2012 North by Northwest chardonnay H3

Though I don’t generally drink a lot of chardonnay, here is another surprisingly good one that I tried recently. I say “surprisingly” good only because, for the price, I did not expect too much from this wine. On the other hand, I must say that I have had consistently good luck with chardonnays (and most white wines in general) I’ve tried in recent months from the Pacific northwest. This particular wine was an impulse buy on a recent trip to one of my favorite local wine shops, Chris Hinton’s The Wine Store (http://www.thewinestoreinc.com/new_site/). This chardonnay, from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA, runs about $13/bottle and is a delightfully fresh young white with good overall balance and a nice, crisp acidity to counter the prominent chardonnay character. Aromas of lemon curd and vanilla wafers waft from the glass, with the vanilla staying nicely prominent throughout. I’d be pleased to serve this wine to any of my chard-loving friends. Definitely worth the modest price.

2012 Trader Joe's Yountville chardonnay

On a whim last week I picked up a few bargain-priced wines at my local Trader Joes. Mostly these turn out to be worth about what they are priced at, nothing more. But occasionally there is that diamond in the rough that delivers quality well above the price point, and one such wine emerged from this most recent TJ’s venture. It is the 2012 Trader Joes Yountville chardonnay (Lot 82), priced at $9.99. I opened this bottle last night to “test drive” with a dinner of roast chicken and was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality at this price point. Fresh apple and floral aromas are prominent on first sniff, with pear and vanilla coming through on the palate. It has a crisp, light body and pale yellow color; a definite CA chard, but restrained with good acidic balance. It's not the typical big “butter bomb” that you often get with lower-end CA chardonnays that are heavy with artificial personality. This chardonnay is entirely pleasant, well balanced and deliciously restrained in its flavors. This wine is a real bargain at this price. I shall head back to TJ’s for a few more bottles of this one while the supplies last!

Cameron Winery 2011 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Reserve

Just tried this wine for the first time. Received it via routine shipment from the wine club (http://www.northwest-wine.com/Insiders-Oregon-Pinot-noir-Club.html). I had run across Cameron wines a couple of times during trips to Oregon, but had never tried their pinot before now. I must say, this is a terrific wine…particularly for the price point ($30). It’s a medium-bodied pinot with very intense aromas moist earth and dried berries right out of the bottle. With a little time and air, the aromas grow more varied and layered, with hints of sage and perhaps some cedar showing up. The flavors are a mouthful of luscious tart berries and soil (in the best possible way!). As a fan of Oregon pinot, this has instantly become one of my new favorites. Unfortunately, this 2011 Reserve is a very limited production and every online outlet I’ve checked is already sold out. Oh well, guess I’ll have to wait and pounce on the next vintage of Cameron.

2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle - Dr. Looosen Reisling Eroica Columbia Valley

My first impression of this wine was "fresh". The aromas are fresh and clean, with melon and floral notes. There's also a noticeable hint of minerality on the nose.  The flavors are of crisp apple with honeydew melon and a distinct tangy mineral kick.  This is a very enjoyable reisling.  Nice balance with a very subtle sweetness that is pleasantly offset by the tangy acidity and minerality. A good value American reisling.

2009 Descendiendes de J. Palacios, Petalos

This delicious red from the Bierzo region of Spain is made from the Mencia grape. If you are not familiar with this somewhat obscure (at least in the U.S.) grape varietal, you should definitely try this wine.  It is produced in large volume so it is widely available.  I have found it in several different wine retailers in the Atlanta area.  This is a terrific, dense red wine with unique, elusive aromas that really pull you in. It has a rich, toasty/smoky aroma with some herbal essence to it.  It has a subtle dark-cherry flavor characteristic that is long and layered, with a touch of minerally-graphite on the end.  I found this to be a extremely interesting, delicious and totally enjoyable wine.  An outstanding value at around $20/bottle.  Am definitely buying more.

2009 Tyee Estate Pinot Noir

I’m a big fan of Oregon pinot noir and I enjoy the wines from a lot of different OR wineries.  There are many, many excellent pinots from OR, at a range of price points and styles.  However, I recently tried a new OR pinot for the first time and, I must say, came away unimpressed.  The 2009 Tyee Estate Pinot Noir ($25/btl) was a disappointment.  This wine is very light-bodied with a thin, almost transparent color.  It had pleasant aromas of dusty earth and cherries, which showed promise while in the glass.  But the wine had a tart, too-acidic quality that failed to match the inviting aromas, plus there’s a bit of an herbal/vegetable quality that I found a bit off.  Tried it again the next day with similar impressions.  To me, this wine also doesn’t show the depth or complexity that would indicate it’s going to improve over time.  While this is not a bad wine, per se, and some may find this ultra-light texture and herbal quality appealing, for me there are just too many other brilliant Oregon pinots – even at this relatively modest price point – to waste time and money on this particular one. 

2012 Charles & Charles Rose

I usually try a number of different roses in the spring and summer, always on the lookout for a particularly good one.  When well-made, roses can be an excellent value because they tend to be relatively low priced and are terrific wines for summer entertaining because of their food-friendliness and versatility – satisfying both those who appreciate well-made wines as well as the white zinfandel drinker.  So, I’m particularly excited by a wonderful rose example I’ve found from Washington state – the 2012 Charles & Charles Rose Columbia Valley  (from highly-regarded winemaker Charles Smith).  This rose of Syrah is nicely balanced with loads of mouth-watering fruit kept in check by lively acidity.  With aromas of strawberry and perhaps a hint of ripe pear, this rose is delicious, crisp and vibrant.  Great with food or by itself (well-chilled).  It runs about $12/bottle, which is a terrific price for a rose this well made.