Gamble Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2009

i have written about gamble before. their paramount red blend was an exceptional wine. this sauv blanc is far different from many i have tried. and that is a good thing. selling for about $13, this is a white that has a nose of pineapple, peach, tropical fruit, and some floral notes. the palate is a beautiful mix of tropical fruit. i picked up some guava, pineapple, and a little bit of coconut in the finish. there are also some nice apple and mineral flavors. the wine has a beautiful creamy mouth feel and crisp finish. we enjoyed this with some breaded chicken, roasted red potatoes, and sauteed vegetables.

Excelsior Chardonnay 2009

so far the south africa tour has been quite a pleasurable one and this next wine keeps up the tradition. selling for the nice price of about $10, excelsior is a chard that sees very little oak. in fact only 25% sees oak for the limited time of 3 months. in my mind this is a good thing. i am not a big fan of the overly oaked chardonnays on the market. it spoils the real taste of the grape. the nose is not huge, with some tropical fruit, apple, and a little spice and floral notes. on the palate, lots of pears, green apples, spice and mineral flavors. this was really nice with the chicken pesto dish i had. i would also try this with lightly spiced asian food and meaty fish. 3 for 3 in the value aspect and in taste category. and the south africa journey will continue…

Indaba Chenin Blanc 2009

over the course of the next several weeks i am going to be tasting some wines from an area of the world that deserves a closer look. the under-rated area of south africa. they've been making wine there for 350 years and are producing some very nice, and in many cases, very affordable wines. the indaba brand is almost 15 years old and are from winemaker bruwer raats. this chenin blanc will compete with your favorite pinot grigio for time on your patio while the warm weather still prevails. sells for about $10, but i found it in a new york wine shop for $8, it has a nose of pears, tropical fruit, a little melon and citrus, and i got a little floral note too. the palate is very crisp with apple, pear, and honey flavors up front. there were nice mineral and tropical (pineapple) notes in the mid palate, followed by some violet in the finish. nice, clean finish. refreshing white to enjoy alone or with salad or seafood.

Starr Hill Vineyard Geisenheim 2005

back on pennsylvania's groundhog wine trail for this riesling hybrid. this reminded me more of a gewürztraminer than a riesling. the nose led with white peach. i also got some nice star fruit and a little apple. there was some floral violet in there also. interesting nose for sure. the palate was semi sweet with pear and apple leading the way. there was also some floral notes and some interesting lemon and pine needle note in the finish. this one sells for about $12 and will work with asian food or as a nice after dinner wine.

Tiamo Pinot Grigio 2008

i am still enjoying nice summer white wines and pinot grigio usually finds its way into the fridge when the temperature outside gets warm. this particular pinot grigio is from italy and sells for about $12. the nose has lots of apple, pear and some floral aromas. the palate is nice and crisp with peach being the dominant flavor. there are some subtle apple flavors and nice acidic and mineral notes. clean and crisp in the finish. worked well with summer fare of cheese and crackers, fruit and other nice summer snack foods. this is a good summer patio pounder.

Mirth Chardonnay 2009

i tasted this 100% stainless steel chardonnay recently at my local wine store. this is from owen roe winery who produce some very nice wines at much higher prices. i have been very intrigued by with the unoaked chards lately. they show off the true taste of the grape that the heavily oaked chards of california don't do very well. this one sells for about $13 (really nice price for this wine) and has a nose of citrus, pear and a little mineral. the palate is crisp and clean with flavors of lemons and golden delicious apples. there is a little tropical fruit and some nice mineral notes as well. good summer time white for sipping out on the deck or enjoying with lighter foods. grilled chicken or shrimp time!

Millbrook Unoaked Chardonnay 2009 New York State

the baldwinegeek apologizes for the long gap between posts. travel and no computer access recently. but lots to write about, including this unoaked chardonnay from the hudson valley wine region. millbrook winery (http://millbrookwine.com/index.php) is a beautiful vineyard producing some excellent wines from grapes grown on the property as well as grapes grown in the finger lakes and long island areas. the also import some cab and merlot grapes from california. as for this unoaked chardonnay, the nose has lots of citrus, pear and a little mineral. on the palate, a beautiful fruity explosion of citrus, apple, and pear, with some crisp acidity and nice clean finish. really nice food wine that will work with asian cuisine as well as seafood or cheese and crackers. sells for about $16.

Bohemian Highway California Chardonnay 2008

the holiday break is over. time to get back to writing about wine. i start with a budget wine for the new year. i had this wine about 4 years ago and decided to revisit a newer vintage. the nose was full of peach and and floral aromas. very crisp and enticing nose. the palate was bright and crisp, with flavors of apple and pear. some nice citrus touches in this one as well. good fruit flavor and just a little creaminess from the small amount of oak that this wine sees. great wine to pair with chicken or seafood like scallops. sells for about $10 and it was well worth the revisit.

Tedeschi Monte Tenda Soave Classico 2007

wine tastings are fun because you get to try wines that you have not had before. such was the case with this white from italy. the grape was garganega, which i had not heard of. the nose was not overpowering, with subtle aromas of almond and apple, which carried over into the palate. refreshing tastes of green apples, mineral notes and almonds, with a very clean finish. a good patio pounder that will go well with seafood or lighter dishes or spicy asian dishes. priced at about $16.

Loios White 2007

A blend of rabo de ovelha and roupeiro, this white would qualify as another every day patio pounder. aromas of minerals and limes and slightly grassy note as well. stainless steel only fermetation gives this wine vibrant, crisp flavors of apple and citrus. this has a nice full mouth feel, but finishes clean and acidic. anti-pasta and light summer fare will work well with this one. sells for about $10.

