to us. C’est la vie.

First up was a wine I’d already had (and enjoyed) at the Toast of the Town event back in April. It was the 2008 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Reserve. I found the same zippy tang of lime juice with generous mineral components that I did back then. A solid value and a perfect introduction to dry style Riesling without breaking the bank.

Up next, to accompany our corn meal encrusted diver scallop with arugula and creole remoulade was the NV Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé Cremant, a sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir. A delicate, but flavorful melange of red fruits that was soft on the palate and complimented the spice in the dish. It would have been better if my scallop had been done all the way through, but since I was the only one not served on time, I didn’t send it back. Hey, I eat sushi and raw oysters, so a 3/4 done scallop is not going to scare me. Overall, a very nice wine for the $19.99 retail I’ve seen it for.

The next course was chicken vesuvio with whipped potatoes, green beans and natural jus. Okay, before I get into the three wines we were served with this course, I have to say this was the second best (next to my wife’s roasted chicken) chicken dish I’ve ever had.* It was perfectly cooked and so juicy, you didn’t even need the jus, though I’m never one to let that simple delight go to waste. If I’d been at home, I’d have sopped it up with bread, but manners won and I just dipped my chicken in it like I was supposed to. Stupid food rules.

The three wines were all from the 2007 vintage. One thing I need to point out is that I drank them in the order they were presented in the booklet, not the usual left to right order in which they were poured (yes, one glass for each wine). That probably means I drank them in the “wrong” order, which I realized when I started, but I wanted to see what would happen. Based on what I heard from other attendees (20+ of us), I think the order I tried them gave me a different opinion. It was a test of context, something I really believe is overlooked in most blogging review sites, be they food or wine.

the menu

First up, I tasted the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie. Like Julius Erving (or Michael Jordan for those less sports inclined), the aromatics were highly elevated and delivered strong in the finish. The classic lychee was coupled with a spice infused honey. It was creamy, almost as if honey had been stirred into the wine. Part of this is just the grape, with the addition of aging this wine “sur lie”. Sur lie = leaving the wine to age with the dead yeast cells, which add body and with time, bread or yeasty notes. While it totally overwhelmed the food (and the next two wines for me), this would be an awesome wine with Indian cuisine. While the rule guideline suggestion of pairing wines with their local cuisine does usually work, this is one of those pairings that just simply works even if the cuisine comes from a place with no real wine culture to speak of (though it is burgeoning at the moment). This was my favorite wine…by far.

Next up was the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile, which seemed to be a favorite with the chicken amongst those seated around me. For me, it was reticent and just blown over by the previous wine. See, there goes that whole context thing again. Later on, as I let the wines sit, drank some water and let my palate rest, I did try this in the “correct” order and got more out of it. While I didn’t get any of the spice or rosewater (winery tasting note), it was a nice wine with pear and apple notes that just didn’t grab me. Honestly, there is only one Pinot Gris that does, so I guess I need to explore these wines more to find some new ones to love. My least favorite wine and one I (though I was probably the only non-fan) wouldn’t buy.

Last, I had the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Riesling Cuvée Henri. More subdued than the first Riesling, this was cut more from the fabric of stone fruit and touches of green herbs. A wine that showed better the warmer it got, I liked this, but still found the first Riesling to be my preference for drinking. I like bold flavors, I will not deny.

The Pinot Noir was up next. You read that right, Pinot Noir from Alsace. I’d never heard of such a thing, associating the region with pretty much only the white grapes we’d had (and Pinot Blanc, which wasn’t invited to the party). The 2005 Lucien Albrecht Amplus Pinot Noir had a darker than expected color, but still fell in line with what one might expect from Pinot Noir grown in a relatively cool climate. Smoked sour cherries laced with vanilla and wrapped up in a tobacco leaf. Take that and store it inside a leather lined pouch, let it sit for a few hours and that is what this wine tasted like. Subtle, refined and definitely for fans of Burgundy, a place where I’ve yet to make camp. I don’t know the price, but it may have some appeal to those who prefer this style. If for no other reason, to say you have tried Pinot Noir from Alsace. Well crafted, just not my personal preference. I’d say it was above average in quality. The cheese and wine jelly it was served with completely hollowed how the wine, so everyone agreed it needed different food and to be evaluated after a palate cleansing slug of water.

To finish, we were treated to the 2007 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives (VT = late harvest in French), paired with apricot and chantilly creme crèpes. When it comes to late harvest wines (my personal favorite category and overall second only to Champagne), I usually go with blue cheese of some sorts. The wine itself was still very fat and young, requiring many years in the cellar to reveal the true character that lies within. Loaded with lychee, honey and vanilla toasted spices, the acidity takes a few moments to dig out from the sugar and refresh the palate. An above average wine, but you’ll need to cellar this for a while before it can be called outstanding.

