Conundrum White Table Wine '05

Country: USA

Region: California

Thoughts: You'll remember back when I reviewed Evolution 11 that I referenced Dr. Z was quite displeased with Susan Sokol. Instead, he recommended Conundrum, whose winemaker was, he assured, nicer than Ms. Sokol. That may be true, but I didn't find the wine particularly compelling. There was a noticeable honeyness to the bouquet along with the requisite fruitiness. I had just come from several bites of delicious dirt dessert, so it took some time for the taste buds to reacclimate. The first sip came across as big and bold - which one might expect - but the boldness didn't hold. Initially, the finish was dry with a nice fadeout, but that too disappeared soon after. It was decent in its own right, I suppose, but it failed to grab me. And given how I've enjoyed the blended whites that I've had, I found that most disappointing. Head to head with Evolution, it's not a contest. Evolution is a better wine and seven bucks cheaper, too.

Ingredients: The mix is proprietary, but this vintage included sauvignon blanc, muscat, viognier and chardonnay

Do-over? Not when Evolution is better and cheaper

Final Grade: C