Biltmore Reserve Viognier 2010

Biltmore Reserve Viognier 2010

Origin: North Carolina
Blend: Viognier (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Receipt Date: November 2011
Suggested Retail Price: $18.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A pale straw in color with gold highlights, this wine has aromas of tropical fruit, a hint of citrus and very slight spice notes. On the palate the fruit flavors are moderated by a mild acidity, and seem softened a bit. The finish is of moderate length, but doesn't add anything new to the wine's profile.

Our rating: This is a wine versatile enough to pair with a variety of foods. We tend to like Viogniers with roast pork, and indeed that is what we served with this bottle, but we can see it paired with most any poultry dish or shellfish, especially those that are accompanied by sauces. There are a couple of aspects to the wine that intrigued us, one being that even though — according to the marketing literature we received with the sample — no oak was used in creating it, there was a certain softness that suggested it had. The other is that we typically associate Viogniers with some spiciness — again because they usually seem to see some oak — but here it's more of a background, enhancing sensation than anything else. Both of these were nice, unexpected touches. We enjoyed this elegant wine, and rate it Above Average, nearly Excellent.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Color: Light straw. Nose: Kiwi, honeysuckle, strawberry and white pepper. Taste: Hints of honey, strawberry, and key lime; good mouth feel with a lingering acidity.

Winery website: Biltmore Wines.

This bottle of wine was received as a sample for review. No promise was given or implied that it would be the subject of an endorsement or review, either positive or negative.

Raimat Viña 24 Albariño 2009

Raimat Viña 24 Albariño 2009

Origin: Costers del Segre, Spain
Blend: Albariño (100%)
Alcohol Content: 11.5%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Purchase Date: November 2011
Purchase Price: $9.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A bright lemon yellow in color with hints of gold, this wine has aromas of tropical fruit and flowers and notes of spice. The palate is quite citrusy and pleasingly tart, with a significant mineral character introduced into the moderately long finish.

Our rating: There is a lot of complexity to this wine, one of its strongest points. Though we had never tasted it before, we chose it as one of several to serve with appetizers at an informal gathering of friends and neighbors. (We like to serve varietals that others may not be familiar with.) It was probably our most popular wine, though we thought it merely Average. Our relatively high initial impression diminished a bit when the refreshing citrus flavor seemed to develop a more rind-like (or zest-like) character into the second and third glass. Still, our guests seemed to enjoy it quite a bit so there is that.

Taste profile from the winemaker: Colour: Pale yellow with greenish hues. Nose: Intense aromas of citrus, dried flowers and spices with an additional hint of sweet vanilla and dried fruit. Mouthfeel: Pleasant initial impression, that brings out the full complexity of aromas present on the nose. Agreeable on the mid-palate due to its well-rounded nature. The aftertaste is persistent with a citrussy finish.

Winery website: Raimat. The world of wines..

Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2011
Purchase Price: $9.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A pale greenish-gold in color, this wine has aromas of gooseberry and lemongrass with very pleasing notes of tropical fruit. A hint of sweetness can be tasted initially on the palate, but it is followed almost immediately by a nicely balanced citrus tartness that also has considerable herbal character. The finish adds some minerality, but is otherwise not remarkable.

Our rating: This is a very nice example of this varietal from New Zealand. We typically enjoy our Sauvignon Blancs with seafood, but instead chose to serve this wine with a vegetarian meal. Seafood is probably the best pairing, but it seems versatile enough to go well with most dishes. And though it has absolutely no bearing on what's instead, we very much liked the striking label on the dark bottle. Overall, we rate this wine Above Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: A lifted nose showing aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit, kiwi and underlying herbal notes. A light-bodied dry, crisp wine with typical Marlborough flavors of gooseberry, stone fruit and nettles with a mouthwatering acidity, leading to a long lingering finish. An ideal wine with fresh seafood or white meat. (From the distributor's website.)

Winery website: None found.

