the sauvignon challenge

Well, Monday felt like Sunday and Tuesday felt like Monday and here I am on Wednesday. Oops, but all that extra time gave me time to shop around for some summer wines. We went hunting for some great New World Sauvignon Blancs to drink on the patio. The following is a list of what we found (vintages excluded until tasting):
Flagstone (South Africa)
Rock Rabbit (Central Coast, California), 2nd purchase
Saint Clair 'The Vicar's Choice' (Marlborough, New Zealand), revisit - new vintage
The Sauvignon Republic (Russian River Valley, California)
The Sauvignon Republic (Marlborough, New Zealand)
Ferrari-Carano Fume-Blanc (Sonoma County, California), revisit - new vintage
Gallo (California), 9th or 10th purchase
Parducci (Mendocino County, California)

We decided to post the list to see if anyone wanted to join us in the challenge, grab these wines and post a comment on what they think. We also opted for new world b/c we felt it would be a bit easier to focus our notes, we'll see if that actually happens.

We decided to start with the Saint Clair 'Vicar's Choice' from Marlborough as this wine had disappeared for a while, our helper at the store said it was due to transport issues. We didn't care, feeling that the absence created some excitement for us. Would it be as good as remembered or would it fall flat. Well flat it wasn't, yum it is, a perfect sipper with our funky dinner. The nose delivered with rich gooseberry and kiwi and the flavour followed through with gooseberry, melon and grapefruit-citrus; there was a tiny hint of fresh cut lawn. Crisp, acidic finish though not as crisp as the Thornbury if memory serves correct. The Thornbury was also very smooth and I think in comparison wasn't so fruit forward. Both are interesting styles from a great Sauvignon Blanc region. Most enjoyable aspect- that it was so food friendly. We made quesadilla, an untraditional match for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but it really worked. My partner really enjoys spicy salsa and the wine had enough fruitiness/sweetness to cut the heat.

So to sum it up...
Winery: Saint Clair
Series: The Vicar's Choice
Vintage: 2005
Appellation: Marlborough, New Zealand
Closure: Stelvin
Format: 75cl
Price: $18
Had with: dinner - chicken quesadilla; dessert - fresh fruit salad
Recommend: yes, b/c or pairability and sipability.

Next week: Parducci and a red.

back with a plan

My work has calmed down and my travel has ended and I have time to blog again. It feels good. I have decided to come back with a plan. I have decided to do regular blogs on Tuesdays. Why you ask? This gives me the weekend to sort through my notes and decide which wines to sum up and time to research for websites, etc. I like routine and I hope by having a regular day I can establish a better dialogue with readers.

My first return post is not about a particular wine but about particular glasses. My partner and I have spent the last 2 years investing in Riedel glasses to enhance our wine experience. My favourite purchase was the Riedel 'O' s we bought in March. Though we found various prices by calling all over town we opted with the store closet to home, not the cheapest but had the best stock and the staff we talked to knew a lot about the glasses. The 'O' is a stemless glass that is perfect for summer time. No need to worry about the wine blowing your glass over on the patio, or your clumsy mom knocking them over, the glass is not that high and they kind of 'weeble-wobble but don't fall down'. The best part about the 'O' is it is still grape specific shape, so you get the nose , the palate placement and the enhanced taste in a fun glass. This will be the glass of the cabin this year (along with many wines).

All for now, I'll be posting again on Tuesday, May 23.