Grand Pacific Starliner White '05

Country: USA
Region: Napa (St. Helena)
Thoughts: Throughout this experiment, I've promised myself two things: First, unless I had a damn good reason, I wasn't going to review anything from the mega-wineries; you know, Kendall-Jackson, Yellow Tail, those types. Second, I wasn't going to be influenced by a pretty label; maybe those wines are good and maybe they're not, but I can't help but feel the overly attractive label tries to make up for an underachieving wine. Admittedly, it's my own bias, but it seems like a warped Little Napoleon syndrome. And, on this wine, I was suckered in with the label of a 1950s era passenger train; trains have always been a love. (And note to winemakers: put a jetliner on your label, I'll probably buy a case.) I know, I know, on with it: The sauvignon blanc really came through in the nose, relegating any fruitiness to the deep background. But on the taste, the blanc was nowhere to be found, replaced by more muted fruitiness and a strong hint of vanilla, which seemed to mellow the wine out. During the finish, the vanilla remained before fading softly. My wife didn't seem to care for it, but I had no problem with it. It seemed to me to be a good sipping wine, but it didn't give me anything unexpected. What you saw was what you got; there were no adventures to be had, and that was a downer for me. (And, if you're wondering about the pic, it gave me a chance to show off our new bargain-basement wine fridge, an $80 steal off of Overstock.com, thanks to a tip on the Wine Woot forums.)
Ingredients: Proportions aren't listed, but the ingredients are sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and muscat canelli.
Do-over? I'm cool with it
Final Grade: B-