To conclude (finally), I’d put the wines in this order:

1. Gewurztraminer Cuvée Marie
2. Brut Rosé Cremant
3. Riesling Reserve
4. Vendanges Tardive
5. Amplus Pinot Noir
6. Riesling Cuvée Henri
7. Pinot Gris Cuvée Cécile (I think I may have been the only one with this opinion…c’est la vie)

Overall, this was a really nice tasting, though I think a few different choices in food pairings would have made the wines shine a bit more. Lucien Albrecht is a quality producer and a label name you can trust to deliver quality wine, you just have to find the one that suits your palate best.

Thank you very much to Pasternak Wine Imports for including me as a guest.

* That didn’t involve frying, which is like being a veteran when applying for government jobs, it just comes with well deserved and earned bonus points.

Birdman / Big House White / Big House Red / The Lineup

About a week ago, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to dinner [FULL DISCLOSURE: Dinner and wine were provided for by the winery, so I spent nothing.] with the wine maker in charge of Big House, Georgetta Dane. Georgetta has an interesting story, one which embodies the American dream of making for a better life.

She was born in Romania and came to this country 11 years ago via a lottery where her husband was selected to receive a U.S. visa. They didn’t speak the language, but took the chance, packed up and moved to America. I don’t know the exact history of her career, but she did mention she was at Kendall-Jackson before getting the opportunity to take over the reigns of Big House.

One thing I found really fascinating was her comparison of winemaker to perfume maker. As someone who was a smell-ophile before getting into wine, I was curious for her to expound on this statement. She said with the number of varieties in the Big House brands, she had many notes to work with. She said she worked like a perfumer, establishing a base note with heavier grapes like Tannat and Petite Sirah, then added the heart notes with many of the traditional Italian grapes, finishing with bright and aromatic grapes for the top notes. I wonder if there are any other wine makers with a similar philosophy?

Big House is the label that was once owned by Randall Grahm, who sold it in 2006 to focus on more vin de terroir, a departure from the strategy of building brands and making wine like a negociant (one who purchases grapes or finished wine, then sells it…there is a lot of this, especially in the more value priced categories). Randall is an icon of the industry and if you want to get a great sense of who he is and what he is currently up to, check out these vids of him on Gary V’s show WLTV.

What is unique, besides the names and concept of the brand, is the number of varietals used in making the blended wines, Big House White and Red. [NOTE: There was a pink, but due to sluggish sales, it looks like there won't be one any more. That would be a shame as it is one of the best values in domestic rosé.] Big House Red contains 13 different grapes, the white has 4 and last year’s pink had 8.

Before I get into the wines, a quick word about our restaurant, Abbatoir. We started with the cheese sampler and two of the “Food in a Jar” selections. Our selections were the potted chicken liver with foie gras and duck rillettes. Both were nice ways to start the meal, though I’d probably switch to something lighter or skip the appetizers next time, as this is some heavy duty food. Our cheese plate was a small sampling of four, with the bleu des basques being my favorite. My second was the one that came with the honey comb, though I don’t remember which it was. You could always ask them for that one, as each cheese comes with an appropriate accoutrement. For dinner, I had the local pork sampler, which included a full sized chop, a healthy portion of tenderloin and a nice square of belly. It was decadent and a very healthy portion, easily something two could share, though you may want extra belly since that stuff is hard to share. The finish was an assortment of desserts, with the standout for me being the maple bacon beignets. Sweet, salty and smoky make for a great combination and I’d recommend stopping by just to try these. They are that good.

So, onto the wines. I didn’t take real detailed notes, so these are going to be short and sweet.

2009 Big House White – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of 56% Malvasia Bianca, 22% Muscat Canelli, 18% Viognier and 4% Rousanne, this wine is patterned after whites from the Friuli region of Italy. It was crisp and clean, with nice fruit flavors that were largely melon in tone. I found this version inferior to the amazing 2008, but still a good bottle of wine to have with summer fare like salads or fish.

2009 Big House Birdman Pinot Grigio – estimated retail $14.99: A blend of 82% Pinot Grigio, 8% Malvasia, 3% Muscat Canelli, 2% Vigonier and 5% other, I found this was the better of the two whites. I found it to have a bit more balance and fruit than the Big House White, with a smoother and longer finish. I’m not sure if it is worth the $5 more, but if you find it for $12 or so, it would be a nice selection instead of the usual plonk I find coming out of Italy in this price range.

