Inspired, But Not Really Impressed

Kim Crawford 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($12.97)


We opened the popular Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc the other night. It was somewhere between ok and good. It smelled like a bag of Skittles, very tropical fruity as the bottle said it would be. The bottle also said I'd smell grass, but I didn't sneeze when I took a whiff. It had a little too much grapefruit tart for my taste. Beth said she tasted grass and swears she didn't hear me talking about the back label with my mother-in-law. Grass? Really?

Anyway, this bottle gave me an idea for a new rating scale. A 1-4 scale to coincide with the letter grade that I use now. Let me run it by you:

1- Dump it. Regardless of price.
2- Just alright. Maybe save it for tomorrow but have no intentions of polishing off the bottle.
3- Pretty good. Pour it out evenly and enjoy.
4- Great. Hope you get more than your fair share, especially if drinking with someone who may not appreciate it.

Grade: B- / 2.5
Beth's Grade: C+

Tour de Trader Joe's

Nobilo 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($9.99) New Zealand

A few weeks back we shopped at TJ's and I decided to pick up a few Sauvignon Blanc's while I was at it. The best of the bunch, easily, was this from where else? Marlborough New Zealand. I'm pretty convinced that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc should roll off the tongue like Chilean Sea Bass. It's a pretty safe bet.

Everything one would like in a Sauvignon Blanc, this had. Just enough zip, citrus, pineapple, green apple goodness. Well worth it.

Grade: B+

Sauvignon Republic 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99) New Zealand


Ok, I should add to the above post that Sauvignon Blanc's from Marlborough New Zealand are a pretty safe bet unless they're priced under $7 and have a cheesy label. Even as I was grabbing this, I thought the label reminded me of Fish Eye or Yellowtail. Damn. I hate falling for cheesy labels.

This wasn't so good. I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.

Grade: D

Fetzer 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($5.99)


Let me start by saying I've been a fan of Fetzer Reisling and Gerurztaminer. I'll stick with Fetzer's sweeter stuff from here on out.

This bottle fell into the "wine flavored water" category at first, then finished with a tanniny, both sides of the tongue bite that wasn't so pleasant. Not a good combo. We corked it, came back to it a night later, then dumped it.

Grade: D-

Summer Time, Let's Crack Some White!

We had a break from "June Gloom," and got a beautiful Southern California Saturday afternoon. Time for some refreshing whites! With a friend over, chatting under the umbrella in the back yard, I end up opening these 3 bottles. Let's discuss (or, allow me to discuss)...

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+