The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2015

I recently had a discussion with my dad about “epiphany wines” (aka the bottle or glass that first really opened your eyes up to the awesomeness that is wine). His was Gundlach Bundschu’s Gewurztraminer that he tried based on a sommelier’s recommendation at a restaurant. It just so happened that I carried that wine at my store so he got to try it again for the first time in forever. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to his expectations all these years later, but that’s not super surprising.

I didn’t have an epiphany wine so much as I had an epiphany varietal, Sauvignon Blanc, specifically from New Zealand. I’ve mentioned the time I was down from Denton and my parents and I had a blind tasting with three different bottles of NZ Sauvignon Blanc before. What I didn’t mention is that I got back to Denton and made my friend accompany me on a trip to find a bottle of Drylands Sauv Blanc (my favorite from that evening). Thanks to Denton being a dry county there weren’t a whole lot of wine shops to choose from so we wound up driving to Dallas too. Unfortunately nowhere had it or had even heard of it so I think we picked up a bottle of Bitch Grenache (yes, just because I thought the label was hilarious) and some other New Zealand wine. It was actually a pretty fun time despite not finding the particular wine we were looking for.

Several years later I spotted Drylands at a store in San Antonio and of course had to get a bottle of it. Just like my dad with Gundlach Bundschu, I was disappointed. It just lacked the complexity I’d come to expect from that varietal and was rather bland. While it didn’t live up to my memory of it, it still wasn’t a bad bottle of wine, it’s just that by then I’d had better.

One of those better bottles is The Ned Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. Unlike many NZ Sauv Blancs it’s not so in your face with grapefruit, which can get old rather quick. That’s actually why I stopped drinking or buying this varietal for quite some time (until Kye introduced me to the awesomeness that is Sancerre). It’s a medium-bodied wine that has notes of green pepper, wet grass and gooseberries on the nose. The palate is more fruit forward with lemon peel, passionfruit, and crisp green apple, and of course, a bit of grapefruit. Nicely balanced with sharp acidity and a long-ish finish. This is a super refreshing wine that is lovely by itself or paired with a wide range of dishes. While Kim Crawford and Drylands will always have a special place in my heart, this Sauvignon Blanc beats them not only in price, but also in taste.

Birichino Malvasia Bianca 2012

Just in case it's bothering the multitude of people who read this blog (aka: my parents), I am well aware that it seems like I rarely ever touch red wine. The reason I tend to favor whites is mainly due to the fact that I live in San Antonio, Texas where it’s hot as hell for at least eight months out of the year. I really do love red wines, but after moving back home four years ago I started leaning more towards whites simply because it was too damn hot for me to enjoy the bold, spicy reds I typically bought. Once it gets cooler the color in my glass will change and I will regale you with many tales of red wine, but for tonight I’m sticking with white: Birichino Malvasia Bianca 2012.

The Birichino winery was founded by Alex Krause and John Locke in 2008, but only showed up on my radar about six months ago when Kye (the Quarry Whole Foods wine specialist) took an interest in them. His passion for wine has led him to develop a knack for tracking down little-known and rather unique wines from all over the world. He wound up bringing in several of Birichino’s wines (Malvasia, Vin Gris, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Muscat Canelli to be exact) and not a single one disappointed.

The lovely white wine I’m discussing tonight is from Monterey in California. It is 100% Malvasia Bianca (a varietal of ancient origin, most likely Greek) and aged for five months in stainless steel. A beautiful pale gold color with greenish tinges displaying aromas of tangerine, wet limestone and floral notes on the nose. The palate is light-bodied and racy with flavors of lemon peel, lime zest and white nectarine followed by hints of jasmine, fresh ginger and bright minerality. Crisp acidity cuts through the floral and fruit to deliver a clean finish. Really enjoyable for this summer weather we’re still having in San Antonio... in the middle of October.

The Birichino Malvasia Bianca is a truly lovely, complex wine and a rather hard to find varietal (in Texas at least). I've no doubt that will be enjoyable even after the weather decides to cool down. In case I've managed to peak your interest I would suggest hightailing it to either of the Whole Foods Markets in San Antonio.

… Except of course for puppies, puppies are better than everything ever.

NV G.H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Carte Classique Extra Dry

When my sisters and I were born my grandparents bought each of us a bottle of Champagne that we were supposed to save and open at our weddings. Unfortunately my parents weren't too wine savvy at that time and lacked a decent place to store any of these bottles so they were left in the kitchen pantry, which didn't end too well. I know of at least two times when my parents were forced to secretly replace a ruined bottle, before finally deciding it wasn't really worth the hassle. My oldest sister, Alicia, and I somehow still had intact bottles, and luckily my middle sister, Teresa, grew up to be more of a beer drinker so it didn't seem to bother her. I don’t remember if Alicia opened hers at her wedding (open bar and I was still drinking liquor back then… it’s a rather hazy memory altogether), but mine is the only one left.