2008 Big House Red – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of…hold on to your hats…26% Syrah, 13% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepulciano, 7% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Aglianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d’Avola, 4% Sagrentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petite Verdot. I forgot to ask and now I wonder, how many different blends does Georgetta try before she comes up with her final answer. I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle, as I’ve NEVER been a fan in the past. Granted, I think I’ve only had it three times and one time of each vintage, but it has always struck me as a disjointed effort with no cohesive direction. I’m not saying this is great, but for me, it was an improvement. You could really smell the Italian varieties in the nose, but the palate was a bit more spicy and fruity than I remember. Good wine to have with burgers or BBQ.

2007 Big House The Lineup GSM – estimated retail $14.99: 43.8% Grenache, 41.4% Syrah and 14.8% Mourvedre, a lightweight tribute to the wines of the southern Rhone. I found this to be a bit light and lacking in all categories, but I also note that this probably should have been consumed first in the reds. Not recommended.

Cardinal Zin / Prodigal Son / The Slammer

2007 Big House The Slammer Syrah – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Syrah, this was also a tad lighter than one might expect given the varietal. I think I was the one least enamored with this one. Just not my cup of tea.

2006 Big House The Prodigal Son – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Petite sirah, this was my favorite wine of the evening. Full of dark fruit, chocolate and spice, this wine begs for bloody red meat fresh off the grill. While still not quite as good a value as the Bogle Petite Sirah, this makes a nice alternative to other BBQ wines and for the money, shouldn’t disappoint anyone.

2007 Cardinal Zin – estimated retail $19.99: Honestly, I only tried a little bit of this and found it to be okay, but I think you can do better for the money with other choices. Nothing bad about the wine, it just didn’t stand out like the Prodigal Son. Not recommended.

So, there are my recollections, thoughts, remembrances. Overall, I think the whites are both solid, the Big House Red has improved and the Petite sirah is the big winner amongst the “upper cell block” (aka pricier wines with names) series. As always, let your palate guide you to where you want to go and take everything me and every other wine reviewer (professional, amateur and semi-pro) say with a big old lick of salt, as your mileage will vary.

Cheers,
Kevin

This will be the third time…or is it the second?…no matter…that I’ve had this wine. The last time I had it, it was the best white wine I’d had all year. I don’t really drink a lot of white wines, preferring reds in general. When I spotted this bottle, I made an impulse purchase based on previous experience, as Keith hadn’t tried it yet.

Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape, just with slightly different names. As with Syrah and Shiraz, you tend to see it used in certain places more often under one label than the other. In Italy and California, you are more likely to see it called Pinot Grigo. In Alsace (France) and Oregon, you are more likely to see it labeled as Pinot Gris. I will say that the Italian Pinot Grigios I’ve sampled are all relatively simple, very quaffable wines. There are some really outstanding ones as well, but they are north of $30 a bottle and I never had any customers interested in anything more premium than Santa Margherita. Me, I tend to stick to Pinot Gris from Oregon. I love their classic apple and pear aromatics and flavors. They remind me of Fall and the turning of the leaves, especially when you see a swath of gold colors across a broad expanse.

Sineann Winery is a small producer of some very high quality wines, including several vineyard designate Pinot Noirs, an Old Vine Zinfandel from 100 year old vines located in Washington (I’m dying to try this!) and a dessert wine called The Precious, with 50% residual sugar! Talk about sugar coma. There are many other wines and while none of them are cheap, I think anything that Peter Rosback makes is probably worth considering. One other cool thing is that all the wines are sealed with glass stoppers. You can see it in the bottom right corner of the photo. Most of the wines will range from the mid $30s to the $50s? I’ve seen a few at Ansley Wine Merchant for those ITP.

Price: $19.99

Bought at: Hinton’s Wine Store

Aromas: It was full of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples, with a strong base of minerals providing a bit more interest. I didn’t get as much pear as I remember in the past.

Flavors: Repeating the nose, it had lots of apples, along with the support of minerals. It reminded me of wet stones, but not like slate, sort of like something you might smell at a mountain river. There was also a hint of under-ripe peach and sour pineapple.It was a creamy wine and finished with a good bit of acidity.

Final word: I really enjoyed this wine, but can’t quite bring myself to call it outstanding. I’ll stick with an above average rating. I liked the extra layer this had and while it wasn’t the best match with dinner, I’d definitely drink this again. I’d suggest pairing it with firm white fish preparations and shellfish. I think the winery suggested sushi, but it would almost be heresy in our house to have sushi without bubbles.

Haiku:
Gold and green apple
Underlying river stones
Vibrant clean finish

UPDATE: I just noticed today, 09/14/09, this wine was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best Wines Under $20. I totally agree. Click here to read what they had to say.