Summer Sippers

The theme for Thursday night’s wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was “Summer Sippers”. George and Gail put together a group of six wines that meet their definition of Summer Sippers, that is white wines with lots of flavor, good acidity and not much perceivable sugar. Just to make things fun, and to give us a little test, they included two Sauvignon Blancs in the mix. Our assignment for the evening was to pick-out the two Sauvignon Blancs, and then choose our favorite between the two. Sounds fun. Let’s see how we did.

2012 Santa Julia Torrontes $9. Stony minerality and slight floral nose combines with peach and melon flavors, crisp acidity and a moderately long juicy finish. Nothing to dislike in this Argentinian wine from Mendoza. This wine doesn’t cost much, and it does not short-change on flavor. The perfect combination.

2012 Bokisch Vineyards Terra Alta Vineyard Albariño $16.50 A very floral nose of orange blossoms is followed by melon flavors and just a bit of sweetness. Great acidity provides a clean, long and juicy finish.

The Terra Alta Vineyard is located in the Clements Hills AVA along the southeast side of the Lodi appellation. This AVA (American Viticultural Area) is characterized by rolling hills and is a bit warmer and wetter than western portions of Lodi AVA.

2011 Hacienda Araucano Reserva Sauvignon Blanc $12. Vegetal scents and flavors are a departure from the prior floral wines. Flavors of dried hay, maybe a bit of citrus, and good acidity make for a well-balanced light wine. Flavors are fairly complex and it is not an overtly grassy Sauvignon Blanc.

This Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, which a majority of tasters correctly identified as one of the two Sauvignon Blancs in this group, is produced in an area of the Colchagua Valley known as Valle del Lolol. It is located close enough to the ocean to allow clouds and moisture to extend over the area in the mornings to cool the vineyards.

2012 Bokisch Vineyards Vista Luna Vineyard Verdelho $16.50 Scents and flavors are very complex in this wine. Ripe melon, citrus, floral and mineral scents and flavors along with clean acidity provide lots of flavor and a long finish. This wine is a bit rounder in the mouth.

This Portuguese variety is grown in the Borden Ranch AVA located on the east side of the Lodi appellation. Verhelho is one of the four major grape varieties used in the production of Madeira, a fortified wine produced in the Portuguese islands of the same name.

2011 Capistrano Verdicchio di Matelica $15 Toasty scents and flavors dominate in this Italian white wine. Toasted nuts and yeasty flavors with a light weight in the mouth and adequate acidity make for an interesting flavor. It is completely different from any of the other wines in this group.

Verdicchio is an Italian white grape variety grown in the Marche region of Italy, along the Adriatic Sea (in the area of the “calf” of the Italian boot). Verdicchio di Matelica has DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) designation which requires the wines be at least 85% Verdicchio with Trebbiano and Malvasia making up the balance.

I’m guessing this bottle is not representative of Verdicchio di Matelica. It is described as having citrus flavors with high acidity.

2012 St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc $19.50 Obvious grassy nose and herbaceous flavors, light body and good acidity. The finish was fairly long. This Napa Valley wine is not overly “grassy” for a Sauvignon Blanc. The group correctly identified this as a Sauvignon Blanc and it was the favorite Sauvignon Blanc as well.

This tasting confirmed two things for me.

First – flavorful, aromatic white wines with ample acidity are a pleasure to drink, especially as the weather warms up. They pair well with so many kinds of food or can be sipped by themselves. Bokisch Vineyards has Portuguese and Spanish white varietal wines dialed in. They are so aromatic and have great flavor and acidity. And they are reasonably priced.

Second – new world Sauvignon Blanc is not my favorite thing. I simply do not enjoy the characteristic grassy flavor the grape produces. Neither of these Sauvignon Blancs were particularly grassy, in fact they are both only mildly grassy. That was a good thing. The dried hay flavors of the Hacienda Araucano Reserva Sauvignon Blanc were slightly more appealing to me than the green grassiness of the St. Supréy Sauvignon Blanc.

Cheers!