White Wine Review: Clean Slate Riesling

Too often people walk right by that section of the wine shop where all the tall and skinny green bottles are shelved — also known as “Germany” and/or “Alsace”. Those confusing-looking labels with long, unpronounceable names like “Trockenberenauslese” and “Gewurztraminer” are too intimidating for the average wine buyer. And if that description fits you, don’t feel bad — those foreign marketers could do a much better job of making it easier for you.

One importer who is doing a pretty good job of making German wine more accessible is Peter Click. Thanks goodness, because there are some wonderful white wines from Germany that would otherwise be undiscovered by the masses in the USA. For the uninitiated, allow me to enlighten you: not all German wines are “sweet”, and not all Riesling is sweet, either. In fact, many of the better wines from Germany (and Alsace, for that matter) are bone-dry, and fantastic for food pairing. Case in point: Clean Slate Riesling from Mosel, Germany. Not only is it tasty, but it’s easy to say, easy to spell, and comes in a more common-looking, clear white bottle.

Tasting Notes: Clean Slate Riesling 2007

Nose is — you guessed it — clean, with sharp, pleasant aromas of ripe granny smith apple, pear, and spice. In the mouth it is similar, with flavors of ripe, bright granny smith apple, honeydew melon, sweet pear and peach. Acidity is about medium, with a mild tartness pushing the fruit through a longer than expected and flavorful finish. Texture is creamy smooth, perhaps described as oily. It’s like biting into a fresh apple, with some fruit salad elements finding their way into your mouth as well. A refreshing quaff on its own, is also a great partner to an array of dishes — particularly spicy foods and Asian cuisine. I matched it successfully with sushi, general tsao’s chicken, shrimp fried rice, barbecued ribs, lamb rogan josh (Indian), and buffalo wings. I imagine it would be equally successful with other Indian and Chinese dishes, Thai cuisine, similarly hot and spicy foods, pork loin, pork chops, and fresh ham. Of course, it’s a no-brainer with traditional German dishes such as bratwurst, knockwurst, and weisswurst, or anything in sauerkraut or red cabbage. At $12 — in some areas closer to $10 — this is a great value. Try this on your beer-drinking friends.

a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-9 v-10 ~ 94 Points

Importer: Click Wine Group

Brand site: Clean Slate Wine

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Wine Review: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc

What’s a “pomelo”, and how do you make wine from it?

Truth is, though this wine is called “Pomelo”, it’s not made from the pomelo fruit — instead, it’s made from Sauvignon Blanc grown in Lake County, California.

From the back label:

Pomelo – Giant citrus fruit native to Malaysia and thought to be ancestor to the grapefruit.
Our Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc reminds us of the coral-pink tangy juice from a pomelo. Plus … it’s just fun to say.

I must admit, I’ve never tasted a pomelo, but it certainly is tangy. I also must admit that sometimes, I’m a sucker for a great-looking package, and this wine’s label was screaming to me to pick it off the shelf. In this case, the wine inside was every bit as fresh and appealing as it looked.

Tasting Notes: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Clean, bright aroma of green fruits — gooseberry – with some pear and lime. On the palate it is clean and refreshing, with good limey citrus fruit and touches of pear, apple, and yes, tangy pink grapefruit (I’ve never had a pomelo). Racy acidity is a good foil for the fruit. This is a typical Sauvignon from California. Enjoyable on its own as an aperitif, better with food. Drink it with pork, fish in creamy sauces, hard cheeses. A perfect wine for parties, and a crowd pleaser.

a-7 t-7 b-8 fc-9 v-8 ~ 89 Points

Website: Pomelo Wine

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White Wine Review: Antinori Bianco

Villa Antinori Toscana Bianco 2006 IGT

A few years back, Pinot Grigio replaced Chardonnay as the number-one selling white wine in the USA. As a result, prices for established, reliable Pinot Grigio skyrocketed, and a slew of unknown Pinots — of varying degrees of quality — flooded the market. The popularity of the wine became so great that many California wineries have renamed their wines made from Pinot Gris as “Pinot Grigio”. Today, there are shelves filled with that popular Italian white wine, some very good, some not so good, most of them overpriced. Which is too bad, because Pinot Grigio tends to be an easy drinking, food friendly wine.

