Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
Retailers are selling out white wines that, ten or 15 years ago, consumers would hardly ever look at. While wines like Italian Pinot Grigio and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc still strike a chord, today's wine lovers no longer think twice about venturing into wines made from grapes such as Albariño, Vermentino, Torrontés, Grechetto or Falanghina, and they're even coming back to "old school" wines like Soave, Vinho Verde and good old-fashioned French Chablis, Mâcon and Vouvray. Why? Because these wines are not buttery, not heavy, not oaky and not mushy. Sauvignon Blanc: Green or Not-Too-Green There is a sea of good Sauvignon Blanc out on the market—so how do you delineate them? For many consumers, the unrepentently green-herbal styles of New Zealand— nicely unoaked, but tasting none-too-subtlely of asparagus or bell pepper, with sharp squeezes of lemon zapped by smidgens of residual sugar—represent one distinct style, epitomized by the many tip-top sellers from Marlborough, including the Sileni Estates 2012 ($14), Fernz 2011 ($14), Whitehaven 2012 ($14) and Astrolabe 2012 ($22). In California, by way of contrast, herbaceousness has long been considered a flaw in Sauvignon Blanc. Hence, the amazingly subtle (a word never associated with New Zealand bottlings), silken laced, lavender and violet/floral nuanced VML Limited Release 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley ($22). Another California classic? The purely honeydew-ish, creamy textured Matanzas Creek 2011 ($21) from Bennett Valley. DFV Has Whites for Any Summer Occasion The Indelicato family traces their winegrowing heritage to Gasparé Indelicato, who emigrated from Campobello, Italy to plant his own first vineyard in California in 1924. Today the family's DFV Wines encompasses vineyards in the eastern hills of Lodi (Clay Station), Monterey (San Bernabe) and, most recently, the ultra-premium Black Stallion, established in Napa Valley's Oak Knoll AVA in 2007 . Black Stallion Estate Winery 2010 Chardonnay, Napa Valley ($17) is an outwardly crisp, silky, light-medium bodied style of the grape, crafted with a distinct sense of balance—just slivers of vanilla oak adding honeysuckle notes to long, lingering, bright apple/pineapple varietal qualities. This wine positively cries out for grilled chicken or fish with tropical fruit salsas. Exploring the market for new, lower alcohol styles of wines, DFV has also recently introduced its SEQUIN brand. The SEQUIN 2011 Pinot Grigio, California ($12) is packaged as "Delicately Bubbled"— indeed, each bottle pours out with a light, brimming effervescence, and at just 9.5% alcohol, its off-dry fruitiness wells up with flavors of lush pear, crisp apple and zesty citrus. Easy as Sunday morning—or summer afternoons on the deck—with prosciutto wrapped melon and soft cheeses. Brilliant Blends When wineries blend grape varieties, the objective is no longer any kind of "varietal" definition, but rather an artistic style. Clearly, the Halter Ranch 2012 Côtes de Paso Blanc ($28) is designed particularly for new-gen june 2013 / the tasting panel / 149 TP0613_120-156.indd 149 5/23/13 4:56 PM