Because it's mostly white and there's so much of it!
2010 Phelps Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir Columbia Gorge
Dang, this was good! Fresh and youthful, though obviously it has gained complexity and resonance from time in the bottle. Will probably mature even more gracefully over the next 2-4 years; very impressive. Can't say enough about this winery: I just ordered a mixed case of pinots yesterday in a Black Friday deal.
2013 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Wild Marlborough
Gift from Sue. If I had to choose just one SB to drink for the rest of my life, this might be the one. Intense gooseberry, lime, lemongrass and spice with just a touch of smoke.
2014 William Fèvre Chablis Champs Royaux Chardonnay
Very good. Minimalist, steely and fresh. Underserved by narrow rental condo glassware.
2013 Margerum Sauvignon Blanc Sybarite Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Fresh nose of lemon- lime, green bell pepper and clean laundry. No oak in sight, just refreshingly clean and brisk.
2014 Piancornello Rosso di Montalcino Sangiovese
At Matteo's Osteria in Maui, $69 list (wherein most wines were $100-300), served in large Burg bowls. Medium bodied, fragrant nose of red fruits and exotic woods and spices. More open on the first pour than the last, though with a great lasting finish.
2014 Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Cheese and green apple nose with concentrated flavors of grass, green apple, lemon grass, and good acidity. But there's a tad of RS here which gangs up with the 14.7% alcohol for a finish more cloying than clean. Not good.
2013 Chappellet Chardonnay Napa Valley
Not related to anyone at the winery but this is my maiden name and I can't be trusted not to buy a bottle for just for that reason if there's nothing else on the shelf more compelling for better reasons. This was just such a purchase. Easily drinkable but rather monochromatic with but sweet yellow corn to show for itself, emphasis on sweet. Overpriced at $26.
2013 Liquid Farm Chardonnay Golden Slope Sta. Rita Hills
Comes out rocking. 18K gold color, minerals, vanilla bean, lime cream, honeycrisp apple. Perfectly proportioned. Killer deal at $65 on a Maui wine list (Gannon's), too.
2014 Greywacke Pinot Gris Marlborough
Purchased in Maui. Surprisingly strong off-dry flavors of pear, kaffir lime, ginger, tangerine and lychee fruit with savory accents of cinnamon, fresh bay leaf and hay. Perfumey Alsatian nose not unlike gewurz and some viogniers. Better and more integrated on the second day. A serious wine and deftly executed even if not quite what I expected.
2012 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Section 94 Marlborough
Another gift from Sue. Concentrated notes of lime peel,. guava, lemon grass, dust and toasted pine nuts. Wonderful and very much like the normal dog point, but on steroids.
2010 Arcadian Chardonnay Clos Pepe Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills
Deep yellow gold, heavy on the palate. Came across as mildly oxidized at first. but that receded when paired with a rich, creamy tomato sauce and grilled shrimp. Not sure I'd trust it for a longer haul, though.
2014 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon Waipara
Another Sue wine. A really vivid, full throttle New World version of white Bordeaux. Bright lemon-lime top notes from the SB balanced by the creamy underlying richness of the Semillon. Serious and fun at the same time, and an especially nice match with an afternoon snack of Iberico ham.
2015 Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir Yarra Valley
Opened one day, tasted, then recapped it for drinking the following day when it definitely showed better. Decent value at around $16 Costco Maui with overtly ripe fruit and vanilla tones that would appeal to those with a low-acid New world preference.
2014 Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve South Africa
Showed more concentration and weight than the first bottle last August. Golden color with Quince and apple fruit, tasted blind I believed it a high quality chenin.
NV Philipponnat Champagne Royale Réserve Brut Champagne Blend
Our last bottle of what has been an incredible run, a case purchased about four years ago in the mid-$30's that shall go down as my best Champagne deal ever. Insane value--rich, Mesnil-like textures, Krug intensity. We nicknamed it Dr. Phil because each bottle made me feel so happy. Bye bye, Dr.
2013 Domaine Besson Chablis Chardonnay
While ripe in style, each bottle we open gets more taut and steely, a welcome evolution.
2014 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County
Heard great things about this vintage of ABC, a winery I'll admit to having been more disappointed with than not over the last ten or so years, and they weren't exaggerated. What a perfectly balanced, intense bottle of California sunshine. Will buy more!
2014 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc OTQ Marlborough
Yet another Sue wine. Gorgeous. Rounded, elegant yellow fruit with depth and richness and an assertive streak of bay leaf. Very different from the typical NZ mold.
2015 Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
Very pale with an oily viscosity visible through the glass. Nose of Lemon Joy, which isn't unpleasant, with white nectarine and splashes of apple and guava. Sweetish mid-palate but finishes dry.
2013 Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Monterey County
Full bodied and ripe for pinot noir--but for those reasons it drank well cold and wasn't entirely unwelcome on a hot vacation.
2014 Atalon Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Pleasant, but nondescript, maybe dilute would be a good word, and 'safe'. Strictly a quaffer. Lacks character and intensity.
2014 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Unlike the wan Atalon above, this wine DID have character and intensity, vintage and origins being otherwise the same. A very good example of what some oak and a warm climate can bring to Sauvignon Blanc.
2013 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Latitude Marlborough
Too disagreeable on day one, but opened up pleasantly overnight with raspberry and herbs. Good food wine and good value for around $15 at Costco.
2012 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc 'The August 1888' Marlborough
Sue hit the nail on the head with this one! Rich, intense, stunning. No, STUNNING. Golden color from extended lees and oak, Grassy, dusty and exotic. A real head turner. Similar in style to California's Bevan.
2013 Mullan Road Cellars Red Wine Blend Columbia Valley Red Blend
Previously unfamiliar with this producer; it was just one of a few bottles purchased locally for the one night we did steak at our vacation condo. Turns out it's another California winery going stealth in WA state: Cakebread. Did a double take on first sip, because it tasted more expensive than the $39 I knew we'd spent. Elegantly integrated with classic left bank nuances--black cherry, blackberry, tobacco and graphite. Medium plus body, velvet tannins. Went back to the retailer for his remaining two bottles.
