Tasting: some summer whites

In addition to the 2008 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree here are some white wines I’ve tried recently to quench the summer heat.

• 2008 Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Altagracia – USA, California, Napa Valley (7/24/2009)
  This wine needs more body. It is tart and thin and possesses very little taste beyond a big burst of lemon. Served btg at “Go Fish” restaurant in St Helena.(79 pts.)
• 2006 Bodegas Naia (Viña Sila) Rueda Naiades – Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda (7/16/2009)
  Pretty golden color and aromas of a bowl filled with tropical fruit and a hint of jasmine. Flavor starts out with a very tart lemon zest but that mellows as the wine warms and opens up to more of a lemon flavored salt water taffy, banana candy, and a bit of petrol. Don’t serve this wine too cold and perhaps even decant for best results. Well made, but personally, I didn’t love it, especially with the tariff of $30 from a premium Napa Valley grocer. It would have been more acceptable sub $20. (83 pts.)
• 2007 Osseus Wine Company Sauvignon Blanc – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (7/12/2009)
  Lovely and vibrant. Zesty lemon grass, grapefruit, even unsweetened lemonade with a tart laser beam of citrus acidity. Blind, I would have thought I was drinking a wine from New Zealand rather than Santa Ynez. Awesome summer wine. I wasn’t familiar with this label but will look for more. (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker