Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Chardonnay '06

Country: Australia
Thoughts: Yes, it bugs the hell out of me that the name isn't Wolf Blass President's Selection Chardonnay. Just writing "Presidents" has no meaning... unless they mean something else what what I'm seeing. Sorry for the aside, but these things gnaw at me. Earlier in the night, while my wife and I were watching Ohio State-Penn State, she casually referred to the Lions as "we." I patiently explained why that also bugged the hell out of me - we're not on the sideline, we're not a part of the team, therefore no "we." Her alma mater, the University of Washington? Cool, that's acceptable. So is "we" for Moravian, my alma mater (and a 23-17 win over Juniata today, I might add). But not for Penn State, who neither of us has a connection to. She just chalked it up to one of my foibles... but I digress. I went with an Australian chard because I felt like it would be a whole lot more doable than the oaky chards from California. And it was - to a degree. With an untested tongue, I got an incredible array of flavors from the first sip: a quickly-fading apple which complemented a chalky nose. The wine was doing well until it hit the back half of my tongue, when it seemed to turn insanely dry and lead to a crisp finish. Since it was my first drink of the night, I'm willing to chalk it up to an unready palate. Anyway, it was an adventurous first sip, which gives it a solid rating initially. The problem was that the adventure didn't hold up for very long; by the second glass, I felt like what I was drinking was wholly non-descript and unworthy of the praise I had previously given it. It was an OK wine - I've definitely had better and I've certainly had worse.
Do-over? Only for instances in which there is no other alternative
Final Grade: C+

Two Vines Columbia Crest White '06

Country: USA
Region: Washington
Thoughts: I must say kudos to my in-laws, who picked out nothing but winners from the wine shop at Wegman's (which, I'm proud to say, they thought was a pretty sweet place). This was a curious blend - the ingredients are below - which made for a very sweet yet floral nose. As usual, the scent gave hints of what was to come: It was indeed sweet tasting, but not to the level of a dessert wine or even a riesling. I was hoping for a better counterbalance with some dryness; there was some, but it wasn't anything I would really call "dry." I know it sounds stupid, but I'm thinking terms of degrees here - like on one end there's your super sweet wines and on the other there's your super dry wines and somewhere there's a midpoint. The primary flavors in this wine weren't on the extreme end, but a few notches away. So while it was perfectly acceptable to me, it wasn't anything that thrilled me.
Ingredients: The percentages weren't listed, but it included chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon
Do-over? Yeah, I'd have no problem with that
Final Grade: B

Chateau St. Michelle Pinot Gris '07

Country: USA
Region: Washington

Thoughts: Yes, the wine joins an empty Gentleman Jack bottle - merely for effect. The nose on the wine (not the Gentleman Jack) was fruity and lush; the telltale citrus flavor was there, but so was a hint of pine needles - giving the fruitiness an unusual crispness. On the tongue, that lushness of fruit was still there, though it faded into the background a bit. Replacing it was a refreshing bit of honey. It mixed wonderfully with the citrus, which seemed to be closer to orange than anything. (And my deepest apologies for the gibberish that appeared last night, after I'd tried one too many wines.)

Do-over? Yes, I'd say so

Final Grade: B+

EDITED so that this entry sounds partially intelligible...

Antinori Champogrande Orvieto Classico '05

Country: Italy

Thoughts: The region and the terroir came highly recommended by my astute in-laws. Not so long ago, they said, an Italian restaurant in Bend offered selections from Orvieto Classico, and that recommendation was good enough for me. First, though, a note on the wine: The label seemed to indicate it was a blend of locally available grapes, though it didn't specify which ones - for shame. Still, it was a quality drink; the best way I could describe it is like this: pinot grigio on steroids. The lushness, the citrusness of your typical pinot grigio seemed to be there - but it was somehow amplified. There seemed to be a caramel characteristic to it, particularly in the finish. Said finish held long and made for a satisfying end to this winner.

Do-over? Yup

Final Grade: A-

Heron Chardonnay '06

Country: USA
Region: California

Thoughts: It seems like there's a glut of highly-rated wines; there's a reason for it. With my in-laws picking up some selections for us, we're able to rely on what they've tried and what they've liked. When I'm buying, I'm mostly picking blindly, so there's a much better chance for a loser to slip in there. And this is another of those solid wines. The nose was oaky, hiding the fruitiness that abound when wine met tongue. There was fruitiness there, though it was pretty mellow at the same time. After a second or two of swishing it around, there was an odd sensation, almost like it was waxy. Obviously, it wasn't really waxy, but the mouthfeel was most unusual. Undaunted, I kept swirling and a dryness came in to play. The finish was mildly explosive, capping a solid wine indeed. (And yes, I chose the setting for the picture for the most immature of reasons. I can hear the Wheat Thins now: "Dude, are there any Twinkies around here?")

Do-over? Yup

Final Grade: A-

Hogue Pinot Grigio '07

Country: USA
Region: Washington

Thoughts: I've seen Hogue all over the place but never had much of a reason to try it; perhaps because I saw it all over the place was precisely the reason I didn't try it. But it got a healthy endorsement from the in-laws. "It's like a house wine for us," my father-in-law said. Indeed, it was pretty solid; it had all my favorite aspects of a pinot grigio - the fruitiness and the lushness - but it also seemed to have an underpinning of caramel as well. It was a very enjoyable drink and, if I remember right, the price is decent too. While the bigger bottles are more economical for us, I would have no problem with Hogue becoming our house wine, too.

Do-over? Certainly

Final Grade: B+

Soave La Cappuccina '07

Country: Italy
Thoughts: Bob, my father-in-law, seemed excited for me to try this Italian. It's not one I've heard of, but the back label said it was made of 100 percent garganega. Wiki says the grape can produce lemon, almond and spicy notes; I can't specifically remember any of those, but the nose was interesting in a floral sense. Like our other wine tonight, it had hints of oakiness - though not nearly as prominent as the viognier - and was also mellow and dry. The finish exacerbated the dryness, giving it a spritely feel as it went down the hatch. It was an interesting drink and it reminded me of a more hardy sort of chardonnay. At any rate, it was a good sipping wine and was easily enjoyable as the night closed by watching Boise State close out Hawaii.
Do-over? Yeah, I would say so
Final Grade: B+

Fess Parker Viognier '06

Country: USA
Region: California
Thoughts: It seems like time and again, I hit on the same varietals - chard, pinot grigio and maybe a couple others. Viognier's peen pretty under represented; this makes only the fourth one I've had in our grand experiment. Perhaps there's a reason for it: None of them have scored terribly high. But, always one to get back on the horse, we pushed forward with the Fess Parker offering, served up the by the folks at Restaurant 3. (Truth be told, our first option, a pinot blanc from Alsace, was sold out.) This was my father-in-law's pick, and it went nicely with the wonderful food at R3. In the nose and in taste, it had a defining oaky characteristic, not unlike one would expect to find with certain chardonnays. It certainly changed the wine profile on a larger scale, I thought; the oakiness helped make it a little more low key - mellow seemed too strong a description - with an underriding dryness. It was an excellent wine to sip, and made dinner and conversation all the more enjoyable.
Do-over? So far, it's the best of the viogniers, so yes
Final Grade: B+

Val do Sosego Albarino

Country: Spain
Thoughts: Once again, I'm honored to have a guest: It's my mother-in-law, Chris, who gamely volunteered to be part of the blog. She's holding a bottle of our latest Albarino, which didn't seem to show any vintage. Usually that's a concern, but I had remembered having a good experience with albarino in the past (though, as usual, my memory was a little hazy). Still, I rushed headlong into the albarino, expecting good things; I was only mildly disappointed. The nose was entirely too grapy, like I was burying my nose into a quart of Welch's. Eventually the nose tilted toward floral, after my nostrils had flown the white surrender flag. The taste was fairly crisp and was reminiscent of a light chard; a light, sparkly finish completed the drink. Though this one won't rate high (and neither did the last one, if you clicked the link), I continue to see promise in albarino. I'm confident that one day, I'll find one that blows me away.
Do-over? Not unless this becomes the high-water mark in my quest for stunning albarino

