Washington Hills Riesling '05

Country: USA
Region: Columbia Valley, Wash.
Thoughts: Somewhere in the recesses of my mind is a memory of me trying and liking riesling. This was before I ever took wine seriously, so I was unsure how the memory stacked up with what I know of wine now; all I remembered that riesling was sweet. So it was with this backdrop that we popped open Washington Hills' version. The nose was vibrant, almost alive with fragrance; in a similar vein, though more intense, than several of the pinot grigios I've had. The taste sure was sweet; it didn't disappoint in that area. I had to shake off the initial shock of it, much like one might do after that initial shot of whiskey. You shake your head, settle everything down and get back in the game. Once I did that, I noticed an clear-cut apple taste (I guess not surprising for a Washington riesling) with notes of honey and caramel as well. I was able to get past the overwhelming fruitiness and sweetness in three sips; from then out, it turned smoother and crisper, but it never let me forget the sweetness. "That's riesling, honey," my wife said. Indeed.
Do-over? Yes, when I'm looking for something bolder
Final Grade: B+

Bandon Pinot Grigio '04

Country: USA

Region: Southern Oregon

Thoughts: I fear that my thoughts on this wine will be largely inconsequential. Its domain name (bandonwinery.com, per the cork) has expired and I can find no information on the winery through a number of Google searches. But I press on for what it's worth: The nose was typically pinot grigio, though it seemed to be overwhelmed by an oaky smell, which singlehandedly prevented me from getting any other scents from coming through. The taste was markedly different; the oakiness came through, but was much more subtle. The dominant note was fruitiness, what seemed to be mellons to be me. In subsequent sips, the oakiness and the fruitiness seemed to alternate taking center stage.

Do-over? Perhaps, if I could confirm the vineyard still existed

Final Grade: B-

Rosa Bianca Pink Pinot Grigio '07

Country: Italy

Thoughts: Well, if Grace the cat didn't have such dark fur, and if I could figure out how to work a freaking camera phone, then we wouldn't have such crappy photos. At any rate, this seemed to be a rather unusual wine when we picked up a few weeks ago: a pinot grigio, but rose! Seemed gimmicky, but I was down with giving it a try. As it turns out, we weren't disappointed. My lovely wife astutely pointed out that the nose was like that of any pinot grigio; I concurred that the nose was very inviting. On first taste, it seemed a little drier to me; my wife believed that this was some of the red wine coming out. But it mostly tasted like a pinot grigio with hints of strawberry. Good and smooth. We didn't know quite what to expect, but wound up finding a pleasant little surprise.

Ingredients: I looked all over the place and couldn't find any info.

Do-over? Sure, when we're in the mood for something off-the-wall

Final Grade: B

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc '06

Country: South Africa

Thoughts: A lovely nose on this wine, except that I couldn't tell if it was many aromas or just one. Kind of like a guitar strum - is it one note, or is it many? At any rate, the wine itself was quite dry; not overpowering, but mellow - and mellowed even more in subsequent tastes. My wife pointed out a mellon-y flavor, which I caught a whiff of but not enough to make a definitive judgment. A drinkable wine to be sure, though I'm not certain it can hang its hat on any one aspect of itself. And good gravy I need to work on finding better light when I takes these pics.

Do-over? Why not?

Final Grade: B

Coastline Pinot Grigio '06

Country: USA
Region: California (Monterey)
Thoughts: This wine took me back home, which I'm not entirely sure is a good thing. The nose was quite floral, but the overriding scent seemed to be honey. At the time, it smelled just like a light barley to me, just like you'd find in beer. On the tongue, the barley (or honey) theme continued; though there were other flavors, the honey/barley dominated them rather easily. In all, it reminded me of my favorite beer, Yuengling Lager, a smooth, drinkable beer with a malty aftertaste. But is that what I'm looking for in a wine?
Do-over? For the right price - or when I'm feeling homesick
Final Grade: B-

D'oh

A quick correction: That's Angeline in the previous post, not Angelique.

I got the idea I may be wrong when we went wine shopping last night and I saw that familiar, elegant label. My apologies for any confusion.

I am happy to report I was able to get back on the sauvignon blanc horse. After the bad experience with the Angeline, I sampled another version and found it much more palatable. We brought a bottle of it home, so it will appear here when we crack it open.

We're having friends over tonight, so that will certainly provide an excuse to try out some new stuff. So keep your eyes pealed for some new reviews coming.

Angelique Sauvignon Blanc '06

Country: USA

Region: California (Russian River Valley)

Winemaker: Martin Ray Winery

Thoughts: It's entirely possible I'm really out of practice, but this did nothing for me. The nose smelled weird to me, which started us off on a bad foot. "No," my wife reassured, "that's what sauvignon blanc is supposed to smell like." Alright, then. The nose was overpowering; the first word that leaped into my mind was "loud." The taste was harsh at the beginning; it smoothed out nicely for my wife - "I'd drink this again," she said - but not for me. She advised that I keep it on the front of my tongue. I did, but it didn't help. It tasted like, well, wine, or at least the version of wine that I had in mind before I started this little experiment. It had a terribly dry aftertaste, which was a turn-off for me. (And my deepest apologies on the poorly lit photo; I'll try and take another during the daytime.)

Do-over? Not for me

Final Grade: D