Browse Tag

white

Banyuls Brenner

Traginer 2005 Banyuls Blanc (Roussillon) – I’m rapidly getting to the point with Banyuls that if the red isn’t brilliantly-made (which, for me, means oxidative restraint), I prefer to drink the white. That’s somewhat true at Traginer, who I think is well-capable of great reds, but more consistent with their white. Here, there’s a pretty – not overly sweet, but nicely-balanced – glass of seaside sunshine, with fresh heirloom apricot (there’s some exotic aromatics in there) and a lot of concentrated sunlight. The finish is perhaps a little shorter than one might prefer. (12/07)

Lahn work

[label]St. Michael-Eppan 2004 Sauvignon Blanc Lahn (Alto Adige) – Very intense, though the form of the intensity is somewhat mysterious. There’s plenty of volume-enhanced green fruit and grass to provide varietal character, and the wine has a pronounced clarity about it, revealing all the minerality and piercing acidity underneath. Yet the wine presents itself in discrete panes rather than a cohesive whole. Everything is, frankly, terrific, and yet it doesn’t quite come together for me. On the other hand, I feel silly criticizing a wine with so many obvious qualities. (12/07)

Gavi McLeod

[label]Ascheri 2003 Gavi (Piedmont) – Leafy and fairly simple, with salty ripe green notes, some moss, perhaps a little particulate melon. Not overblown in the manner of so many ’03s , but lacking much in the way of complexity or interest. (11/07)

Say it three times fast

[bottle]Gundlach Bundschu 2003 Gewürztraminer Rhinefarm (Sonoma Valley) – Soft but varietally true, with the fruit more in the spiced peach spectrum than the lychee/cashew realm. It drifts along pleasantly, neither demanding nor asserting, for a surprising length of time. A solid wine. (11/07)

Crossings guard

[vineyard]The Crossings 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Fine, well-managed sauvignon, with the zingy green “Marlboroughness” restrained just enough for polite company, leaving the structure and a hint of flaky minerality intact. There’s some fruit, but it’s not the soft, tropical sort that’s infecting the region’s cheaper bottlings…instead it’s crisp and green and quite fun. A good, solid wine right at the mean of the region’s style. (11/07)

Turn on the red light

[label]Tablas Creek 2003 Roussanne (Paso Robles) – This wine is always more angular than I expect given the grape and the region, though it’s capable of responding to food by a little more self-assertion. Waxy stone fruit blows around a windy desert catacomb, the tan earth etched and buffeted by a certain desiccation, yet the finish remains strong (if a very slight bit hot). A strange wine. Maybe it’s just closed? (11/07)

Also, I’d like a Poni

Poniatowski 1989 Vouvray Clos Baudoin (Loire) – Supple and wavy, showing semi-concentrated dusty wax in a hollowed-out apricot. It promises much, but in the end it doesn’t quite deliver. It’s unquestionably a pleasure to drink, with moderate sweetness well-balanced by more interesting dry elements, but it’s far from the top level. (11/07)

Sweater

[bottle]Argyle 1998 Brut (Willamette Valley) – Salt and paper (not a typo). The fizz is still fine, but the wine within is a little wan. One might charitably call it elegant, but that’d be a lot of charity. (11/07)

Sparr quality

[label]Sparr 2004 Alsace “One” (Alsace) – Good, basic Alsace spice, with pear and decent enough acidity for the mild sweetness. As reliable a party wine as you’ll ever find. (11/07)