Sauvignon Blancs – a sense of place

St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Napa Valley          $19.99       90 pts

My tasting partner recently ‘semi retired’ from his real job (not his tasting job with me) and is now only working 60 hours/week as compared to the 80 hours/week he had been working.  Since he has so much ‘free time’, he started teaching graduate students at our local university, and has invited them to join us in a wine tasting at our home.  We have decided to compare Sauvignon Blancs from 3 different geographic regions - Europe (France), America (California) and Oceania (New Zealand).  We know each region has a sense of place (or terroir) in their wine, but this concept struck home during a recent vacation.  While we were at dinner one night, my tasting partner and I each ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, mine from California and his from New Zealand.  The wines reflected what we thought- the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was herbaceous and the California Sauvignon Blanc was fruitier with citrus undertones.  Our server, who was excited about our tasting, offered us a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from France saying he could always tell the geographic region a Sauvignon Blanc came from.  The French Sauvignon Blanc had a more mineral taste, and yes, each wine was distinctive and unique.  We decided this would be a good theme for a wine tasting, especially for novice palates. 

I purchased these wines at a national discount beverages and more store.  The first wine we tasted was St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Napa Valley.  It has 13.7% alcohol and was $19.99.  My tasting partner and I noticed the fresh fruit on the nose, and the melon and grapefruit on the palate.   It is a bright, crisp wine and demonstrates the melon and fruit commonly found in California Sauvignon Blancs. 

An Interesting White Wine that I Missed

My tasting partner received a good tip on a white wine, TJ’s Petit Reserve Semillon 2011.  I did not taste any wines for this blog during the summer, so I unfortunately missed this wine which is available during the spring and summer months from TJ’s, a chain of grocery stores.  It is bottled in Napa Valley, is 13.5% alcohol and only $5.99.  The Semillon grape is a white grape and is commonly blended with Savignon blanc and Muscadelle.  It is also used in the production of sweet wines such as Sauternes.  In this offering, the Semillon grape stands alone.  On the nose, we detected hints of grapefruit and lychee nut.  It is light and refreshing on the palate, subtle and well balanced.  We missed this wine all summer but hope to find the 2012 vintage next year.

TJ’s Petit Reserve Semillon 2011    $5.99         91 pts

A Lovely Chardonnay

It’s been a while since last I posted, but I felt compelled to mention a lovely chardonnay that I happened upon at a big box store that we tried over the weekend.  It has been hot here, and we wanted a crisp white wine to enjoy as we sat outside.  We tried an Artessa Carneros Chardonnay 2010 that is a refreshing chardonnay tasting of white pear, green apples and a hint of oak.  Artessa Winery is located in the Carneros region of Napa, which is north of San Pablo Bay.  The wine was priced at $13.39 (at the big box store) with 14.3% alcohol.  It had a nice finish and was enjoyed by my tasting partner and also friends of ours who were visiting. 

ARTESSA CARNEROS CHARDONNAY 2010   $13.39              92 pts

Malbec

We recently tasted a Malbec wine purchased from a Natural and Organic Food Store.  It was a Kaiken Malbec 2009 from Mendoza, Argentina for $12.99 with 14.5% alcohol.  Malbecs are known for their dark red or violet color.  We noted black fruit on the nose with a hint of vanilla, followed by the same black fruit on the palate.  There was some mid palate chalkiness or a leathery taste which my tasting partner finds to be common in Malbecs.  It was a balanced wine a decent finish with some tannins.  We found it to be a good everyday table wine.

Kaiken Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Argentina          $12.99              90-92 pts         

Some Large Volume Pinot Noirs

We had the pleasure of tasting three Pinot Noirs recently with our youngest son and his girlfriend, which was delightful.  I purchased three Pinot Noirs from our local grocery store and these wines should be available at most large chain grocery stores or wine shops.

The first was a Charles Krug, 2009 Pinot Noir from Carneros, $21.99 ($18.99 with club card) 14.4 % alcohol.  Our tasters noted the herbaceous nose, with a hint of sweetness.  We found a slight bitterness in the taste, with some mineral notes as well.  It had a medium finish, subtle tannins and was considered an easy drinking Pinot Noir by the group.

Charles Krug, 2009 Pinot Noir, Carneros $21.99 ($18.99)  91 pts

  

We also tasted a Robert Mondovi Private Selection Pinot Noir 2010, $10.49 ($6.99 club card) 13.5% alcohol.   The group decided this wine in a word was unremarkable.  The nose was closed, the taste was unremarkable and the finish was rather short.  My tasting partner said “Life is too short to drink wines like this” and the group agreed.

