Browse Tag

white

Albrecht 2005 Riesling “Réserve” (Alsace) – Classic, firm, steel-driven riesling with a surplus of ripe green apple acidity. Which is good as far as it goes. Except that the nose is a little thin, and the finish is a lot shorter than one would want. It takes some air to develop, and deserves that time, but it does not rise above its calling. (Then again, it’s probably not meant to.) This is the riesling that goes in the pot (and in the cook) while waiting for the somewhat more serious example to appear at the table. (11/07)

[label]Woodward Canyon 2006 “Dry” Riesling (Columbia Valley) – Ripe honeydew melon and honeysuckle with fig and Golden Delicious apple. Despite the label, it doesn’t taste entirely dry, but that could be a mere inference from the extremely ripe, almost boisterous palate. There’s a touch of heat on the nose, but otherwise this manages to pair intensity and balance fairly well. It is big, however. (9/07)

[bottles]DeLille 2006 “Chaleur Estate” Blanc (Columbia Valley) – 61% sauvignon blanc, 39% sémillon. Fig, peach rind and dried yeast, with pit bitterness and lurid nut oils drizzled over the top. Far too thick, and (blessedly?) short. (9/07)

[bottles]San Juan 2006 Siegerrebe (San Juan Island) – Even though the winery is perfectly entitled to use the name of its geographical location, there’s just something…I don’t know, jarring…about seeing “San Juan” on a wine from the Pacific Northwest. Well, whatever, let’s get back to the important stuff. Green elements (gooseberry, asparagus) vie with spice here, and there’s no lack of acidity. Beautifully weird. Or weirdly beautiful. Certainly not a crowd-pleaser, though I’m not sure why that’s important. (9/07)

[bottles]O S Winery 2006 Riesling Champoux (Horse Heaven Hills) – Extremely dry, showing Makrut lime, candied ginger and an aluminum core. Long, with dominant structure, but there’s a worrisome Styrofoam element to the finish. (9/07)

[vineyard]Columbia Winery 2006 Viognier (Yakima Valley) – Light aromatics at first, followed by a thoroughly hollow midpalate. The finish is classic and varietally true to its peach flower/honeysuckle destiny, but there’s just not much else to enjoy here. (9/07)

[vineyard]Abeja 2005 Chardonnay (Washington) – Smoky and very ripe, with cantaloupe and Calimyrna fig. Quite woody, though there seem to be pleasant enough materials underneath. The finish is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, which is unfortunately par for the course with such wines. (9/07)

[label]Di Stefano 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley) – 92% sauvignon blanc, 8% sémillon. Fig, cucumber and white rose. Round and ripe, with good acidity, yet it also seems softened…normally, I’d guess with a tiny bit of aging in wood, but that doesn’t seem otherwise indicated here. Pretty nice. (9/07)

No Mussbacher, no fuss

[bottle]Müller-Catoir 1990 Mussbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese 98 91 (Rheinpfalz) – Big fun, though it’s particular enough that it’s not for everyone. Bronzed cream dominates, with somewhat riotous exotic herbs floating about on top, and a palate that seems like it should be more sugary than it actually is. Drink up. (10/07)

Dona, dona, dona

[vine]Martínez Serantes “Dona Rosa” 2004 Rias Baixas Albariño (Northwest Spain) – Juicy semi-tropical fruit through gauze, lemon verbena and a sort of indifferent, meandering structure and form. It’s pleasant, but don’t ask it for anything else. (10/07)