But hey, there’s plenty more white wine flowing in Italy that tastes great, matches well with a variety of foods, and can be had at reasonable prices. One of them is this wine from Tuscany, Antinori Bianco.

This Bianco (Italian for “white”) is a blend of four grapes: Malvasia, Trebbiano, Chardonnay Toscano, and Pinot Bianco. You may have heard of some of these grapes before, as they are commonly found throughout Italy. If you are not familiar with them, don’t worry — you don’t need to know anything about them to enjoy the wine. All you need to know is that if you like Pinot Grigio, you’ll probably like this wine as well.

Tasting Notes: Antinori Bianco

Clean, simple nose of citrus and white fruit. Clean, fresh, and zesty with citrusy flavors of lime and lemon. Also touches of pear, apple, and mineral. Acidity is medium to medium-high, plenty for food matching but not too much to enjoy alone. This is a simple white that has advanced polish and a surprisingly lengthy finish. Have it as an aperitif, match it with all kinds of apps, pair it with simply broiled or lightly battered / breaded white fish, chicken breast, sushi, pork. A fine alternative to Pinot Grigio. The suggested MSRP is $12, but I’ve seen it at less than ten bucks in some stores — which makes it a great value and a good everyday drinker.

a-7 t-7 b-9 fc-10 v-8 ~ 91 Points

Website: Villa Antinori

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White Wine Review: Simi Sauvignon Blanc

Simi Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County 2007

Usually when in the wine shop, I try to pick up a bottle (or vintage) that I’ve never tasted before — to me, exploration and discovering something new is what wine drinking is all about. Once in a while, though — and often when I’m purchasing a bottle for someone else — I pick up a wine that I know well, and know I can “count on”. Most of these “staples” are always available, easy to find, match with a wide variety of dishes, a good value for the money, and most importantly, are reliable and consistent from year to year. Simi Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wine “staples” I purchase over and over.

Tasting Notes: Simi Sauvignon Blanc

Bright, clean aroma of fresh citrus – lemon, lime – and a hint of something green, such as herbal or grass. Equally clean and bright and expressive on the palate, with delicious ripe green and citrus fruit. Again, lemony and limey flavors dominate, with some pink grapefruit, herbal notes, and a touch of ginger spice. Texture is glassy smooth, almost creamy. Good acidity for food matching. Finishes with pleasant flavor and some tart apple notes. Overall an easy drinking, enjoyable white wine that doesn’t have to be ice cold and is nice by itself, and a good match for simply prepared white fish, pork, chicken, salads, veggies.

a-8 t-8 b-9 fc-9 v-7 ~ 91 Points

Website: Simi Winery

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Rubicon Estate Blancaneaux

Blancaneaux 2006

Not all high-quality white wines from Napa, California, are Chardonnay.

Never one to do the same thing everyone else is doing, pioneering filmmaker and winery owner Francis Ford Coppola chose to do something unusual with a patch of land on his Rubicon Estate — grow Rhone white varietals Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier.

The vines are grown against a shady hill on Mt. St. John in western Rutherford, Napa Valley, allowing for a relatively cool, long growing season that slowly but fully ripens the grapes. According to the French, it takes at least 8-10 years for Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier vines to begin producing high quality fruit (in fact the AOC requires a minimum of ten-year-old vines). Considering that Coppola’s team began planting these varietals in 1995, we’re just now beginning to experience the best Blancaneaux.

The “old” vines combined with an ideal growing season to produce a lush, delicious, and complex white wine. The exact recipe for you wine geeks is this: 51% Marsanne, 32% Roussanne, and 17% Viognier (no, I’m not sure why winemaker Scott McLeod chose to do 51 percent Marsanne as opposed to 50 or 52 … these things are best left to the professionals!). And unlike most other whites from Napa, this wine was not bathed in oak — in fact, it saw no oak whatsoever, as it was fermented and aged in stainless steel.

