| Summer White Wine's Tasting Report |
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With summer quickly approaching, and by the way, get ready, it
is going to be a hot one this year, we decided to do something a
little bit different. We decided to make this month's theme,
"Summer White Wines". Everyone was asked to bring one of
their favorite white wines that make excellent summer sipping
beverages. The five wines consisted of a cool crisp Sauvignon
Blanc, a wine from Oregon made from a little known grape called
"Melon", a hefty Viognier and two Chardonnays, one from
Texas and one from California.
We also decided to make a change for this tasting, something we
have never done before, and that is that we did not taste these
wines blind (brown bagged). This proved to be a huge mistake on
my part. Funny how everyone seemed to like the wine they
brought the best! I guess that is why we usually taste the wines
blind. Another big mistake made on my part was the order of the
wines in the tasting. This was actually one reason I did not want
to taste the wines blind. I felt we should go in order of the
lightest to the heaviest wine and if we had tasted them blind,
there would be no guarantee that they would have been served in
the best order. My guess on the correct order proved fatal for
the two Chardonnay wines in our tasting. I incorrectly guessed
that I should serve the Pride Viognier before them and the Pride
wine was so big and huge it completely swallowed up the more
subtle Chardonnay wines. We also served the Viognier and
Chardonnay wines too cold and that seemed to mask their
aromas and flavors at first.
So are results are somewhat flawed, but I will attest that each of
these wines would make an excellent summer sipping white wine!
is going to be a hot one this year, we decided to do something a
little bit different. We decided to make this month's theme,
"Summer White Wines". Everyone was asked to bring one of
their favorite white wines that make excellent summer sipping
beverages. The five wines consisted of a cool crisp Sauvignon
Blanc, a wine from Oregon made from a little known grape called
"Melon", a hefty Viognier and two Chardonnays, one from
Texas and one from California.
We also decided to make a change for this tasting, something we
have never done before, and that is that we did not taste these
wines blind (brown bagged). This proved to be a huge mistake on
my part. Funny how everyone seemed to like the wine they
brought the best! I guess that is why we usually taste the wines
blind. Another big mistake made on my part was the order of the
wines in the tasting. This was actually one reason I did not want
to taste the wines blind. I felt we should go in order of the
lightest to the heaviest wine and if we had tasted them blind,
there would be no guarantee that they would have been served in
the best order. My guess on the correct order proved fatal for
the two Chardonnay wines in our tasting. I incorrectly guessed
that I should serve the Pride Viognier before them and the Pride
wine was so big and huge it completely swallowed up the more
subtle Chardonnay wines. We also served the Viognier and
Chardonnay wines too cold and that seemed to mask their
aromas and flavors at first.
So are results are somewhat flawed, but I will attest that each of
these wines would make an excellent summer sipping white wine!
| Pride Mountain Vineyards 2004 Viognier - Sonoma County, C |
Impression: Not a wine to be taken
lightly! A big huge brut of a white with
enormous waves of tropical fruit like
bananas, melons and plantains. Plenty of
light oak to carry it through to the lush,
velvety finish.
Think big! In fact, it was so big, I had
trouble tasting anything else after we
tasted it. Certainly the most elegant wine
of the tasting and for a whopping $24.00
more than the next most expensive wine in
our tasting, it darn well better be! Try it
with lobster or any other shellfish. You will
be delighted.
lightly! A big huge brut of a white with
enormous waves of tropical fruit like
bananas, melons and plantains. Plenty of
light oak to carry it through to the lush,
velvety finish.
Think big! In fact, it was so big, I had
trouble tasting anything else after we
tasted it. Certainly the most elegant wine
of the tasting and for a whopping $24.00
more than the next most expensive wine in
our tasting, it darn well better be! Try it
with lobster or any other shellfish. You will
be delighted.
| About $42.00 |
| Score A- |
| Homewood Winery 2004 Chardonnay - Carneros, California |
Impression: The nose on this wine was
fairly closed and hard to describe. Vanilla
overtones, with melon accents, but
certainly not overly complex.
I was the odd man out on this wine. It did
little to impress me, but seeing as
everyone else liked it, I guess it deserved
it's high score. I think this would be a
good cheese wine. Gouda, swiss or
cheddar.
fairly closed and hard to describe. Vanilla
overtones, with melon accents, but
certainly not overly complex.
I was the odd man out on this wine. It did
little to impress me, but seeing as
everyone else liked it, I guess it deserved
it's high score. I think this would be a
good cheese wine. Gouda, swiss or
cheddar.
| Around $16.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Panther Creek 2003 Melon - Willamette Valley, Oregon |
Impression: Honeyblossom and or
honeysuckle fills your nose with a honeyed
texture on the palate that showcases lime
and honeydew melon with a stony mineral
undertone.
Hey, I thought this wine was a lot of fun!
Extremely different, more in the vain of the
Pride wine, but less overstated. It could be
tough to pin this down with food, but I bet
Asian cuisine, chicken and especially
seafood would be just fine with this wine.
honeysuckle fills your nose with a honeyed
texture on the palate that showcases lime
and honeydew melon with a stony mineral
undertone.
Hey, I thought this wine was a lot of fun!
Extremely different, more in the vain of the
Pride wine, but less overstated. It could be
tough to pin this down with food, but I bet
Asian cuisine, chicken and especially
seafood would be just fine with this wine.
| About $18.00 |
| Score B |
| Whitehaven 2005 Sauvignon Blanc - Marlborough, New Zealand |
Impression: Old familiar grapefruit, sweet
pea, melon and grassy aromas that follow
down your nose and onto the palate, crisp
and acidic, but finishing a little bitter.
Maybe this would be a better food wine
than a sipping wine. Was it good? Yes,
but the competition for Marlborough
Sauvignon Blancs is fierce and if I am
being honest, I would still rather have a
Kim Crawford or a Spy Valley for a little
less money. I think I should point out
though, that recently I had a Pinot Noir
from this estate that I would have given a
score of A- to. It was fantastic!
pea, melon and grassy aromas that follow
down your nose and onto the palate, crisp
and acidic, but finishing a little bitter.
Maybe this would be a better food wine
than a sipping wine. Was it good? Yes,
but the competition for Marlborough
Sauvignon Blancs is fierce and if I am
being honest, I would still rather have a
Kim Crawford or a Spy Valley for a little
less money. I think I should point out
though, that recently I had a Pinot Noir
from this estate that I would have given a
score of A- to. It was fantastic!
| Around $17.00 |
| Score B |
| Llano 2004 Chardonnay - Texas |
Impression: How do you like your jam?
With a little toast and butter please! To go
a long with it, how about a nice citrusy
melon and a little subtle oak charm.
Clearly the best value wine in our tasting.
The guys at Llano are head and shoulders
above all other wineries in the state of
Texas. Throw another shrimp or chicken
on the barbie and crack open a bottle of
this Chardonnay and let the good times
ride!
With a little toast and butter please! To go
a long with it, how about a nice citrusy
melon and a little subtle oak charm.
Clearly the best value wine in our tasting.
The guys at Llano are head and shoulders
above all other wineries in the state of
Texas. Throw another shrimp or chicken
on the barbie and crack open a bottle of
this Chardonnay and let the good times
ride!
| Between $9.00 and $10.00 |
| Score B |