White Flight

...not that kind!

Had the chance to taste a bunch of white wines today, all at very nice price points, that were all pretty decent. Contrary to appearances, I'm not much of a white guy. (Ha!) Alright, I can't jump.

2006 Hob Nob Chardonnay ($)
I've wanted to mention this wine before. It almost made my Top Wines of 2007 list in the $15 and under category until I narrowed the selections down to five. This wine is a "vin de pays d'oc" (read: table wine) from France, that essentially is a blend of chardonnay grapes from different regions-- this keeps it from falling under the rules of appellations. I brought this out to a Critical Mass afterparty, where it was a big hit. Thinking that this meant is was a yellowtail-set wine, I tried bringing it to some friends in the restaurant business. They all loved it (and some now offer it by the glass). It's a surprisingly balanced chardonnay for the price point. It's nose is full of tropical fruits, odd for a French chard. There is a complete about-face in the flavor -- much less fruit, the mouth is full of almonds and a few other exotic nuts. While the finish is brief, normal for the price point, it is not without character, bringing just a hint of the fruit back. This wine is a MUST BUY, even for wine snobs, because it can surprise any palate. Is it a "flavor profile" wine intended for the mass-market? Yes. Is it drinkable? Yes. Will I ultimately buy this and offer it in my home? Yes.

Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio 2006 ($)
This wine, from the Northeast corner of Italy, is par for the course Pinot Grigio. What sets this wine apart from other P.G.'s is it's price point versus quality. It has nice notes of cold weather fruits (apples, pears) on the nose and a pleasant mouthfeel. For those of you who couldn't find (or couldn't afford) the Marco or Livio Felluga, this wine is for you. At this price, this is a MUST BUY daily drinker for Pinot Grigio types.

2006 Kunde Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($)
Cheap. Organic/Sustainable. Decent, Californian Sauv Blanc. Just buy it, already.

The Crossings Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 ($-$$)
This vintage is a new arrival to CT. Anyone who has heard rumblings of the current vintage of Sauv Blancs from New Zealand needs to find this wine. All the tropical fruit, melon, and key lime one would expect from a good Sauvignon Blanc, with none of the limited allocation problems (or radical cost). This wine is available, and if your "guy" doesn't have it, it can be ordered.

Andre Lurton Chateau Bonnet White Bordeaux 2006 ($)
First of all, any other white Bordeaux for less than ten bucks will be bad. I've tried a bunch. They suck. This one, however, has tons of character. Crisp and dry, maybe overly dry for a white, this wine is 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 10% Muscadelle. For a few years, this winemaker was looked down upon for taking a centuries-old vineyard and applying modern techniques. The past few years of this wine have been their real coup d'etat -- proving that old school attention to detail paired with modern techniques can yield a wine of character that remains at an approachable price point. This wine was one of my favorites.

2006 Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve ($-$$)
We've saved the best for last. Alsace wines are often overlooked here in New Haven County. Maybe because the bottle looks so much like a German wine. Maybe it's because a German dialect was spoken for so long in the region. Maybe because the wines are "sweeter" than most whites from France. Who knows. (and why the hostility towards the Germans?!?!?!)
This wine has all the cold weather white fruit notes you would expect from a German, with a semi-sweet Riesling like mouthfeel. The finish, however, is all France, bringing you back to the wood and "raw" grape. For "sweet" wine drinkers and the rest of us, this one is my MUST BUY of the lot (must-est buy?). If only one of these were coming home, this is it.