WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘White Wine’

…but not of the risky kind with the 2008 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc.  Right out of the gate, one gets a sense of seriousness from this 2008 Sauvignon Blanc – pardon me – this 2008 Fumé Blanc from one of Napa Valley’s most respected wineries – the Robert Mondavi Winery.

For those that may not know, Fumé Blanc is actually a pseudonym for Sauvignon Blanc.  The person responsible for this brilliant and innovative marketing name change is Robert Mondavi.  Prior to the 1970s, Sauvignon Blanc was typically produced in a way that gave it an overly sweet taste, hence giving it a poor reputation in California.  In 1968, the Robert Mondavi Winery was offered a large and particularly good crop of Sauvignon Blanc grapes.  Mondavi then decided to embrace this as an opportunity to differentiate his Sauvignon Blanc from the others with barrel aging and eventually released a new style of California Sauvignon Blanc under the name Fumé Blanc, and the rest is history.

While tasting the 2008 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc, it certainly didn’t take long for my taste buds to get the sense that the boss was somehow still calling the shots, and the winemakers at Mondavi are following through spectacularly.

Dream sequence…

Boss:  As you know, we here at the Mondavi Winery created Fumé Blanc, but over the years, stiff competition from other terrific Sauvignon Blanc producers sure has made it tough for us to sell our Fumé Blanc.  I need all of you to pitch in and give me your best efforts!

For starters, we’ve got to tame that unruly Sauvignon Blanc with some barrel aging, but we can’t have people scream “Yuck!” because the oak is completely overpowering the wine. 

Winemakers:  CHECK!  We hear you boss.   We’ve got that beast Sauvignon Blanc and the oak under control!

Boss:  What about the fruit flavors?  It has to be great and keep people coming back for more! 

Winemakers:  We’ve got it boss!  Our wine will possess great tropical fruit flavors, along with a special added bonus that will enhance the consumer’s enjoyment of our wine:  with our tried and true barrel aging process, our Fumé Blanc will be as creamy and decadent as a fine Chardonnay – just like the French stuff.

Boss:  One last thing:  we need to make this the best damn wine for less than $20 (US). 

Winemakers:  A hush fell across the room, but after only a momentary hesitation, the winemakers said, “Done!”

Boss:  OK THEN – Let’s go out there and show the wine drinking public what we’re made of!

4 Stars out of 4.  Mission accomplished.  The Robert Mondavi Winery has been making Fumé Blanc for a mighty long time, and years of hands on experience really shows in their 2008 offering.  Try pairing it with a crab cake and Caesar salad.

($20 MSRP, Sample)

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…or need to spend an arm and a leg to live high on the hog!

Produced and bottled by Barrel 27 Wine Company, the 2008 High On The Hog White Wine is a magnificent blend of 39% Grenache Blanc, 36% Viognier, 20% Roussanne and 5% Marsanne grapes.

It possesses an incredible juicy concentration of tropical fruit flavors with a massive round and elegant finish that, dare I say, rivals some other top notch California Chardonnays and the “M” word…France’s Puligny-Montrachet.

I’d like to give a special shout out to Steve Kogler@ Teller Wines in Lewes, DE for introducing me to this wine – I’m completely addicted and want more!

4 Stars out of 4.  For $18.99/bottle you can afford to show off your great taste to all your wine buddies and have enough dough leftover to pay for dinner.

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Talk about incorporating full throttle acceleration in a bottle! 

I recently had the opportunity to sample the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc from Chile (*MSRP: $10.99), and could have used a seatbelt to go along with it!  This Sauvignon Blanc displayed wicked speed in the quarter mile and blew the doors off of my taste buds with its razor-sharp grapefruit, lime and orange peel zing, along with an off the charts acidity that was nothing short of a high octane jolt.

I’m definitely a fan of this Sauvignon Blanc.  I’ll warn you, though: this wine is certainly not for the faint of heart!  Be afraid.  Be very afraid!

