Cool Fish Sauvignon Blanc NV

Cool Fish Sauvignon Blanc NV

Origin: Napa Valley, California
Blend: "A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc from the Central Coast and Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands"
Alcohol Content: 13.9%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: May 2011
Purchase Price: $5.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Deep gold in color with copper highlights, this wine exhibits strong aromas of spiced cider and smoked honey, reminiscent more of a liqueur than a wine. The smokiness comes through on the palate as well with flavors of dried tree fruit (apricots, dates, figs), nuts and herbs. The finish is, given what precedes it, surprisingly mild and well balanced, and quite long-lasting.

Our rating: It's no secret that we're not fans of overly smoky wines, which we equate -- fair or not -- to heavily oaked chardonnays. The deep color of this wine probably should have been our first clue that it may fall into this category. Whether you like it or not will depend almost entirely on how much "oakiness" you like in your wine. We actually appreciate some of the depth exhibited here, and for a wine with a relatively high alcohol content, it is nicely balanced. Still and all, though the roasted chicken and potatoes we served with it paired reasonably well, it's really not to our liking and we rate it Below Average ... though we readily admit we tend to be biased against ABC wines that remind us too much of chardonnays.

Taste profile from the winemaker: It is crisp and delicious with just the right balance of acidity, and flavors that make it the perfect wine for seafood and any occasion.

Winery website: Cool Fish Wines. The bottle images on the website all depict dates, though the particular bottle we sampled is undated, hence we designated it as NV.