Posts Tagged ‘citrus flavors’
Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California – USA
Cost: $11 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Lemon/lime with freshly cut grass and floral notes on the nose. The flavors of the same family with a nice acidic backbone. The acidity leans to the citrus side making for a very food friendly wine. Enjoy this superior Sauvignon Blanc with crab salad, calamari, prosciutto-wrapped pears, and roasted chicken.
My Review: I don’t think it’s any surprise when I say that I really enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, especially this time of year as the weather gets progressively hotter and (at least here in Virginia) more humid and having a nice crisp wine is a near must have.
While I’ve grown particularly fond of Sauvignon Blanc from South America in recent years, I’m certainly always looking to expand my wine horizons, so I was happy to receive a sample of the most recent vintage of Robert Mondavi’s Sauvignon Blanc. Relaxing with my wife this weekend with a lunch of munchies, we opened up the bottle to give it a try.
Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California – Napa Valley – USA
Cost: $17 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Pale straw color with aromas of lime, white grapefruit, notes of passionfruit, vanilla, and honeydew melon. Flavors of lime zest, mineral, citrus blossom, grapefruit and hints of guava. Lingering flavors of lime and melon through a long, crisp finish. Pairs well with seafood, chicken, and soft cheeses.
My Review: Anybody that’s followed along for any amount of time knows that I’m a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc, especially those with lots of citrus on them. Fortunately, the 2009 Franciscan Estate Sauvignon Blanc has just that.
Very pale in color, with just enough yellow in it so as not to be completely clear, the wine was abundant in aromas and flavors of citrus, particularly lime. There’s a definite lime zest/pithiness to the flavor that I found very enjoyable – it’s crisp and clean and full of flavor all at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Sauvigon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $10 – $13
Pale green in color with aromas of citrus, tropical fruit, and herbs. Flavors of pineapple with a herbaceous and clean finish. Pairs well with shellfish, asparagus dishes, summer salads.
Recommendations: On Friday while shopping for groceries, my wife and I also picked up a bottle of the 2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc – we had been looking at it for a while when stopping in the store and we have a big lack of white wine in the house at the moment. On Sunday we opened it up to pair with a dinner of bacon wrapped scallops and butter noodles.
If I had to pick two words to describe this wine it would be “green” and “citrus”. On the nose the tropical fruits and citrus were prevalent, and in the mouth, pineapple, herbs, and a nice clean finish with a hint of acid made this a nice wine to sip on. The citrus and acid did a nice job of cutting through the rich flavors of the meal, but it was light enough to be enjoyed while the meal was cooking, especially on a warm day. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: South Australia
Cost: $11
An unwooded Chardonnay, offering crisp flavors of apple and citrus. Pairs with chicken, pork, seafood, or light appetizers.
Recommendations: My wife is not a fan of oaked Chardonnay, so when we saw this in the store, we thought we’d give it a try. The initial flavors of the wine are crisp with plenty of citrus and granny smith apple both on the nose and on the palate, which was perfect for the grilled chicken dinner we paired it with.
However, I found the finish of this wine to be a bit rough. It’s certainly not as rough as the Mirassou Chardonnay that I’ve already reviewed on here. That being said, the finish eventually began to bother me, especially after we had finished our food and were just sipping on the wine. Maybe with a juicy piece of pork it wouldn’t be as noticeable, but with the chicken (that I’ll admit I overcooked), it just wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have hoped.
If you liked the Mirassou Chardonnay you’ll like this, but if you’re looking for a crisp finish to your unoaked Chardonnay you’ll want to pass on this one.
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Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California – USA
Cost: $3
Light color with citrus flavors and a slightly acidic finish. Pair with seafood, poultry, or light appetizer style food.
Recommendations: If you’re not familiar with Oak Leaf wine it’s because you haven’t looked at the wine section of a Wal-Mart. Oak Leaf is their house brand of wine, and is offering an expanding selection of wine, including Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.
This particular Sauvignon Blanc is pretty much what you would expect from a $3 wine. It’s light and fairly crisp, but is honestly more reminiscent of a Pinot Grigio than a Sauvignon Blanc, but that could be my own bias as I prefer South American Sauvignon Blanc to those made in the US.
My wife and I paired this with a snack lunch of cheese, crackers, hummus, and crab puffs, and while it certainly did the job, I can’t say that I wouldn’t have preferred something better.
If you’re looking for a budget Sauvignon Blanc, this isn’t terrible, but the budget Sauvignon Blanc offered by Trader Joe’s is better for the same price. Pass on this unless you’re really looking for a budget deal.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: New Zealand
Cost: $9.99
Light and juicy with just enough grapefruit flavor to let you know it’s a Sauvignon Blanc wthout overwhelming you with citrus flavors. Great for seafood, sushi, appetizers, or on the patio.
Recommendations: While Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc has take its place in my heart as my go-to summer deck wine, Ponga is certainly giving it a run for the its money. Light and crisp with just enough citrus to be refreshing without beating you over the head with it, this white from New Zealand was the perfect compliment to a lunch of cheese, crackers, hummus, and home made bruschetta that my wife and I enjoyed this past weekend. That being said, I would definitly recommend pairing the Ponga with a piece of spicy tilapia or even some sushi.
If you’re in the market for a deck wine and don’t want to spend a lot of money on it, the Ponga Sauvignon Blanc is a great value with a great taste. Half the fun of drinking it is just saying the name, but you’ll get a lot of enjoyment drinking this on the deck as the temperature continues to climb. Grab this one.
