Cameron Hughes Lot 273- 2009 Arroyo Seco, Monterey County Chardonnay

Merry Chrismas to all and hope everyone has a blessed day with their loved ones!   Been out of the loop for a week or so, but have a couple wonderful wines to speak of.  The first, is Cameron Hughes Lot 273- 2009 Arroyo Seco, Monterey County Chardonnay.  To be candid, I enjoy alot of Cameron Hughes red offerings, but in the past, I have felt his white Lot releases have been a little lackluster, especially his Chardonnays. But today is a new day and this Lot 273 is absolutely tremendous priced at just $9.99.   Vibrant, crisp and full of yummy offerings of tropical fruit, pineapple, citrus delight while lending wonderful nuances of toasted oak, mild butterscotch and vanilla, this Central California Chardonnay is an absolute steal and should be purchased by the case without hesitation!  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Robert Turner 2009 Chardonnay, Russian River, Dutton Ranch

Classy, medium bodied Chardonnay with a pleasant influence of oak, balanced acidity and flavors of minerality, lemon zest, mango and banana.  A delightful California Chardonnay and wonderful Holiday wine available at http://robertturnerwines.com/wines.htm.  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

 

 

2010 Fox Run Vineyards Dry Riesling

Crisp, Dry Riesling from Finger Lakes, New York State offering refreshing flavors of pear, green apple with a hint of pineapple. Very pleasant and a wonderful Holiday wine available at http://foxrunvineyards.com/.   Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Wingspan White 2008, Talon Winery

This Chardonnay and one third Viognier from Grand Valley, Colorado has a refreshing nose of pear, tropical fruit and honeysuckle. With a substantial component of Apricot and a light floral note lent by the expressive Viognier in this blend while being accompanied by a pleasant undertone of butterscotch, this wine is an absolutely phenomenal buy at $10.99!   Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Passaggio 2010 Unoaked Chardonnay

Made by Winemaker Cynthia Cosco, this unoaked Chardonnay has nice weigh and mouthfeel offering a zest of lemon, green apples and mild minerality.  Very sound throughout and feel that even being so young, this wine has good structure and great promise!  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Treveri Cellars- Sparkling Wine

Just received some of these sparkling wines from Treveri Cellars out of Columbia Valley, Washington made by German born owner and winemaker. Juergen Grieb, who has a degree in both winemaking and sparkling winemaking, attending wine school in 1981 in Trier on the Mosel River and worked closely under the tutelage of Herr Ludwig Breiling and with owner Christoph Tyrell. Juergen moved to the United States to make wine for an early held Germany based winery in Mattawa, WA in 1983, and in 2009, after much thought, he decided to start his own sparkling winemaking facility given that Washington State had very very few sparkling producers (Ste. Michelle, Mountain Dome). November 23rd, 2010 opened “The Sparkle Tasting”.  Juergen’s style, which is delicate and handcrafted, shows off his personal interpretation with sparkling wines that are much more “fruit forward” (which reverts back to his formal training in Germany). All of Treveri Cellars bottles are crafted in the Methode’ Champenoise (individually bottle fermented) and almost all of them (except for the Rose’) are 100% varietal are made in all of the champagne sugar levels except for a “Doux” (i.e. dry to sweet….. Extra-Brut, Brut, Extra-Sec, Sec, Demi-Sec, Doux).  Here is my experience on three of the varieties.

Treveri Cellars Extra Brut:  Stellar Extra Brut with finely tuned flavors of peaches, pineapple accompanied by hint of refined spice.

Treveri Cellars Brut:   Nice zest of green apple and pear with a mild undertone of banana on the nose while offering crisp, clean floral notes starting in the front palate, venturing into the mid palate conjoined by a pleasant touch of dough and vanilla wafer. 

Trevari Riesling Demi Sec:  Fresh fragerance of mild freshly cut grass and green apples harmoniously imparted with a presence of mild flaky dough, superb frequency of sweetness and a graceful zip of pineapple followed by a delightful vanilla finish.    

These sparkling wines for between $16-$20 price point are excellent values and would make for wonderful Holiday Wines.  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Acrobat 2010 Oregon Pinot Gris

This 2010 Oregon Pinot Gris produced by King Estate Winery offers generous amounts of zesty green pear fresh and pineapple intermingled with mild nuances of banana and vanilla.  Love the style of this Pinot Grigio and for $12 this is an absolute stellar buy!  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Cline 2010 North Coast Viognier

Happy Monday Evening to all and hope everyone had a Wonderful Weekend!  This medium bodied Viognier has smooth, lush flavors of honeysuckle, peach, and apricot accompanied by light floral notes and a pleasant hint of almond. Perfect pairing for pan seered scallops or a mild Indian curry dish.  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Duckhorn 2010 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

This wonderfully crisp and impeccably clean Sauvignon Blanc blended with 25% Semillion offers a vibrant bouquet of banana, pear, fresh green grass and firm grapefruit.  With immaculate balance throughout and offering pristine flavors of fig, honey, mild smoke and a touch of vanilla, this wine was everything i ever wished for in a Sauvignon Blanc and more.  Keep Drinking and Keep Believing.

Cartlidge and Browne Chardonnay 2009

Had this California Chardonnay on a scorching Summer day right before I left Arizona and thought it was wonderful, especially for the price point.   Full of pear, honeysuckle and lemon zest with moderately crisp acidity, this Chardonnay is not overally oaked or Maloactic fermented and has a pleasant Burgundian undertone to it.   Keep Believing and Keep Drinking.