3 Stars out of 4.  Going 65 -75 mph is usually enough for me, but if you aren’t afraid of getting whiplash then the 2009 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc will be the right speed for you!

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The flowers were in a full and glorious bloom in the backyard of our friends, Paula and Ryan Barry, this past 4th of July weekend.

And with nothing but clear blue skies, amber waves of cool night air, and a few shades of Spanish wines to taste test, we all agreed that dining al fresco would be a perfect and relaxing way to ease into the holiday weekend.

To kick things off, we started with a few cocktails…

…and made our way through some tangible heaven that consisted of Spanish Manchego cheese, Extra Sharp Provolone and a little something from Trader Joe’s that I personally never had before called Samosas.

If you’re not familiar with this popular TJ’s appetizer, it’s a flaky layer of pastry crust that houses a dollop of tangy, Indian-inspired vegetables in the center.  These crusty little triangles are totally addictive and if you’ve never tried them, you should definitely pick some up on your next visit to Trader Joe’s.

Before we could all just sit back, kick-off our shoes and bark at the moon, we decided to collectively review a few Spanish wines that I received as samples.

First up, was the 2008 Recorba White Wine from Rueda, Spain ($11 MSRP).

This white wine is a blend of 60% Verdejo and 40% Viura grapes that are from 60 year old vines located in La Seca, which is a small location in the heart of the Denomination of Origen Rueda.

So, what was everyone was sayin’ about the 2008 Recorba White Wine?

“A little bit effervescent, great fruit acidity.  Reminds me of a really good Sauvignon Blanc.”

“Awesome, razor-sharp acidity.  Really great lime and orange peel/tropical flavors.”

“I like this wine a lot and would definitely recommend it to a friend.”

“Clean, fresh – a perfect Spring or Summer white wine.  Very good.”

Personally speaking, I’d hook myself up to an IV and have it pumped through my veins on a hot summer day if I could.  I gave it – 4 Stars out of 4.  Paula was also a big fan of the 2008 Recorba White Wine and wanted to give it 3.5 Stars.  Unfortunately, we don’t do half stars here, so Paula opted to go with 3 Stars out of 4.  Both Ryan and Mrs. WineLife365 were in agreement and awarded our Spanish delight 3 Stars out of 4 as well.

Verdict: We all loved the 2008 Recorba White Wine.  Some a little more than others, but in this case, majority rules:  3 Stars.  It’s a terrific buy!

Our second wine of the night was from the same producer – it was the 2008 Recorba Red Wine ($11 MSRP).  This particular wine comes from Spain’s well-known Ribera Del Duero wine region.  The 2008 Recorba Red Wine is made of 100% selected Tempranillo grapes.

So, did everyone love the 2008 Recorba Red Wine just as much as the 2008 Recorba White Wine?  Here’s what we had to say about it:

“Nice vanilla and red berry flavors with a soft finish.  Good ‘starter’ red.”

“No flaws.  Just a more light-bodied wine than I was hoping for.”

“Doesn’t quite excite me in the same way that the white did.”

“If you enjoy a nice, clean, mild red wine for warm weather sipping – this is nice.  Should serve at 58 degrees F.  It’s a red wine drinker’s white wine for the summertime.”

This wine was a hit with Ryan – he gave it 4 Stars out of 4.  Paula, Mrs. WineLife365 and I all gave it 3 Stars out of 4.

Sorry Ryan…majority rules:  3 Stars.  The 2008 Recorba Red seems best suited for many as a starting pitcher rather than a closer.

Ok, I’m starving!  Can we eat now?

Caprese Salad (Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes & basil drizzled with olive oil)

Pisa Tower Salad (Eggplant, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, marinated roasted sliced red peppers tossed with chopped greens and balsamic vinaigrette)

Grilled beef tenderloin served at a perfect 140° f by Chef Barry

Don’t bother counting calories or fat content

Night, night! Sleep tight!

Thanks Paula and Ryan for a fantastic evening!

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