Robert Mondovi Private Selection Pinot Noir 2010 $10.49 ($6.99) 87 pts.

  

Finally we tasted an Artesa, 2007 Pinot Noir from Carneros, $23.99 ($17.99 with club card) 13.9% alcohol.  Our tasters thought this wine had a ‘brighter’ nose, with a bolder aroma.  There were some herbaceous notes and mild red fruit on the palate.  It had a medium to long finish.

Artesa, 2007 Pinot Noir, Carneros, $23.99 ($17.99)  91 pts.

In summary, my tasting partner and our son’s girlfriend thought the Charles Krug was the best of the night, while my son and I thought the Artesa was.

Some Large Volume Wineries

I thought I should review some wineries that have large volume production, with the idea that these wines are found in most grocery or liquor stores.  So I went to my local grocery store which is known for their large wine selections and purchased some wines.  I would also note that I have included 2 prices- the list price and then the discount price from the grocery store when you join (for free) and get their ‘club card’.  My tasting partner was up for the task.  We tasted the wines over 3 evenings, comparing 2 at a time and then switching them up on the third night.  We compared 4 Chardonnay’s- Beringer 2009, Mondavi 2010, Krug 2009 and a Barefoot 2010.

We tasted a Beringer Chardonnay 2009, $16.00 (14.1% alcohol) from Napa Valley.  It was a pale yellow in the glass with hints of citrus on the nose, and white fruits on the palate.  It was weak and had a very short finish.

Beringer Chardonnay 2009 Napa Valley    $16.99 ($12.99)        87 pts

Next was Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay, 2010, $10.49 (13.5% alcohol) also from Napa Valley.  It had a lovely golden color in the glass and little nose to speak of.   It was smooth in the mouth and a medium finish on the palate.  It had crisp flavors of citrus and white fruits and was quite enjoyable.  My tasting partner and I thought it was a very good deal.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay 2010  $10.49 ($6.99)  91 pts

The next night we tasted a Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2009, $18.99 (14.5% alcohol) from the Carneros area of California, which is north of San Pablo bay and includes both Sonoma and Napa Valley.  The cooler climate is more amenable to varietals like chardonnay and pinot noirs.  An interesting point about the Charles Krug Winery- it is the oldest winery in California and the owner, Peter Mondavi, is the brother of Robert Mondavi.  
You can read more about the Mondavi family feud here:  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/04/01/8256045/index.htm

Back to the wine.  The Krug Chardonnay was pale yellow, with citrus notes.  It was austere on the palate without much fruit.  It did exhibit a mineral taste that turned mildly bitter in the end.  It was medium bodied and with an average finish.  It tasted like the Mondavi, but not quite as good.   It lacked the smoothness in the mouth feel. 

Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2009, Carneros    $18.99 ($15.99)    89 pts

Finally, we tasted a Barefoot Chardonnay from California, $7.00 (13% alcohol) that did not have a date, but did have a Gold Medal from the 2010 San Antonio Express News Wine Competition.  It was soft and delicate on the palate, pleasant with a fruity sweetness. 

Barefoot Chardonnay (with the Gold Medal, 2010)  $7.00       88 pts

So in summary, we thought the Robert Mondavi Chardonnay was the best, followed by the Krug, Barefoot and then the Beringer. 

2 Big Box Wines

My tasting partner and I happened to be in our local big box store and he just can not pass up an opportunity to buy and try a new wine.  We did not ask for recommendations, but decided to go on our instincts and to use the reviews that were posted.  We bought 2 wines and tried them both recently.  Both were a bit of a disappointment.

First, Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola IGT Sicilia,  2008 (13.5% alcohol) which had a rating of 92 from a well known wine taster.  We took a chance on this one, since neither one of us had heard of this wine or grape.  This wine is 100% Nero d’Avola grape, which is indigenous in Sicily, Italy.   It has been compared to New World Shirazes in taste, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors.  My tasting partner and I thought it was uninteresting.  I suggested that it might be a good showing for that particular grape, but as a wine, it was just okay.

 Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola IGT Sicilia,  2008       $16.99  90 pts

Next we tried Jean Rijckaert Monthélie Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes, 2009 (13% alcohol).  Interestingly, it is labeled as a Pinot Noir even though it is made in Southern Burgundy, France.  Again, it was slightly acidic and uninteresting. 

 Jean Rijckaert Monthélie Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes, 2009    $17.99  88-90 pts