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The Clif Family — yes, the same people who make the cand…er… “nutrition” bars — started making wine in 2004 after moving to Napa Valley. Like their bars, they source from sustainably and organically-grown vineyards (link) in northern California. Winemakers Sarah Gott and Bruce Regalia do an outstanding job with all the Clif wines, especially whites like this one. Read more: Wine review: The Climber 2009 Sauvignon Blanc California Of all the French wine regions, Alsace (ALL sass) is the easiest to understand. Unlike other regions, it labels its bottles by varietal name, making the selection — and pronunciation — less problematic. This Pinot Gris from Zind Humbrecht is nearly perfect. Read more: Wine review: Zind Humbrecht 2009 Pinot Gris Human nature dictates that wine writers prefer to write about the happy experiences we’ve had with wine. But rarely does someone come right out and slam a bottle up against harsh words. I mean, a human being made it right? A human with feelings. Sure, the fancy wine magazines may not care about that stuff, but I do. I also realize my taste may not jive with yours. But when an entire room of people tasting a wine blind (brown bagged) declare a wine tastes/smells like urinal cake or cat pee, I feel compelled to say something. Read more: Worst wines I’ve tasted this month Full-bodied and elegant, La Craie Vouvray explodes with fragrant fruit: peaches and apricots drizzled with honey, earthy chamomile. It has a burst of sweetness on the tongue but finishes dry and luscious. The best of both worlds. Read more: Wine review: La Craie 2009 Vouvray This brand has gotten HUGELY popular in the past few years, mainly by releasing sweeter, less complex wines for the masses. Unabashed in their promotion and their choice of tropical-tasting, fragrant grapes, the winemakers at Folie à Deux (the producer) have struck a chord — with seemingly everyone from critics to consumers in this Juicy Fruit Gum-like white wine. Read more: Wine review: Menage a Trois 2008 White Blend It’s probably a smart idea for the producers of these wines not to tout that the grapes hail from Greece. Although this region pretty much invented wine, Greece hasn’t exactly sustained a stellar reputation in recent years. But maybe Elios can break that cycle. Read more: Affordable wine reviews: Elios Mediterranean Red and White This California winery boasts a fantastically talented French winemaker who crafts decidedly European-style white and red wines. In essence: food wines with more acidity. This is a “grown-up” Sauvignon Blanc. Read more: Wine review: Matanzas Creek 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma (California) I’m not ashamed to admit that I respect and admire Paul Dolan, his biodynamic and organic farming philosophies and his vision for the future. The hard work shows up in the glass bottle after bottle, including this one. Read more: Wine review: Paul Dolan 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino The fancy name — Pouilly Fuissé — might scare people off from checking out this wine, but don’t be intimidated. With fruit and acidity like this, it’s not scared of you. Pouilly Fuissé is a subregion of Maconnais in France’s Burgundy area (this might make it clearer: France > Burgundy > Mâconnais > Poully Fuissé), where Chardonnay roams free from oak aging. This makes it great wine for pairing with food. A to Z, a winery whose clever slogan is “aristocratic wines at democratic prices”, is a partnership of some of the best talent in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. If you’ve tried (and enjoyed) wines from Penner Ash, Rex Hill or Chehelem, you’ll love what’s in bottles of A to Z. Read more: Wine reviews: A to Z 2007 Riesling Oregon and A to Z 2008 Pinot Noir Oregon |
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