Picket Fence Chardonnay '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Sonoma)
Thoughts: The wine bar we visited for lunch had a special: all glasses of wine for $5 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. So what the heck, why not try a wine that normally ran for $10.50? I wasn't disappointed, either. The wine welcomed me with a nose that was like a bouquet of flowers. It was a little spicy (though, like the other day, the Tuscan-Special sandwich may have had something to do with that). Yet it seemed to strike an interesting balance between dry and sweet; at times it was one, at times it was the other - sometimes during the same sip. Very nicely done, though not quite on par with yesterday's French chardonnay.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: A-

Lolonis Fume Blanc '05

Country: USA
Region: California (Mendocino)
Thoughts: I've had precious little experience with fume blanc, though I suppose I could say that about any wine, really. With that, I found this wine to be dry though not terribly overbearing, though the dryness grew a bit with each sip. It felt mellow, it seemed welcoming; I figured this would be a good wine to end a hard day of work. Back before I started this grand experiment, this is what I thought wines would taste like - for better and for worse.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: B

Joseph Drouhin Laforet Bourgogne Chardonnay '06

Country: France

Thoughts: My wife's uncle (that's my wife in the pic) described this chardonnay as unoaked, i.e. no aging in oak barrels. He said he believed California chardonnay had been too far changed from the original recipe, first by the continual use of oak barrels to age and later by the addition of butter. This, thankfully, featured none of that. And if this is what chardonnay is supposed to be, than I'm a bigger fan than I thought. The nose was wonderfully sweet, the taste was low-key yet complex. Very smooth, understated and excellent. Among the best wines I've ever tasted.

Do-over? Yes

Final Grade: A

A to Z Pinot Gris '06

Country: USA

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Thoughts: This one came highly recommended from my in-laws and it didn't disappoint. The nose was sweet, an inviting fragrance. Each sip was smooth with no aftertaste, very mellow and very well done. I certainly hope I can get this back home.

Do-over? Yes

Final Grade: B

Big Fire Pinot Gris '06

Country: USA

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Winemaker: R. Stuart & Co. Winery
Thoughts: Simply put, this wine is why I've started writing this blog. My wife and I had it for my birthday dinner a few years ago and it was this that sparked my curiosity in wine; its inclusion appears for posterity, since I'd made up my mind long ago about its quality. It has a very sweet, complex nose - like a strum, I wrote, with several components coming together in one harmonious whole. The first sip is sweet and smooth with more than a hint of oakiness (which later morphed into a bit of a honey taste). It jumped on the tip of my tongue, almost like it was carbonated. Thanks to the efforts of several, the wine did not last long; were it in my stead alone, it would have incurred the same fate.
Do-over? Absolutely
Final Grade: A-

Francois Cazin Cheverny '06

Country: France

Winemaker: Louis/Dressner Selections

Thoughts: I had never heard of cheverny before sitting down at the wine bar. But our hostess recommended it, so my wife and I split a glass (she also had half a glass of the Trinity). The nose was earthy but fragrant, but the taste was quite different: the earthiness remained, but it was far sweeter than I would have guessed it would be. Sadly, the sweetness didn't linger; the earthiness seemed to become more prevalent with each passing sip. Finally, by the fifth try, the word flashed into my mind: obnoxious. There was no reason to let it linger on the tongue. When my wife wasn't looking, I took back the pinot gris.
Ingredients: 70 percent sauvignon blanc, 30 percent chardonnay

Do-over? No

Final Grade: C-
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EDITED to include ingredients and change the label from Cheverny to blended; hey, I'm still getting used to French appellations.

Trinity Pinot Gris '05

Country: USA
Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.
Thoughts: Granted, this is only Wine No. 6, but this had the best nose of any of the six (and, really, among the best of any I can remember). It seemed quite spicy, though that simply could have been a leftover taste from the fine Super-Tuscan sandwich I had moments before. My sister-in-law, Maya, promised that we'd be left with a taste of honey after each sip - and she was right. But each sip was a delight too, something for every corner of the tongue. Or maybe it was just all some giant reaction from the sandwich.
Do-over? Yes
Final Grade: B+