Herding Cats '07

Country: South Africa
Thoughts: Once again, I try to pick wines and not be influenced by the label. But my wife and I went shopping early Sunday morning, since one of us can't seem to sleep in any more because of the early waking hours these days. Anyway, my wife let me slip down the wine aisle - always a mistake - and I found rather slim pickings (it was a nice but very ordinary Safeway, after all). Still, this stood out; how could I not get it? We have enough trouble rounding up Hank for his twice-daily antibiotics (that's Grace in the photo, if you were wondering). If nothing else, the wine was apropos. That it happened to be an interesting blend made it a slam dunk. But the wine was mostly show, sadly. The nose was very dry and very nearly unappealing. The taste was likewise dry, a little chewy. Citrus undercurrents were noticeable, but they really didn't add much; instead, it was more the sourness that's common in all citrus fruits but without the sweetness that keeps us coming back to oranges and the like. The finish was non-existent. On the hole, it wasn't as bad as the nose implied it would be; but it certainly wasn't good enough to get again. At least Hank got his medicine eventually, so the night was hardly a total loss.
Ingredients: 80 percent chenin blanc, 20 percent chardonnay
Do-over? Just like herding cats, it was hard to corner a real strength to this wine. So, no.
Final Grade: C-