We just finished reviewing many White Wines. We started with a blind tasting of Pinot Gris – Grigio, Pinot Blancs, and White Blends. From this tasting we came away with two Pinots Gris options that stood out. The Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 $15 was our panel’s favorite. It was balanced, gentle, and showed citrus-like flavors. We scored this Pinot Gris 87.43 points. We also recommended the 2006 Rex Hill Pinot Gris $16. This wine was described by the KWG Tasting Panel as “a nice winter white wine.” It was medium-bodied, well balanced, creamy, and had a very nice mouthfeel.
In part two of this tasting we covered some White Blends. Again, two wines stood out as being tops. The 2006 DeLille “Chalear Estate” $32 is a blend of 61% Sauvignon Blanc and 39% Semillon from Columbia Valley in Washington State. This wine was our highest scoring wine of the evening with a score of 88.64. This wine opens with a light honeydew melon-like bouquet. It was balanced and elegant, with integrated acidity and lemony flavors. The panel felt this charming wine would pair quite nicely with chicken picatta. The runner up in this section of the tasting was the 2006 Tablas Creek “Côte de Tablas Blanc.” $22 This offering is an interesting blend of 59% Viognier, 32% Marsanne, 6% Grenache Blanc, and 3% Roussanne from Paso Robles, California. The panel felt this wine was medium bodied and had lots of character. It was balanced, savory, with tart green apple flavors with a touch of dried apricot and minerals.
We also conducted a number of mini tastings over the holiday season with specific varietals in mind. In one tasting we compared one of my favorite grapes, Gewurztraminer, and came away recommending quite a few. Let’s start with the new “Gold” standard in Gewurz as far as I am concerned. The Navarro Vineyards 2007 “Dry” Gewurztraminer for $19 is Excellent and heavenly! I scored this wine 94 points and think it might even rival the 2000 which I considered the previous gold standard. This wine hails from Anderson Valley, CA. Navarro sells most of their wines direct so readers should go to their website to order some of this gem. If you love Gewurz like I do, you must try this wine. You also must read my review, because to get the most out of this wine it needs to be served at the right temperature. I will tell you it is well-balanced and slightly viscous with delicious lychee and lime flavors. You should seek out this terrific wine.
Other Gewurztraminers we tried and recommended were as follows. The 2006 Navarro Vineyards “Dry” Gewurztraminer $19 was Very Good and we scored this wine 89 points. It opens with an attractive floral and peach-like bouquet. It was light bodied, well balanced, and has noticeable, but nicely integrated acidity. Its flavor profile was light lime with hints of lychee and spice. 
Staying with the Dry styled Gewurz we really enjoyed the 2006 Herman J. Wiemer Gewürztraminer $22 from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. This Gewurtz was wonderfully aromatic with a classic lychee-like bouquet. It was a full-bodied wine that is balanced, creamy, and viscous with lychee flavors with a touch of spice and sweetened lemon tea. This was a perfect Thanksgiving option.
Next up was the Snoqualmie 2007 “Naked” Gewurztraminer for $12. The “Naked” name of this wine, means that it is made from 100% certified Organic grapes. Which several tasters felt was a plus once they were informed. It is a light bodied wine that shows a little residual sugar and is slightly sweet. It displays primarily apricot and peach like flavors. There is also a touch of lime and spice as well. It was a nice mixture. The panel felt this wine would pair nicely with bacon wrapped scallops or an oven baked ham.
If you are a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc fan and want to try something new, you might want to give this Gewurtz a try. The Ventana 2007 Gewurztraminer $16 from Arroyo Seco, CA was voted as Very Good. This offering is lively and crisp with lime flavors with notes of green apple. We thought it was semi dry and very refreshing. This Gewurz would pair nicely with grilled swordfish with lemon.
Finally, for readers that like their wines a little bit on sweet side, you might prefer the 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewurtztraminer. $10 This Very Good value wine is moderately sweet with light lime flavors and some hints of spice. It would be perfect with chicken lo mein.