Tasting Notes: Blancaneaux 2006

A distinctly floral aroma fills the nose, along with ample white fruits and exotic spices. In the mouth you get bright, tropical fruit flavors of pear, white peach, melon, and citrus (lime?). There are also hints of ginger and allspice and a firm mineral note. Lots of charm and complexity. Texture is soft and velvety, and though the acidity is fairly low, this is by no means flabby and makes for a beautiful match with simply prepared scallops, pork, and sauteed vegetables.

a-9 t-9 b-8 fc-8 v-7 ~ 91 Points

Winery: Rubicon Estate

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Chardonnay Wine Review: Artesa

Artesa Chardonnay Reserve 2005

Once in a while when I’m in the wine shop my alligator arms reach way way down to the bottom of my pocket, where I hide my twenty dollar bills, so that I can buy an “expensive” bottle of wine. I know, I know, there are plenty of people who plunk down much more than that on a regular basis — indeed, you might be one of those who regularly have Andrew Jackson as your wine enabler.

However, I tend to be — oh, let’s call it “cash challenged” — so when I go far above $15-20 for a bottle of wine, it HAS to be worth it.

In this case, it is.

The “regular” or “Classic Tier” Chardonnay made by Artesa is more in my price range — about $12-14 depending on the retailer. And it’s a very nice bottle of wine. But the “Reserve” edition, which we review here, is much better — at least ten to fifteen dollars better.

For both wines, the grapes are from Carneros, California — and if you’re not aware, that’s a good place to grow Chardonnay. The vines bearing the grapes for this “Reserve” Chard are from the highest hills in Carneros, which means they soak up more sun than any others in the region, and therefore ripen more fully and completely. Lots of sun equals lots of flavor, and in this case, the winemaker further enhances the fruit by putting most of it through what’s called a secondary malolactic fermentation. If you’re not a geek, you don’t need to know exactly what that means — all you need to know is that it makes the wine feel fuller in the mouth, and more buttery and creamy.

In addition, they put half of the juice into new oak barrels for almost ten months, which adds a nice vanilla spice complexity. You can’t do that with just any wine or it will be dominated by a woodsy flavor. With this wine, the oak both “complements” and “compliments” the ripe fruit.

On to the tasting notes.

Tasting Notes: Artesa Chardonnay Reserve 2005

Wide open aromas of ripe pear, candied peach, apple, melon, spice, and vanilla. On the palate it is equally wide open and forward, expressing ripe pear, red delicious apple, and a creamy vanilla flavor that melts into butterscotch. Acidity is mild to medium – just enough for food matching. Texture is thick and creamy, almost heavy, just short of cloying, with a luscious mouthfeel. Overall, a yummy drinker on its own, with enough structure to enjoy with food. Drink it alone or with garlic-roasted chicken, lobster in butter, popcorn.

a-9 t-9 b-8 fc-7 v-7 ~ 90 Points

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Winery: Artesa

Sauvignon Blanc Review: Maddalena

San Antonio Winery Maddalena Sauvignon Blanc 2006

When I first saw this wine I thought, “wow, a wine from Texas!”. After all, San Antonio IS in Texas, isn’t it?

Yeah … um … sometimes I’m not so smart.

With help from my reading glasses, a closer look at the label revealed that indeed the wine was from San Antonio Winery — a winery that happens to be located in Los Angeles, California.

But there are no vineyards in LA!

Perhaps — but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a winery.

In fact, San Antonio has been a winery since 1917, and is currently owned by the Riboli family. The Ribolis own vineyards in Napa Valley and Monterey, and also source grapes from Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara; Alexander Valley, Sonoma; and San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles — which is where this wine gets its grapes.

Specifically, the Sauvignon Blanc grapes are grown in “Steinbeck Vineyard“. Before you go Grapes of Wrath on me, go check the website yourself and let me know if you find any indication that the Ernst and Steinbeck families — who own / owned the vines — are in any way related to John Ernst Steinbeck. Hmm … a mystery for another day.

We’ll get Lt. Columbo on the case … meantime, the tasting notes.

Tasting Notes: Maddalena Sauvignon Blanc

Ripe aromas of apple, pear, herb, and a hint of ginger. Similar fruit on the palate – ripe pear, peach, apple. Nice citrus flavor as well. Texture is very smooth, almost creamy. Attractive, zesty acidity makes this a good food wine. Drink it with pork, chicken, gamey fish, dishes accented by a mild cheese sauce. At about twelve bucks, this is a good value.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-7 ~ 89 Points

Winery: San Antonio / Riboli Family Wine Estates

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Sauvignon Blanc Review: Shepherds Ridge

Shepherds Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2006

I picked this up because it was cheap and brought in by Stevenot, an importer who I’ve trusted in the past. Many years ago, Stevenot introduced the USA to McGuigan Brothers wines from Australia. Much has happened since then, with McGuigan going from little-known niche brand to mass-market, Stevenot filing and then recovering from a Chapter 11 filing, and many other details that have no bearing on the review here.

