With the warmer weather finally showing itself occasionally, I feel like a glass of chilled white wine. Of course, any occasion is fit for a good red wine as well. This week I have three wines that are very easy to recommend, as I know I'll try them again. Enjoy!
Wente Morning Fog
2009 Chardonnay (175430)
California
$17.99
The Wente Vineyard has the distinction of being the oldest family-owned winery in California. This estate has been in operation since 1883 when Carl Wente started off the winery with 47 acres. Today the winery boasts over 2,000 acres under vine in the Livermore Valley, which is just east of the San Francisco Bay.
The morning fog rolling off this bay and through these vineyards has given its name to the 2009 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay (175430). This cooling fog helps maintain the acidity in these grapes, and then balances the sugar, flavours and that same acidity. This balance is evident in the wine with its warm gold colour and layers of aroma.
This Chardonnay has had various fermentation and aging methods, some in different oak varieties and some in stainless steel. I found aromas of fresh fruit, apples and sweet tropical fruits, then toast, vanilla and oak. This wine was equally layered on the palate with a medium to full-body that finished with crispness. This $17.99 bottle is an ideal match for salmon, especially done on the barbeque on cedar planks.
Pierre Sparr Extrem
2009 Riesling (675629)
France
$18.99
Of the different wine regions in France, the wines of Alsace are the least confusing. In this appellation, they are required to name the grape used to make the wine in your bottle.
The Pierre Sparr winery has taken information to the extreme for a French wine. Their Pierre Sparr Extrem 2009 Riesling (675629) is full of information on the back label. You'll find everything from sweetness, food pairings, flavour profile and suggestions on how long to cellar the wine; pretty much everything you need to help find the right wine. After tasting it there was nothing on that back label with which I would disagree.
The colour is a lemony lime and that is a good indication of what you will find when you take in the aromas of this white wine. It is so fresh it just kind of wakes you up with its brightness. Then you start to notice other fruits, like green apple and pear.
In the mouth this is a wine that is on the lighter-bodied side but has lots to offer. It is absolutely fresh on the palate with a lemon and lime crispy tartness that leaves your mouth watering for more. This is a perfect summertime wine to be sipped on its own, or with the pairings suggested on the bottle. $18.99
Via Cobos Felino
Malbec 2009 (334789)
Argentina
$19.99
The Via Cobos Felino 2009 (334789) is a Malbec from a winery nestled at the base of the Andes in the Argentine province of Mendoza. This winery is a venture by American winemaker Paul Hobbs. While Via Cobos began in the late 1990s the vineyards are older and established, with blocks of Malbec that are 60 to 80 years old. The Felino line is the most affordable of the three lines Via Cobos produces.
This Malbec is one that I tasted at the wine festival in Vancouver back at the end of February and had intended to bring into our store as soon as I returned. Between forgetting to do so and the wine being on backorder, it has taken until now to get the job done.
We all agreed this was a Malbec of note with a lush, rich and complex quality. The colour is a dense purple and the aromas are full. The aromas of black berries and nearly over-ripe cherries dominate over hints of vanilla, mocha and peppery spice.
On the palate you'll find a full-bodied wine that has a plush, velvety texture with ripe, black fruits and good balance of acidity and soft tannins in a pleasantly long finish. This stunner is $19.99. If you don't enjoy it on its own you can serve it with almost any red meat dish or roast chicken.