Final Grade: B-

Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon '06

Country: USA
Region: California
Thoughts: OK, so it doesn't take a sommelier to know that I've departed from the norm here; I just want everyone to know that I try to keep an open mind about all wine. Yes, the secret is out: I tried a red. Oh, I've tried them before, but I've yet to find one that interests me enough to come back for more. So with my in-laws (wine-savvy in-laws at that) in for a visit, they tried this cab and pronounced it to be a good value and an excellent wine. I even had a bit myself, and tried the same process by which I've evaluated every wine on here. I only had a tiny bit; the nose was non-existent to me, though that very well could have been different with a full glass. The little nose I did get was musty, like an attic that hasn't been visited in more than a year. On the tongue, it was everything that had kept me from becoming a true believer in reds: sharp with a buttery aftertaste. I found zero complexity - again, possibly owing to my complete lack of experience - and a hard-edged, single flavor to it. I may yet stumble across a red that I can tolerate; but if this one - a wine hailed by people I trust - didn't do it for me, it's hard to imagine that there's one that will.
Do-over? N/A

Final Grade:N/A

3 Blind Moose Pinot Grigio '07

Country: USA
Region: California
Thoughts: I should have studied the label a little better. Instead, the humorous drawing caught my attention; dammit, when will I learn to not be influenced solely by the catchiness of the name? Anyway, the location on the label simply read California; even with most of the other California wines I've had on here, a more distinct location was noted: Sonoma County, Lake County, Mendocino County. Per AVA rules, a wine that lists a location must use a certain percentage of grapes from that location (say, 80 percent or so, possibly higher). California isn't an AVA by itself, of course; instead, one can assume that 3 Blind Moose gets its grapes from a number of sources around the state. From what I've read, this should be a warning sign of a lesser-quality wine; by using such a large assortment of grapes from heaven knows where, the characteristics of a region's vineyards - the terroir - is lost. I don't think I'm at that point yet, but I want to be able to see what's the difference between a Napa pinot and an Oregon pinot. By casting a net so wide, 3BM can't tell me that. And really, it showed up in the wine too; you all know my affection for pinot grigio, but the 3BM was wholly bland. The nose was light and indiscernible after just a few sips; the taste was lightly cirtusy with no depth or complexity. It was disappointing, but I should've known what I was getting myself into...
Do-over? No chance

Final Grade: C-

Barboursville Virginia Chardonnay '06

Country: USA
Region: Virginia
Thoughts: In the past, we've had limited success with East Coast wines; the lone Virginia wine was less than a success. But I was willing to come back and try Virginia again, since Barboursville was the lone state winery represented in a massive Wine Spectator grading issue I had from several months back. The lesson being, for me anyway, is that if Wine Spectator judges it good enough to review, your damn right it's good enough for me to try. And I'm glad I did. Short of the Stags Leap, this was one of the best chards we've had the pleasure of trying. I remember the Picket Fence being strong and likeable, but I have to think this is even stronger. It was mellow, unoaked, and thoroughly enjoyable. It was crisp and dry, yet altogether drinkable. Really, it's hard to describe; other than to say that my wife - with a distinct West Coast bias - proclaimed it to be really good. We don't throw around A's very often, but this is most certainly in the discussion.
Do-over? Absolutely

Final Grade: A-

Trinchero Mary's Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc '05

Country: USA
Region: Napa
Thoughts: I knew this one was going to be interesting from the get-go. I opened the bottle and, with the cork a foot away from my nose, I caught a whiff of what the wine had in store. As I sat on the La-Z-Boy and contemplated football, life and wine, I had the glass better than two feet from my nose. From time to time, I got a whiff. So I knew the bouquet was going to be loud, and it didn't disappoint when I stuck my nose in the glass. Yet it was a mild nose; the sweetness that I caught from so far away was readily apparent. That sweetness held up in the taste; really, it was nothing like the typical sauvignon blanc: no earthiness, no minerality in any aspect of the wine. Instead, it was sweet that turned drier as the glass got emptier. Still, it was a rather enjoyable wine, and I had absolutely no problem going back for a second glass.
Do-over? When I'm looking for a different kind of sauvignon blanc
Final Grade: B+