WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Washington’

From: Washington

Price: $7.99

I’ve really been on a Riesling kick so far in 2009.  I’m on the kick partly because I’ve tasted so many delicious ones and because so many are within my budget.  I figure that I’ll just keep going back to the well to see what others that I can find, and see if they’re just as good as or better than the ones that I’ve already tasted.

I decided to pick up this 2007 Covey Run Riesling for several reasons.  First, I had high hopes of finding yet another enjoyable Riesling.  Second, I read several positive reviews about this particular wine from Consumer Reports and Wine Spectator.  Finally, this wine has received several awards.

After hearing the high praise and positive press (and oh, did I mention the $7.99 price?), I was motivated to give this Riesling a try.  Unfortunately, the 2007 Covey Run Riesling was kind of weak and too sweet for my liking.

This Riesling is pleasant enough, but the citrus flavors are just so-so, the peach flavors are dominant, and the finish is on the sweeter side.  This Riesling lacked any intensity that grabs your attention.  It was just “ok” and “nice” to my taste buds.  If I had nothing to compare this wine to, maybe I would be a little more enthusiastic about it.  But at this price level, I have had several others that I thought were better.

There’s really nothing special or unique that is compelling enough for me to purchase this wine again.  In my opinion, the 2007 Cono-Sur Riesling from Chile blows the doors off this Riesling for the exact same price.

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star

From: Washington

Price: $8.99

Hogue Cellers is Washington state’s third largest winery behind Stimson Lane (Château Ste. Michelle/Columbia Crest) and Constellation Brands (Columbia Winery/Covey Run).  But Hogue is the largest family-owned winery in the state, producing 450,000 cases per year.  Brothers Mike and Gary Hogue founded Hogue family winery in 1982.  The winery is recognized in the wine community as a great producer of value-priced wines.  These days the brothers have been focusing on producing outstanding mid-priced wines.

This particular Hogue wine is called Fume Blanc.  Let me first start off by saying that there is no such white grape known as Fume Blanc.  Fume Blanc is really Sauvignon Blanc in disguise.  Robert Mondavi first coined the term “Fume Blanc” in the late sixties.  Mr. Mondavi wanted to create a marketing buzz in the United States for a white wine that would sound unique and very American.  He legally had the Sauvignon Blanc name changed to Fume Blanc and the rest is history.  Americans have accepted “Fume Blanc” as their own, but probably never realized that they were actually drinking the native French white grape Sauvignon Blanc.

This “Fume Blanc” is a very well made wine.  It has a great lemon zip that gets your attention very quickly.  We had this wine by itself and really liked it a lot.  I think that it would be awesome with a Caesar Salad, Grilled Seafood, or a Vegetarian dish.

The 2006 Hogue Fume Blanc is good, but my heart and taste buds are still with New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.  This is a solid value-price Sauvignon Blanc.  I’d buy this again in a heartbeat.

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

From: Washington

Price: $5.49

The “Two-Vines” portfolio from Columbia Crest is considered their “low-end” stuff.

But in my opinion, there’s nothing “low-end” about any of the wines that are made at this Washington State winery.  These guys just make great wine no matter if its red or white and at any price level.  I believe that Columbia Crest is one of the best wineries in the United States because of their outstanding consistency and terrific price-to-quality ratio.

I’ve said more than once, “If the Columbia Crest label is on the bottle, it’s got to be pretty good”.  The 2005 Columbia Crest “Two-Vines” Chardonnay is just that – pretty good.  It’s not complex or overly “tree barked”.  It has just enough pear and apple flavors to create something interesting to drink.

It’s a solid and cheap pick.  We recently had this Chardonnay with an Arugula Salad w/mustard dressing (see Poor Man’s Chef entry tomorrow 3/13) and it was great.

This wine just misses a 3 Star rating.  Not by much though.  Columbia Crest Winery is definitely an American winery that you should store in your brain.   

WineLife365 Rating: 2-Star