Seacliff Sauvignon Blanc '06

Country: USA
Region: California
Thoughts: I was listening to the 3 Wine Guys' podcast a week or so ago when one of them said something that struck me. When they started that little adventure, he said, they were picking out wines that appealed to them. But over the course of time, as they became more knowledgeable, having varietally correct wines became just as important. So this Seacliff, purchased during the binge at World Market some time ago, came off as just another wine. Yes, it wasn't bad and yes, I'd consider doing it over again. But there wasn't one characteristic of sauv that I was able to pick out. The nose was kind of fresh, but not in the way I'd come to expect with a sauv. The taste was dry with big hints of orange, but nothing in the way of what I'd come to expect from a sauv. So I suppose I'm at a crossroads. Do I want to keep tasting wines as I have been? Or is it time to incorporate whether a wine held true to its characteristic? Maybe it's just time to give weight to both. I mean, I probably wouldn't have guessed this was a sauv; I might have said a shitty pinot. But in the end, the wine has to be good and those standards over in the right-hand column still apply. I still want to be wowed, but I guess now I want a greater context, too.
Do-over? Perhaps
Final Grade: C+

Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio '06

Country: Italy
Thoughts: It's good to be back. A rough work schedule and bouts with the typical winter colds prevented us from digging into the wine bin over the past few weeks. We hope that can change now that we're mostly over the colds - we hope, anyway. You'll also notice that the pic is considerably different; this was a chance to me to show off the latest computer purchase, a copy of Photoshop Elements (bought for a completely different purpose than this). The shadow was created by me; and, admittedly, this was done pretty half-assed. There's a lot wrong with it aesthetically, or at least it seems so to me. But I'm not at work and I've got other things to do tonight. So you get what you get. Perhaps by now you've noticed I'm beating around the bush. Truth is, there's not much to report about this wine. There was nothing I could detect on the nose. And there seemed to be nothing to the taste. The only comparison I could make - and anyone who knows me knows that there is nothing more damning than this - was that it tasted like Coors Light. You know, the whole sex in a canoe thing. So I've tried to gussie this thing up a little by prattering on about nothing, which seems wholly apropos.
Do-over? Nope
Final Grade: D

Terra Barossa Eden Valley Pinot Grigio '07

Country: Australia
Thoughts: As D.C. gets pummeled with a snowstorm - five inches or better, supposedly - there was no better time to jump back in and get with the wine tastings. The poor fridge is bursting at the seams, for heaven's sake. While on a recent assignment, I happened to be in a town that had a nice little wine shop, or so I'd read. When I found some time to slip away, I did so. And this one caught my eye. I thought, hmmm, a pinot from Australia; you don't see many of those. (If I had any sort of memory, I might have recalled that, in fact, I had already done a pinot from Australia.) But I came at this one from a different angle: Could I taste the difference between this, the Aussie version, and the other pinots I've tried - which, with a handful of exceptions, came from the U.S. or Italy? Not only could I taste a difference, it almost seemed like this was a different grape altogether. The Lindemans largely held true to form; this did not. In many ways, from nose to tongue, it had more elements of a sauvignon blanc than a pinot. This was fruit backward, to twist a phrase, with hints of stoniness and earthiness coming here and there. It was restrained; the rush of flavor never really happened. Additionally, it didn't seem to have a lot of structure to it. The slight earthiness was there, and that was about it. Still, it didn't taste bad, and was considerably different than the other pinots I've had. An example of extreme terroir, perhaps?
Do-over? It would depend on my mood
Final Grade: C+