What I’m Drinking: Domaine du Penlois Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay du Chatelard 2009

Here is the wine that I am absolutely obsessed with right now.  Which is funny, because I am not usually a fan of Chardonnay (This fact may be obvious based on the glaring absence of Chardonnay from the blog thus far).  Generally, I find the oaked versions to be too oaky and the unoaked versions to be, frankly...boring.  But all of that changes now, because I just really love this Beaujolais Blanc.

First of all, it is a Beaujolais Blanc - not your everyday occurrence.  Secondly, it practically screams summer.  The color is a pale sunshine gold, and the nose just bursts with ripe fruit.  Think peach, lychee, lemon, and pineapple, all mixed up with a little touch of honey.  The aromas are of above-average intensity and just on that edge between youthful and something a touch more complex.

Despite the overtly ripe character of the nose, however, this wine is dry and bright, with acid on the higher side of medium and a moderate alcohol level.  The body is robust, but not heavy, resulting in a palate experience that is at once rich and refreshing.  Flavors are slightly less ripe, but equally as intense, as the nose and the taste leads with acid (lemon, gooseberry) and rounds out with the riper richness of lychee, honey, and peach in a thriving finish.

This is a good quality under-$20 wine that is one to snap up if you can find it!  I have been keeping (or not keeping) a bottle on hand every week since the beginning of July.

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Wine of the Week: GioCato Pinot Grigio 2008

This week's wine is a very interesting Pinot Grigio from Slovenia - another good recommendation from my local wine shop. I was looking for a summertime white that would harmonize well with a light Italian meal and was assured that this wine would fit the bill. I am happy to report that while I sometimes personally find Pinot Grigio to be a bit lacking in interest, this particular one is actually anything but.

A relatively young wine, it displays a very light, almost green straw hue, and an ever so slight effervescence. The aroma is pear and apple, but also sweet and tropical. Its tastes follow suit, with prominent pear and stone fruit flavors balanced by the crisp acidity of lemon and some mineral undertones.

This is a well-balanced wine, that is less light-bodied than many other Pinot Grigios that I have had. It is acidic on the finish, which is substantial for a white. All in all, I found it to be well worth its $11 price tag.

Wine of the Week: 2004 Taz Pinot Gris, Santa Barbara

I know that I just wrote about margaritas, and now here I am writing about a wine in my next post, but I just couldn't wait to share this really interesting pick! The 2004 Taz Pinot Gris is around $15-$20 (depending upon where you live), so it is at the top of my usual $20-and-under price range, but I think it is a great wine, particularly for a special occasion that is calling for something a little more interesting. I was lucky enough to attend a tasting of Taz Vineyards wines a couple of months ago, and found this wine to be the most interesting of the wines we tasted, though all of the wines I had from this small-ish Santa Barbara County winery were good.

The 2004 Pinot Gris is a golden straw color, with aromas of lime and tropical fruit (the tasting notes mentioned lichee, but I couldn't pick that out in particular). It is a full-bodied, almost creamy wine, with a medium to long finish. The taste is exactly what you might expect based on the nose - also tropical. Upon first sip, I was greeted with the overwhelming taste of pineapple, which was followed by strong guava flavors, combined with bright green pear. This wine is pleasantly balanced and uniquely flavored - the perfect thing to try the next time you are looking for a white that is a little bit different.

Wine of the Week: Hogue Fume Blanc Columbia Valley 2007

I bought this wine a while ago at Trader Joe's because I had been reading about Fume Blanc and thought that Hogue's version would be a good bet in the under-$20 range (I think it was about $11). It turns out that I was right - it was a good bet! This pale yellow, almost green in color, slightly effervescent wine was not a bad pick for the price point. The aroma was of stone fruit, peaches in particular, and I also picked up some tropical notes - perhaps papaya or guava. As you might expect, it is a very light-bodied wine, but I was surprised to find that it has a longer finish. Not so surprising, but rather pleasing, was the fact that it features a bit of an acidic tang as well. The predominant flavors that came across to me were of citrus (lemon zest) and tart green pear, with some herbal notes. I will definitely keep this wine in mind for pairing with early summer meals.

Wine of the Week: Pacific Rim NV Chenin Blanc

I have been curiously considering bottles of Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc at Trader Joe's for a couple of months now; The bright teal caps and Japanese-inspired art are eye-catching, to say the least. So, I was particularly thrilled when my cousin Lisa gave me a bottle of the non-vintage as a gift last week! Some might know Chenin Blanc as the grape of the Loire Valley, but despite the "French" grape, and the Asian name, this wine is made right here in the United States by the Pacific Rim winemakers out of Washington state. The color is light straw, almost greenish, and the first thing I noticed when I picked up the glass was the slight effervescence clinging to the sides. This wine is bright, but also off-dry. In fact, I was caught off-guard by how sweet it tasted at first! Upon further tasting, though, I was able to pick up the slightly bitter citrus flavor which, along with the acid, balances the wine out nicely. There are also apple or pear flavors present. The nose, described as floral on the bottle, is slightly herbal to me. I will admit that I am not as familiar with Chenin Blanc as I am with other grapes, so I found this wine to be very interesting. I think it retails for a little more than $10 at Trader Joe's, so I won't rule out picking up another bottle on a night when I'm looking for something to pair with seafood. Pacific Rim is more well-known for their Riesling, though (their website is rieslingrules.com), so now I am tempted to try their Dry Riesling first!

Wine of the Week: Ehlers Estate 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Whenever I am in my old neighborhood during business hours, I try to make time to stop by my favorite wine shop in town. This week's Wine of the Week is a testament as to why the shop is my favorite - They recommend good wines at good prices! This bottle is generally around twenty dollars, though I got it for fifteen, and it is well worth that price, in my opinion. The wine is very light in color, pale yellow with almost a greenish tint. The aroma is sweet apple or pear with just the slightest tinge of "carmelization", due to the short time it was oaked. The taste, however, is citrus-dominated. I've read several reviews that have referred to its fig flavors, which do come through for me, along with a slight minerality. This is a medium bodied white, with a substantial finish, that is well-balanced and complex. I would serve it for dinner guests with no reservations - It is definitely a Saturday night pick! The bonus? One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of Ehlers Estate wines go to support the Leducq Foundation, a highly regarded, not-for-profit foundation dedicated to funding international cardiovascular research.