Summer White Wines

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 will again mark the release date of CHV&W's new white wines. Just in time for summer I might add. HOT Arizona Summer and COOL Arizona White Wine. What an epic pairing.

I am excited about these wines, all from Arizona fruit, all fragrant and fruity and dry with no residual sugar. These wines explode in a tantalizing range aromas and flavors. Lychee? Got it. Lemon-lime? Got it. Fresh rose petals? Got it. Pineapple? Got it. Get the picture. Where in the world does this variety of tastes and flavors come from? Why is the wine grape so richly endowed? Come feast your senses. The official release dates will be Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29 when Joel Blumenthal will join us with her hand made personal and food items, but these four wines will also be available for tasting and purchase on Friday and Monday, Memorial Day.

2010 Gewurztraminer - I can't get an umlaut in this mail program. It doesn't matter because this is a special wine even without it. Compared to 2009 which was all apple pie spices, this one is roses, roses and more roses. Throw in some lilac, orange blossom and lychee fruit. The mouth feel is thirst quenching and bright with an acidic sweetness. No residual sugar here, just fruit.

2010 Riesling - The glass glows as the sun shines through this wine. Riesling is arguably the best white wine in the world and when made well can last many decades, evolving in fruit and complexity in the bottle. This Riesling is richer than the 2009 vintage, thicker in the mouth, more complex acids with smells and tastes of pineapple, lemon-lime, and baked Gravenstein apple complemented by a minerally-slate mouth feel and lingering sense of sweetness.

2010 Pinot Grigio - There is another version Pinot Grigio which is rather different from the light and easy drinking Italian expression of the Pinot Gris grape. A throw off clone of Pinot Noir, the Pinot Gris grape is grey or light blue in color. This wine is sparkling clear and throws off smells of honeysuckle, citrus and spice. The mouth is filled with a buttery, mango flinty-ness. Yum.

2010 Viognier - Way back when, Viognier was the first white wine I tasted that opened my mind to white wines other than the Chardonnay to which I had become accustomed. This very limited production wine comes from the second fruitful harvest of Sierra Vista Vineyards in Sasabe. It is tantalizing in its Viognier nose - apricot and Acacia blossom and very satisfying with a hint of spice in the finish. The mouthfeel is something I have only experienced with Viognier - a very light cream texture. This wine is a youthful expression of the great things that will come from this vineyard.

2010 White Line Up

This past weekend I racked the white wines from the 2010 harvest. The grapes are sourced from Dragoon Mountain Vineyards in Kansas Settlement and Sierra Vista Wineyards in Sasabe. Each batch is fairly small but very distinctive and true to variety. The Gewurztraminer is completely dry at this point and Joan and I like it. I was thinking of returning a little fresh juice to the wine to sweeten it but perhaps not this year. The Riesling was more ripe when harvested compared to last year and consequently is more complex - still piercingly dry and acidic but rounder and richer in the mouth. It's my first year working with Pinot Grigio and I was totally faked out when I saw the grapes. They are greyish red. How strange for such an ethereal light white wine. The Viognier comes from what must certainly be the most southern vineyard in Arizona - Melissa Owen's vineyard in Sasabe. It is the second harvest from the vines so the wine is consequently fresh and light and crisp, but true to Viognier. Look for them all to be released during our Memorial Day Weekend White Wine Release.