Shepherds Ridge is a 650-acre estate in the Wairau Valley of New Zealand that benefits from an alluvial, mineral-rich soil that features “pea gravels” — that is, pea-sized rocks that were carried by the Pacific Ocean and allow for excellent drainage in the vineyards. Interestingly, almost half of the estate is unplanted, and left as a nature reserve. This particular wine is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown on the estate, which also happens to be in the Marlborough region. If you are slightly interested in Sauvignons from the land of kiwi, then you probably already have heard about Marlborough. If not, I can assure you it has nothing to do with cigarettes, though there might be a rough-looking cowboy atop a horse in the vineyards.

That should be enough table talke to introduce the wine to friends at your next wine and cheese property, right? On with the tasting notes.

The nose is wide open and expressive, with vibrant aromas of ripe, bright fruit – limey citrus and gooseberry in particular. The palate is similarly expressive, with a big dose of ripe lime upfront. Acidity is mild to medium. Finish is rather quick, but pleasant. Enjoy it alone, or better yet, have it with appetizers, simply prepared fish, scallops, a Greek salad, vegetarian cuisine. This is a typical representation of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a fair value at around twelve bucks.

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Chardonnay Review: Franciscan Oakville

Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage 2005

Generally speaking, I’m against the majority of California Chardonnay on the market — but not against ALL California Chards.

What bugs me is the proliferation of formulaic, oak-driven “soda-pop” Chards that taste more like Sugar Smacks than fermented grapes. The bulk of these disasters in a bottle are in the under $20 segment, but there are also a number of higher-priced Chardonnays that are flawed by too much wood.

The problems of over-oaked are 1. the wood overpowers the fruit, so you don’t taste the Chardonnay; and 2. oak doesn’t match very well with most foods. However, that doesn’t mean oak is always bad — it merely needs to be used judiciously. The key is the fruit; if the grapes produce a very rich, ripe flavor, then it can stand up to a good dose of oak and create a harmonious, delicious sipper.

One such example of a California Chardonnay with a wonderful balance of fruit and oak is Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage.

Tasting Notes: Cuvee Sauvage

Wide open, delicious smelling aroma of ripe pear, peach, banana, spicy oak, vanilla, and a hint of warm apple pie. In the mouth it has a silky, creamy, buttery texture, carrying lots of succulent ripe pear, baked apple, vanilla, honey, and oak. The oak actually runs a touch bitter, giving off some tannins, in the finish. Acidity is mild to nearly medium. On the fat and oaky side, but surprisingly not overwhelming and also not too hot in the finish. It’s almost on the sweet side, making it more of a fireplace wine than something you’d match successfully with a bevy of foods. However, it will match adequately with roasted rosemary chicken, dishes drenched with garlic, and maybe hot and spicy cuisine, where the sweetness acts as a foil against the heat. Long, elegant finish. A rich, delicious, and succulent wine to enjoy by the fire.

a-10 t-10 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 91 Points

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Thanksgiving Wine: Bastide Roussanne

Domaine de La Bastide Roussanne 2006

Importer: Weygandt-Metzler

OK, this is from France, so it doesn’t fit the American themed Thansgiving. But it’s a great wine for matching with everything on the table, and it’s different!

Tasting Notes

Nose is clean, pure ripe peach and some pear, with a spicy vanilla element. On the palate it is silky smooth, almost honeylike, with flavors of pear, peach, citrus, a bit of vanilla spice and a slight hint of mineral. Acidity is low. Citrus becomes more apparent in the finish, which is easygoing. This is a nice wine as an aperitif, and a good match for lean meats, veggies, and possibly as a counter to hot and spicy dishes. The low acidity won’t get in the way of lean turkey, and it will mesh well with most of the assorted dishes you might find on the Thanksgiving table.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-9 v-8 ~ 91 Points

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