Category Archives: Whites
Palmer Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer – Pear in a Bottle
A couple weeks ago, we were in the Hamptons and picked up a bottle of the Palmer Gewurztraminer at Cork & Jug Liquors in Hampton Bays. This Gewurz (pronounced gev-ertz) is really more of a spiced pear like nutmeg spiced, not spicy like tabasco. It’s a bit sweet too, so it’s good on its own and also stands up nicely to food as well. Palmer is a vineyard in the North Fork of Long Island, so this is truly a local find.
Courtney Benham 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc – Crisp, Versatile and Ready for Summer @LegendaryNapa
This Sauvignon Blanc fron Napa Valley is a crisp, grapefruit without the overt grassy-ness that can often come with Sau Blanc. I thought there were some tropical, maybe papaya undertones as well. This is a great summer wine (and a reasonable one too)!
Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling Trocken 2009 – A dry Riesling
My mom carried this wonderfully crisp Riesling back from her visit to Germany last month and it was a treat. Many are used to finding Riesling here to be more akin to apple juice. This Wine Spectator Top 100 pick for 2010 doesn’t disappoint. It has a base minerality and crisp citrus notes finished with a bit of honey. I really liked it; I guess I’ll have to go to Germany for my next bottle.
Frog’s Leap La Grenouille Rouganté ~ Napa Valley 2010 Pink @LegendaryNapa
While it doesn’t sound like it, this is a Napa Valley product from Frog’s Leap. This interesting mix of 61% Zinfandel 39% Valdiguie provides a floral, berry and crisp profile which is perfect for May in Philadelphia. This is available in the PA State Store.
Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2008 Prinz Von Hessen
Many believe that as spring arrives, it becomes white wine season. I’m split on the matter as I enjoy a solid white year-round, but my wife leans more towards whites in warm weather and who am I to object? I really like Riesling and this Prinz Von Hessen German Kabinett is a low alcohol (11.5%) rather dry (as Riesling goes) offering. It has the traditional apple flavor, but not in an overt, sweet manner. Rather, it’s restrained and balanced with a bit of citrus and minerality. This works well with food and without. Enjoy!
Highflyer Grenache Blanc 2008: It’s White Wine Season @SomerstonWineCo
This is a rare Grenache Blanc from one of my favorite wine regions: the Napa Valley. It features a fresh peach complimented with a firm white pepper finish. Enjoy this as we welcome the warm weather and spring. Cheers.
2009 Russian River Sauvignon Blanc: Lemon-Lime and Crisp (and amazing with licorice) @HannaWinery
I first tasted Hanna’s wine at Press Club in San Francisco; it’s a great wine bar in the ‘basement’ of the Four Seasons. So, from that experience, I knew about their quality. This Sau Blanc is traditionally crisp with lemon and lime flavors that are perfect for spring.
What I didn’t expect, and found by complete coincidence was the pairing of this wine with black licorice. I picked up some Panda natural licorice at whole foods and had some for dessert while I still had a bit of this wine left. The creaminess of the licorice and the anise was a perfect compliment to the crispness of the wine. If you like licorice and Sau Blanc, give it a shot and let me know what you think.
2009 Honig Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford: Delightful! @Honigwine
The people at Honig Winery are wonderful and their 2009 Rutherford Sau Blanc is a product of some serious skills. This reserve sau blanc, available only at the winery )which we visited on our last Napa trip) is wonderful. In the hope of ushering in some warm spring weather, we enjoyed this Sau Blanc last night. I found it to be a delightful combination of citrus, honey and a bit of apple on the nose. Unfortunately, the spring hopes have yet to be realized as it’s still 35 degrees outside and flurries are in the forecast.
Erath Pinot Gris 2008 @erathwinery – A little fruity, and crisp too
As some may know, Pinot Gris is the same grape as the Pinot Grigio grown in Italy. For some reason, in my opinion, the Pinot Gris grown in Oregon is much more enjoyable. It’s either it’s relative crispness or maybe the overall flavor – either way, I like it more. With that said, this Erath Pinot Gris is a great example of the Oregon product. It’s a bit citrusy and light as well – it went well with our roasted mushroom risotto last night (more to come on that soon).
J Vineyards Pinot Gris Russian River Valley 2008
We enjoyed this crisp, yet full J Pinot Gris tonight with some homemade chicken dijon and baked sweet potato fries. The Pinot Gris had a crisp grapefruit balanced by honeydew and mineral on the finish. This feels like a great summer evening wine. While it’s still warm, but you don’t want overly light. This was a chairman’s selection for those in PA and can still be grabbed for a nice discount off the $20 retail.