Tradewinds Pineapple Wine NV

Tradewinds Pineapple Wine NV

Origin: California
Blend: Pineapple
Alcohol Content: 11.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2011
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: This gold-colored wine has a fragrance of — not surprisingly — tropical fruit and flowers, and though pineapple can be discerned, it is not the dominant aroma. Rather sweet on the palate, and in particular at first, a moderating acidity develops to lessen the sweetness, though this would never be considered a "dry" wine by any means. A hint of spice, possibly orange zest, is also present. There isn't much of a finish.

Our rating: We were pleased with this simply crafted wine. It is not cloyingly sweet, which we confess we feared, and paired quite nicely with our Sunday brunch dishes. We also think it might work well with some East Asian cuisines. It's not a wine we'd serve very often, but it does add a festive, tropical sense to a meal. It seems priced a little high for what it is, but overall, we'd rate it Above Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: This bright luscious off-dry wine blooms with the rich heady flavor of the queen of tropical fruits. Vivid aromas of plumeria and orange blossoms are layered with delicate hints of vanilla and exotic spices. The crisp lively texture finishes long and clean with the taste of fresh pineapples.

Winery website: Tradewinds Tropical Wines.

La Petits Sarments Sauvignon Blanc 2010

La Petits Sarments Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Origin: France
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.5%
Bottle Closure: Screw Cap
Purchase Date: September 2011
Purchase Price: $9.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A pale lemon yellow in color, this wine has aromas of citrus and lemongrass with slight herbal or vegetal notes. Crisp and light on the palate, the fruit flavors are very citrusy but not overly tart or acidic. A hint of minerality appears into the finish, which is of moderate length.

Our rating: We guessed right and decided to serve this wine as an aperitif that extended later into finger food-type appetizers. (It was too nice of a day to fix a proper meal!) The wine is light and versatile enough to pair with a wide variety of foods, and is probably best enjoyed as we did, or with a crisp green salad with tomatoes. We very much enjoyed this wine, and rate it on the very high side of Above Average.

No taste profile from the winemaker found.

Winery website: None found.

Cren dell' Ape Piemonte Cortese 2010

Cren dell' Ape Piemonte Cortese 2010

Origin: Piedmonte, Italy
Blend: Cortese (100%)
Alcohol Content: 12.0%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Purchase Date: September 2011
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: A light gold with green highlights, this floral wine has aromas of tree fruit (apple, pear) with a slight note of honey. The fruit flavors on the palate are more spicy than not, cider- and perry-like, with considerable mineral character. Though the finish is lengthy, it doesn't add anything new or different from the palate.

Our rating: Maybe it's because it is October, this wine reminds us of autumn. The flavors are definitely reminiscent of fall fruit and spices. There's a hint of citrus now and then, but it's definitely a background characteristic. This is an interesting wine, one that paired well with our grilled chicken and broccoli over pasta tossed with a bit of olive oil, though we think it might pair somewhat better with seafood than with poultry. This is not a popular varietal here — this is only our third bottle since we began our published reviews in 2007 — and we have little to go by for comparison; regardless, we rather enjoyed it and rate it Above Average.

Taste profile from the winemaker: None

Winery website: None found.

Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Origin: Mendocino County, California
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc (100%)
Alcohol Content: 13.0%
Bottle Closure: Natural Cork
Purchase Date: September 2011
Purchase Price: $8.99 (750ml bottle)

Our review: Pale straw in color with gold and green highlights, this wine has aromas of ruby grapefruit and tropical fruit with faint herbal, maybe grassy notes. The palate is fairly soft, with flavors of citrus fruit accompanied by some minerality. The finish adds some lemon zest character and is slightly astringent.

Our rating: This wine seems to lack refinement, an odd mix of styles typically associated with other regions, even other varietals. We're guessing that it was cellared for some time in oak, which would account for its softness, and if so, it also seems to have left it rather unbalanced. Maybe murky is a better description. Consuming with food seems to improve it slightly, and it's entirely possible that it is simply too old; we generally don't purchase vintages more than two years old, but somehow this slipped by us. Overall we weren't impressed and rate it Below Average.

No taste profile from the winemaker for this vintage found.

Winery website: Castle Rock Winery. The bottle image of this wine differs slightly from the one we reviewed.