Since I’m rather ambivalent about marriage, not to mention way too young (or too old according to some of my relatives), I've decided waiting for a wedding that might never happen is just plain silly. So I've decided that my bottle of G.H. Mumm Carte Classique Extra Dry is getting opened tonight after work. Chances are it’s not even good, but even a terrible bottle of wine can be good material for a post. Hurrah for late-night experiments that probably won't end well! 

Later that night...

I opened the would-be wedding Champagne after getting home tonight and was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't horribly spoiled. Had this been the original bottle my grandparents bought when I was born it probably would have been a much less pleasant experience. Of course you never know, maybe after being stored in a kitchen pantry for 27 years it would have had lovely notes of breakfast cereal, uncooked pasta and almost every cooking spice you can think of.

This bottle was perfect after a less than stellar week. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but it’s a really lovely deep golden color. On the nose it has baked peach and red apple with yeasty characteristics. Smooth and medium-bodied with flavors of baked pear, dried apricot and orange zest which are quickly taken over by hints of clove, toasted almond and honeysuckle. The honeysuckle notes lead flavors of rich honey that coats the mouth before being balanced out by crisp acidity.

I really didn't expect much from bottle, so actually enjoying it has been a pleasant surprise. Even so I doubt this family tradition will be carried on. I plan on starting a nice collection of birth year and age-worthy wines for my niece so she can be a classy drunk when she reaches the legal drinking age (20 years from now). I don’t think she’ll be missing out too much if I don’t include a NV champagne that’s been kept in rather questionable conditions for 20-plus years. 

Martian Ranch Grenache Blanc 2012

I really enjoy living vicariously through my friends, especially when they vacation in California wine country, a trip I simply cannot afford to make right now. One of my friends, Kye, managed to make it out to Santa Barbara a couple of months ago and since he absolutely adores me (and I laid a major guilt trip on him), he brought me back some rather awesome souvenirs. I’m sure it’s no surprise that ‘Sideways’ is a film that’s very near and dear to both our hearts, so my favorite present was the napkin he snagged after eating at The Hitching Post:

Of course the wines Kye brought back were fantastic as well, especially the Martian Ranch Grenache Blanc:

Martian Ranch is located in Los Alamos California, owned and run by Nan Helgeland, who is dedicated to making Rhone varietal wines with little manipulation. She is also the wife of writer/producer Brian Helgeland (‘L.A. Confidential’ is right up there with ‘Sideways’ for both of us) and while that association may have been why Kye chose to stop at Martian, Nan and her wines are the reasons he fell head over heels for it. After tasting a few of the wines brought back from there I can totally understand why. If I’d gotten to try them while surrounded by the beautiful scenery in which they were created, I’d be enthralled too.

I’d been listening to Kye rave about Martian Ranch for at least a week so when their Grenache Blanc was one of the three wines he brought me back it wasn’t too hard to decide what to open first. I’ve never found this varietal to be overly complex, but this wine created elegance out of simplicity. Tropical fruits, citrus and almonds on the nose, with bright pineapple, lemon peel, passion fruit and lemongrass flavors coming through on the palate. Crisp acidity and subtle minerality led to a refreshing, yet short finish that made me wish I had more than one bottle of it.

Endless Crush Rosé 2013

Finally got my act back together (meaning I stopped being lazy and procrastinating) and am ready to introduce you to the wonders of rosé!

Earlier this year I had the good fortune to meet Kathleen Inman, the owner and winemaker of Inman Family Wines in Russian River Valley, while she was in San Antonio. Getting to meet and chat with friendly, passionate winemakers is one of the things I love most about my job. So combining those invariably interesting conversations with really great wines makes me a very happy little girl. I had heard that Inman’s natural and environmentally responsible winemaking style produced well-balanced, terroir-driven wines so it was awesome getting to taste that for myself. We sampled the Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Endless Crush Rosé, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Olivet Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir and Thorn Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir. They were excellent: the Chardonnay was crisp and bright, the Pinot Noirs were simply elegant with subtle, unique differences in each, but it was the Endless Crush Rosé that I fell head over heels for.

This exceptional wine is made predominately from organically grown Pinot Noir from their Olivet Grange Vineyard in Russian River Valley. An “intentional” rosé (rather than one made with the run-off juices from red wines, the saignée method), first made in ‘04 to celebrate her and her husband’s 20^th anniversary.  It is a delicious dry wine with red cherry, strawberry and floral notes on the nose, followed by refreshing strawberry, orange zest and watermelon flavors balanced by crisp acidity, hints of honeysuckle and spice that linger pleasantly on the finish.

Endless Crush is one of the most elegant and unique rosés I’ve ever tasted, I am thrilled that we finally have it in our wine set. It’s especially perfect for these ridiculously hot days we’ve had in Texas lately. Plus it has a pretty label! That way if you wind up not liking the wine (which is highly unlikely), you’ll have a pretty empty bottle… so no matter what you win! That is, assuming I’m not the only weirdo who keeps empty wine bottles to use as home decorations. Anyways! You should start walking at a very brisk pace to find this wine at Whole Foods Quarry in San Antonio.