14 Hands 2007 Chardonnay

washington state chardonnay is far different from the california variety. some times that is a good thing. in the case of this one, i am not sure. the nose was nice, with apples and pears coming through. the taste was very fruit driven but it came across a little flat and unbalanced with a minimal finish. the wine spends a little time in oak which maybe the wine maker should avoid next time. got the wine on sale ($10) and bought two bottles so i will try again on the second one to like this more or completely give up on it.

Richter Zeppelin Riesling 2007

i tried this riesling recently and although i am not a huge fan of the varietal, i know there are times when it can be the perfect wine to serve with certain foods. the nose had hints of slate like minerals and citrus, as well as a little apple. the flavor was slightly sweet without being syrupy or cloying, with well balanced flavors of citrus (lemon) and apple, nicely acidic and a full mouth feel. i got a nice apricot note toward the finish as well. this wine sells for about $14 and will go very well with chicken dishes or maybe a nice blue cheese. good food wine. oh, and the name mentions zeppelin because wines from this vineyard were served in the luxurious restaurant of the zeppelin airships in the 1920's and 1930's.

Almaden Heritage Chardonnay

summer time whites at a good price are always the way to go, especially if you are entertaining a large group of people. i tried this one and the price is certainly right. i paid $18 for a 5 litre box, which is 34 glasses of wine if you pour 5 oz at a time. dirt cheap! but is the wine worth it? as chardonnays go, it isn't a big buttery, oaky chard. it was more of a dry, crisp chard with plenty of apple and pear on the nose and on the palate as well. this one is going to be very food friendly for the summer fare of salads and shrimp. the was a slight butter taste, but i was surprised at how light it was. if you want a bigger bolder chard, steer clear of tis one. want an easy drinking, unpretentious white, then this is for you.

Torres Vina Sol 2007

a second wine from a tasting this past weekend. this time a white from the spanish winery. the grape is parellada, which is typically used in sparkling wines from this region. here in a still wine, it truly shines with a crisp, clean taste. the nose was floral with hints of spice and some light apple aroma. the palate was very light and slightly dry with flavors of apple and pineapple. there was also a little spicy note of fennel as well. this is one i will have to remember for the coming warm weather months. a real nice deck wine that will go well with summer foods. and the price was nice at $8, although i got it on sale so it may be a few dollars more wherever you buy wine.

Stone Cellars by Beringer 2007 Chardonnay

if you like a nice, fruit forward, crisp chardonnay at a reasonable price, give this one a try. this is not a big, buttery chardonnay. the nose is tropical fruits, citrus and a little spice from the oak. the taste was full of apples and tropical fruits with a nice long finish. sells for about $9 and i will remember to have some of this on hand for this summer. it will be a nice deck wine to enjoy with warm weather foods.

Crabilis Vermentino Di Sardegna 2007

this white italian is made for seafood. unfortunately, i'm drinking it with no food. the nose is floral. i also got hints of bell pepper and a slight cucumber aroma. on the palate, a crisp pear and apple combination, followed by a little white pepper and mineral note. the finish was very nice, clean and long. a very drinkable white wine. sells for about $15. i would like to try this again with some shrimp or other shell fish.

A to Z 2006 Chardonnay

as a comparison in the unoaked or lightly oaked chardonnays, we had this unoaked chard as well with the spicy chicken dish. this one is from oregon and was not vastly different from the salmon run from new york, but it was different enough and in my opinion, it was better. the nose was pears, apples, some citrus and minerals. the taste is where this one was the star of the two. the apple/pear taste was there, but it evolved into more. where the salmon run was a little one dimensional, the a to z was multi-dimensional. i got a nutmeg like spice note, and then some sweeter honey flavors came through. a nice long creamy finish.
this isn't the first a to z wine i have had and they have put out some quality products so it won't be the last. sells for about $15.

Salmon Run 2006 Chardonnay

we were blessed with some really nice weather for mid october and decided to have some friends over for a grill out. the menu was smokey mountain chipotle chicken. several white wines were picked to go with he food. this chardonnay from the finger lakes district in new york was one of them. about half the grapes spend a little time in oak, the rest are in stainless steel. the result is a fruity chardonnay. on the nose this is evident, with aromas of apples and pears and some mineral characteristics. on the palate the apple and pear flavors come through. the wine paired pretty well with the spicy meal. the wine didn't have a long finish and it wasn't overly bold or memorable. it was an average tasting wine which sells for about $10. we had several other whites that evening as well which i will add over the next couple of days.

Markus Molitor 2006 Riesling

another riesling? i must be in a rut. or perhaps it just went well with the meal. the comely brunette was having ribs and i had a blackened scallop salad so we had to compromise on a wine. we hoped this would fit the bill. nose was of tropical fruit and apples. on the palate a lemon zest flavor that was not nearly as sweet as the previously mentioned riesling. also more of the apple flavor as well as a surprise of peach at the end. the finish was long and crisp. this went very well with both our meals and sells for about $20. a baldwinegeek thumbs up.

Txomin Etxaniz Getaria 2007

here is a hard to pronounce white from spain that the comely brunette saw in a magazine somewhere. the description intrigue us so we decided to give it a try. it had a nose of mineral and citrus. and on the palate it was definitely citrus. lemon and lime, with maybe a little apple thrown in at the end. and a little spritz as well. this was also a very dry white. not very sweet at all. but a very refreshing wine. serve this well chilled and you will get the most from it. sells for about $19-22, so it is a bit pricey, but still a very nice wine.