2004 Bridlewood
Viognier, Santa Barbara
Like wine world key lime pie, this delicious thirst-quencher
is tinged with citrus and sweetness. Although there's
a little too much flavor of oak, the grape's true
flavors manage to shine through. Serving hint: try
it with citrus flavored white chocolate truffles.
$$
Peju Provence, Napa Valley
If the wine world had a gateway drug, this would be
it. The perfect bridge from whites to big reds, Provence
is a blend of three red grapes and one white - French
Colombard, (an aromatic white grape). The wine is
at once weighty and floral, great for tropical weather
or sipping après ski. $$
2003 King Estate Pinot Noir, Oregon
This wine offers an interesting smoky, earthiness
found more often in French Burgundy than in American
Pinot Noir. Although earthy flavors dominate, there
is a deliciously biting acid. The finish is short,
but smacks of caramel. $$
2004 Thomas Fogarty Gewurztraminer, Monterrey, CA
A pretty, pretty wine with honey and dried stone fruit
aromas and flavors, this is just the kind of bottle
to pair with anything you'd want to eat. Light on
the tongue, it ends with the merest impression of
licorice. $$
2005 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlbourough, NZ
A bright fun wine and great for the price, this New
Zealand SB offers more sweetness than the typical,
biting white from Down Under. Its flavors are passion
fruit and gooseberry with a nice tart bite. $
Mumm Grand Cru, Champagne, France
This new wine to the American market is set to change
the Mumm brand image. A complex and mature Champagne
made with a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is
both big in body and decidedly elegant. $$$$
2005 Alice White Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia
Chardonnay lovers take note: here is the bargain of
the year. At a retail of about $7, this is a fun,
everyday kind of Chard that outshines just about everything
in its price class. What it lacks in finesse, it makes
up for in tropical fruit aromas and sweetness. $
2003 Bourassa Rhapsody3 Syrah, Napa Valley
If you could create a prototype of American Syrah,
this should be the mold. Aromas are classic, lots
of blueberry. The wine has pretty fruit flavors, but
it's still got bite. There are tannins, but the kind
with a fine grain which add texture without that unpleasant
drying on the tongue. $$$
$ under 15USD
$$ 15-25USD
$$$ 25-50USD
$$$$ over 50USD
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