By: AJ McClellan
It is starting to move into summer time and that means it’s time to bust out the Whites and get ready for some pool side drinkers. We tasted a great lineup of easy drinking whites last week, a few old favorites and a few new and interesting wines. The star of the show for me was the 2012 Teutonic White Wine that was made from an interesting blend of one part Gewurztraminer, one part Muscat, and one part Pinot Noir (What?!?) as it turns out that blend is one tasty beverage…. Fun.
2010 Egelhoff Riesling – Speaking of pool side wines, what better bottle to start the tasting with other than the famed “pool side lemonade”. Bob Egelhoff is one of my favorite winemakers out of Napa and his Riesling is always a great wine to enjoy when looking for a lighter style of Riesling that is not too overwhelming with sweetness.
2011 Antica Napa Valley Chardonnay – A massive Chardonnay with plenty of oak to go around for anyone who is looking for that sort of thing. The nose was pretty with loads of spice and crisp citrus fruit. After opening the wine for a while the bottle really opened up showing some subtle complexities and long oaky finish.
2009 Ferret Pouilly Fuissé – I really enjoyed this wine. Light notes of white peach and lemon zest with some crushed limestone minerality and a pleasant lengthy finish.
2009 Guigal Condrieu – I am a big fan of this wine. The nose was very expressive with stone fruits and subtle notes of fruit loops and rocky minerality. The palate was creamy and rich with a weighty texture.
2012 Teutonic White Wine – This was my favorite bottle of the lineup with a crazy blend of Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Noir. After tasting it I thought it was very aromatically expressive with a lovely palate. All in all, a very nice bottle of wine.
2009 Hill Family Carly’s Cuvee Chardonnay – The Hill Family wines are always listed among my favorites with exceptional balance and great liveliness on the palate this wine never fails to disappoint.
2009 Foley Blanc – I am still trying to wrap my head around this bottle. The wine is sound and has everything you want out of a Pinot Blanc but for my palate it is just a little too fat a flabby…