Redcliffe Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Redcliffe Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $9.99

Our review: Light yellow with green tints, this wine has citrusy aromas (lime, grapefruit) coupled with very mild grassy notes. Crisp and well-balanced on the palate, the slightly tart citrus flavors are accompanied by a dry minerality that continues into the moderately long finish.

Our rating: This wine has all the typical characteristics of this varietal from New Zealand without being overly aggressive. We've been fans of this label, rating the Redcliffe Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Above Average, nearly Excellent and the Redcliffe Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Excellent. While this vintage is fine as well, it isn't quite as good, seeming to us to be a little thin and flat. We rate it on the very high side of Above Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: "Intense grapefruit aromas with herbaceous undertones. Racy flavors of green apple and tropical fruit. This wine is crisp, dry and refreshing with a zippy lemon-lime finish."

Winery website: None found.

Paso a Paso Verdejo 2009

Paso a Paso Verdejo 2009
Origin: Rueda, Spain
Blend: Verdejo (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $9.99

Our review: Golden straw in color, this wine is powerfully fragrant, with aromas of tree fruit (apple, apricot) and orange blossom; there's also a hint of honey. Very smooth with a medium body on the palate, the fruit flavors are well balanced. The finish is ever so slightly tart, but otherwise rather unremarkable.

Our rating: We enjoyed this wine, and found it to be very food friendly. The round, soft feel suggests at least partial oak cellaring -- but we don't know for sure. We served our bottle with roasted chicken and vegetables, with which it paired quite nicely, though it could easily be served with seafood or even pork dishes. We rate it to be Above Average, nearly Excellent.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Conquista Torrontes 2008

Conquista Torrontes 2008
Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
Blend: Torrontes (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $5.99

Our review: This golden-colored wine is lightly fragrant, with notes of tropical fruit (papaya, mango) and honey. Smooth, almost creamy, on the palate, the flavor profile is similar to the nose, though a distinct spiciness is also present. The finish has an "oak" character to it, long and deep.

Our rating: This wine has many interesting facets to it … yet seems slightly flawed. The oakiness here -- and we're not even sure this one touched any oak, so we're using that term generically -- softens the wine somewhat but there's an underlying bitterness that we didn't appreciate. We'd recommend pairing it with almost any poultry dish, and even pork dishes, though we think it wouldn't do well with fish. Still, we rate it Above Average. Priced at just $6, it's definitely worth a try -- especially since this continues to be a rather unusual varietal in the US.

Taste profile from the winemaker: "Aromas of apricots, honey and spices followed by a refreshing palate of tropical fruit and melon."

Winery website: None found.

Bellingham Chenin Blanc 2008

Bellingham Chenin Blanc 2008
Origin: Coastal Region, South Africa
Blend: Chenin Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 14.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $7.99

Our review: Medium yellow in color with tints of green, this wine is very fragrant, with aromas of ripe tropical fruit (banana, papaya, melon). Round and flavorful on the palate, the fruit flavors are nicely balanced with a mild acidity. Some sweetness develops into the finish, which is exceptionally long and rather complex ... though not necessarily in a good way.

Our rating: We think this would make for a perfectly acceptable wine to serve with mildly spicy Asian cuisines, which is how we enjoyed our bottle. It would also go well with a mixed appetizer platter. More interesting than many of this varietal we've tasted, it's also more confusing, one of the few wines that seemed to degrade the more we consumed. Our overall score is just Average, but that itself is an average of initial and final impressions.

Taste profile from the winemaker: "An invigorating crispness is complemented with notes of flowers and tropical fruit, including cantaloupe, pear and peaches."

Winery website: Bellingham Wines.

Root: 1 Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Root: 1 Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Origin: Casablanca Valley, Chile
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $10.99

Our review: Aromas of citrus and gooseberry with notes of lemongrass are exhibited by this golden straw-colored wine. Initially a bit tart on the palate, the citrus fruit flavors take a moment or two to develop. There's a bit of grassiness and herbaceousness as well. The finish has considerable mineral character to it, and is slightly spicy.

Our rating: This is an interesting take on this varietal. It has all the typical characteristics expected of a sauvignon blanc, but adds a few unexpected twists. We'd suggest pairing it with lightly seasoned seafood dishes. Although we generally enjoyed the wine, the lingering finish that seems rather discordant is what disappointed us the most -- and really caused the score to drop. Priced a tad on the high side as a result, we rate this wine just Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: "An elegant and crisp wine with citrus notes and a fresh, clean finish."

Winery website: Root: 1 Wine.

Barone Fini Pinot Grigio 2009

Barone Fini Pinot Grigio 2009
Origin: Valdadige, Italy
Blend: Pinot Grigio (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Synthetic Cork
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $9.99

Our review: A pale greenish gold in color, this wine has tree fruit aromas with some floral and spice notes. The fruit flavors on the palate are of crisp apple and pear. The acidic balance is slightly off, though. The finish is lengthy but unremarkable.

Our rating: This wine is just OK, somewhat flat and without a lot of character. We served our bottle with a vegetable risotto, with which it paired nicely, if not memorably. There's really nothing we can say is wrong with it, but on the other hand, we really can't give ourselves a reason to buy another bottle. For what we score to be an Average wine, it's priced on the high side.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Tariquet Classic Ugni Blanc Colombard 2008

Tariquet Classic Ugni Blanc Colombard 2008
Origin: Gascony, Bas-Armagnac, France
Blend: Ugni Blanc (70%), Colombard (30%)
Alcohol Content: 10.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2010
Purchase Price: $9.99

Our review: Medium gold in color, this wine has aromas of tree fruit (peaches) and citrus (tangerine) with faint floral and spice notes. The fruit flavors have a rather aggressive tartness on the palate, not an unbalanced acidity, just tart -- almost like juice from an underripened orange. There isn't much of a finish.

Our rating: This is an unusual tasting wine, not unpleasant, but very different, one that takes a little getting used to. In many ways, the flavor profile is quite subtle with a lot of interesting facets to it. We completely mispaired it, serving it with poultry, when it is really a seafood wine. We rate it Above Average, but suspect that it may be better with the right cuisine.

Taste profile from the winemaker: "Superbly intense for a dry fruity white, its bouquet reveals floral and citrus aromas with nice touches of tropical fruit. Light and well-balanced, this wine is a thirst-quenching pleasure."

Winery website: Tariquet Wines Armagnac Cotes de Gascogne.