My sister said she'd found her summertime wine, so following her recommendation, I grabbed the bottle on the right, Vine Yard 2009 Pinot Gris from Fresh & Easy ($8.99).
Ever been to a fancy spa that's got a fancy glass water jar filled with ice water and fancy lemons or cucumbers or some other fancy addition floating at the top? This wine reminded me of sitting in my loaner robe and filling up my plastic cup with that flavored water. The first sip I think, "Yum, why don't I ever think of marinating my water with fancy fruit." Then sip 2 realize that I like my water to taste like water, that's why! This wine tasted like wine flavored water. That's not good.
It was cold. It was refreshing. It was smooth. But taste? Nah, not my thing. I haven't come up with a ranking system yet, so I stick to a report card style grading.
Grade: D
The bottle on the left, OFV 2009 Pinot Gris ($16.99) from Willamette Valley is the 2nd time I've grabbed it from Total Wine. I first found it looking for a bottle to pair with Sea Bass. It was phenomenal. So the second visit, without food, I still really liked it. I tasted a bit more mineral flavor, which is fine with me. But also had a lot citrus flavor, very smooth. Not to sound too snooty, but definitely pear and grapefruit going on. I would recommend it with food, but it stood up just fine flying solo. Considering Pinot Gris is far from my favorite white, and I still loved it...
Grade: A-
Finally, The Crossings 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (around $10?). This was still in the refrigerator from Thanksgiving. My in-laws are into New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc's and I'm really glad they bought it and I found it. This bottle was the perfect compliment to a beautiful Saturday afternoon. It was light, zesty, citrusy, but definitely not too sweet. Great stuff.
Grade: B+