The next mini tasting was Viognier. It yielded 2 winners. The big winner was the 2008 Cono Sur “Bicycle” Viognier for $10. It might be one of the bargain wines of the year. We scored this wine Very Good and gave it 88 points. This tasty wine is from the Colchagua Valley in Chile. It would be a perfect wine to serve at a party. It’s quite pleasing, it’s affordable, and you would be introducing most of your guests to a new grape.
The second Viognier that we recommended was the 2007 Bergevin Lane Viognier from Columbia Valley, WA. $25 We scored this blend of 92% Viognier & 8% Roussanne with 87 points. It was light-bodied, balanced, and easy to drink. It shows light citrus flavors and a touch of honey. The group thought this wine would pair very nicely with a delicate meal like Dover sole.
Next up was Chenin Blanc blends. The first was the 2007 Pine Ridge $14 which is a blend of 80% Chenin and 20% Viognier. We scored this wine Very Good. It is a wine that seems to be consistently Very Good every year. This year’s version was light bodied, with some roundness, with forward tangy lemon lime flavors. We thought this wine would appeal to readers who like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It is best to serve it cool, not cold with grilled swordfish with lemon. The other Chenin we liked was the 2007 Simonsig from Stellenbosch, South Africa. For $12 we thought this wine would serve the reader well if they were looking for an everyday white wine quaffer. We scored this wine 86 points. (Good+)
Speaking of quaffers, we came across 2 French white blends that were both affordable and tasty. Both options scored an 86 (Good+) First was the 2007 Perrin & Fils “Cotes du Rhone Reserve Blanc” for $11. This wine is made from 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Bourboulenc, 10% Marsanne, 10% Viognier, & 10% Roussanne. If you have not had many of these affordable Grenache Blanc driven options from the Rhone, you should try some starting with this wine. For another option, readers should consider the 2007 La Vieille Ferme “Cotes du Luberon” for $9. This wine is made from 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Bourboulenc, 30% Ugni Blanc, & 10% Roussanne. It is medium bodied, round, slightly creamy, and very easy to drink with light apple flavors. This bargain wine would complement a light fish meal like sole.
While we were tasting some European options, we tackled some indigenous Italian and Portugal options. The two that we recommended from Italy were from the same producer. The first and our favorite was the 2007 Mastroberardino “Greco di Tufo” $25 We scored this wine Very Good with 88 points. We really liked the balance, with a little crispiness, to go along with its mineral infused lime-like flavors. The other option was the 2007 Mastroberardino “Falanghina” $20 from Sannio, Italy. This wine also had minerally infused flavors but they were more Anjou pear like.
From Portugal, we recommended the 2007 Castello D’Alba “Reserva Branco” $15 from Douro. As a matter of fact, this is the 3rd time that I have recommended this wine. It is medium bodied, creamy, smooth, with mild apricot and pear like flavors. Serve it with chicken, broccoli, and penne smothered with a white cream sauce.
Lastly, I thought I would share some of the other gems that fit the Misc. White varietals bill. The 2006 J Vineyards Pinot Gris $20 from the Russian River Valley” may be the best Pinot Gris that I have had from California in quite some time. This wine is full bodied, very well balanced, and creamy with delicious fruit forward pear like flavors with a hint of apple and minerality on the back palate. It was a true gem & I scored it Very Good+ with 93 points. I hear the 2007 is Very Good as well, but I have yet to try it.
Another Very Good option is the 2007 Fillaboa “Albarino”from Rias Baixas, Spain for $17. This wine is a nice representation of the grape. It is nicely balanced and rather savory with light lime like flavors with a touch of minerality. It’s a very food friendly wine that would pair well with chicken piccata.
The final wine I am going to recommend in this post is the Atwater Estate 2007 Vidal Blanc. If you have never had Vidal before, this one will spoil you. This wine has to be one of the best Vidal Blancs I have tried in recent memory. Its medium bodied, crisp, and slightly viscous with slightly sweet ripe pear like flavors. There are also notes of minerality and a touch of grapefruit. We scored this gem from the Finger Lakes 90 points. The best news yet is it only costs $14. We are certain you will enjoy this winner.
I hope you enjoy experimenting with all these exciting white varietals the way we did. The world of White Wines is very expansive and there are many terrific and affordable options. Cheers – Ken
Thank you, always looking for affordable white wines. My favorite.