WTN: Mixed wines in July (France, Italy, New Zealand)

2006 Verget Chablis 1er Cru "Montee du Tonnerre" Consumed on July 30th and 31st. One of the wines at a church fundraiser with crab dip and pita chips or crackers. Also tried it with Boursin goat cheese with herbs and a Gorgonzola (from Wisconsin as the grocery store didn't have the Italian Gorgonzola on hand.) Also very nice the second evening as an aperitif without food. Pale gold color. No oxidation 9n the nose. Tastes very fresh and food-friendly. Attractive fruit--good balance. Mineral underpinning but strikes me as more general rock or stone rather than specifically flinty in the style of some Chablis. Some salinity as well. My favorite white of three tasted at the fundraiser and tied with one of the red wines as my WOTN also. May make the short list for one of my wines of the year. I wish I had more bottles of this one. This is a wine where one sip invites another and another. I would rate it in the 90's on a 100-pt. scale and 18 or 18.5 on the UC-Davis 20-pt. scale.

2007 Olivier Leflaive Les Setilles Bourgogne. Imported by Frederick Wildman. Synthetic cork. Vinified, produced and bottled by Olivier Leflaive. Chardonnay grapes from Puligny and Meursault. It is vinified partially in oak barrels and partially in stainless steel tank. Pale coloration. Crisp, refreshing with suggestions of pear. Still tastes young. Oak influence is very subtle. Great for certain fish dishes or with pasta in a white sauce. I enjoyed the way it paired with baked ham and scalloped potatoes in a creamy sauce. Overall impression--unexciting but pleasant and worth the price.

2009 Crossings Sauvignon Blanc, Atawere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. 13% alcohol by volume. Very pale with transparency. Gooseberry and grapefruit tang. Nice pairing with Boursin cheese with herbs. May be my second favorite Sauvignon Blanc of the summer after the Kono S.B. also from Marlborough (I don't have recent vintage Sancerre S.B. to compare.)

2009 Hob Nob Chardonnay, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France. 13.5% abv
Inexpensive grocery store French Chardonnay. I recommended the Hob Nob Pinot Noir to a friend as a locally available fruity and inexpensive "fun" wine. She didn't find the Hob Nob P.N. so bought the Chardonnay instead and loved it. I decided to buy a bottle myself and finally got around to opening it. Medium straw color with some transparency. Strong vanilla/nutty nuances, probably from oak treatment. Hazelnut or cashew predominates. Not a bad pairing with creamy turkey tettrazini (sp?). I probably won't buy it again for myself but might include it in a group tasting as an example of oaked Chardonnay vs. unoaked. Might appeal to an unsophisticated palate. Could also serve with a dish of mixed nuts or a bowl of buttered popcorn.

2004 Fanti Tenuta San Filippo Sant'Antimo Rosso, D.O.C. Italy. Baldassarre Filippo, Montalcino is the grower. 13% abv.
Sangiovese Grosso grapes and other varieties in a blend. Some soft, fuzzy tannins. A decent food wine that doesn't just fade into the background. Not exciting but serviceable. Fun to drink with small spiced pork sausage and a corn souffle.

2005 Santa Martina Toscano Rosso, I.G.T., Tuscany, Italy
40% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah. 13% abv. Blended and bottled by E.G. Folonari Tenute-Greve in Chianti. Imported by Kobrand Corp., New York.
Dark, opaque purple. Juicy dark berries on nose and palate. I chose to do an acid to acid pairing with chicken thighs baked with chopped celery, onion and pimiento-stuffed olives in a tomato sauce. Slight tartness to the wine. Refreshing acidity. Adequate but not inspiring.

2009 Crossings Sauvignon Blan, Atawere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. 13% alcohol by volume. Very pale with transparency. Gooseberry and grapefruit tang. Nice pairing with Boursin cheese with herbs. May be my second favorite Sauvignon Blanc of the summer after the Kono S.B. also from Marlborough (I don't have recent vintage Sancerre S.B. to compare.)

I just finished this same wine a few days ago - I enjoyed it as well. I have a bottle of Cloudy Bay in the cellar that I'm anxious to crack open. I haven't tried the Kono and will try to hunt down a bottle (it look likes the distribution is thin on the east coast).

Speaking of NZ SB, a few years ago I had the Kim Crawford - absolutely loved the wine! I believe WS had rated it highly (90+); after that the price migrated from about $14 to $22 (probably trading off the WS rating). Now I see it's about $13/bottle (probably more related to the wine glut). I always use KC as my gold standard for NZ SB.

I get to sell wine retail here in Oregon. I have the Crossings Sauv Blanc on my shelf and thought it was very good value. I probably like it better than the last few Kim Crawfords I have tasted. I kind of laugh at the Kim Crawford recent ads in Wine Spectator showing a score of 91 a few years ago and then a 90, and then 2009 and 2010 with 89. For my taste, the last couple of vintages have tasted more commercial to me. Several that I have really enjoyed recently have been 2010 Vavasour $13, Mud House $15, Wither Hills $12, and Jules Taylor $15. These are all from Marlborough. For my taste I like the more agressive style SBs.

To clarify, I meant the 2007 Kim Crawford as the gold standard. I've had subsequent KC vintages and I don't think they were as good as the 2007.

I think that Kim Crawford was still making those wines back then before they were bought by Constellation. I do very much agree that it was top rate. This afternoon i am going to go actually meet Jules Taylor who was here for IPNC. Yes I will also be tasting her wines as well but I already started to sell them a few weeks ago.

I've had the Wither Hills before and I agree that Kim Crawford has varied in quality over recent years. The Kono Sauvignon Blanc is produced by the Maori people. I will post a note on it shortly. I purchased it at Taylors' Wine Shop in Raleigh which is a purveyor of "fine wines and live bait." Interesting combination which they advertise on t-shirts. http://www.taylorswineshop.com/

Hi JC -

Thanks for the well-written notes, especially on the Verget. Although I haven't had their Montee du Tonnerre yet, I like Verget's style of Chablis. Both the 2006s that I have had from Verget (Cuvee de la Butte and Les Clos) were also impressive.