Attributes:

Whitehall Lane Winery

Napa Valley, United States

Sauvignon Blanc

750 ML

2006: WineNews Rating: 88

soft

stone fruit

deep

grapefruit, grass, herbal, lime, melon, mint, orange

2006: WineNews Rating: 88

soft

stone fruit

deep

butter, herbs, honeydew, melon, oak

2005: CGCW Rating: 90

bright

2004: WineSpectator Rating: 86

*-scented

2003: WineEnthusiast Rating: 87

crisp

rich

citrus, melon, spicy

2002: WineSpectator Rating: 87

crisp

citrus, melon, peach, vanilla

2001: WineSpectator Rating: 88

tangy

focused

grapefruit, herb, lemon, melon

concentrated

2000: WineSpectator Rating: 85

lively

complex

Food Matches:

This tiny strip of land just north of San Francisco is home to America’s most prestigious wineries. Its climate is ideal for viticulture. Ironically, it was deemed too ideal for some vintners, who have moved their vineyards from the valley’s flat plain to the hills in the east and west, adhering to the idea that grapes that struggle to grow yield better wine. The climate, soil, and individual wineries are enormously varied, so it’s impossible to identify a singular trait of Napa wines. In addition, nearly every noble grape is grown here, although Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the primary grapes. In the past, Napa’s wines have alternated between extremely fruity and fat to lean and subtle. Today the best Napa wines have achieved a balance between these extremes. Many are made to be drunk young and have abundant ripe fruit; others can be initially hard and tannic, but soften over four or five years to perfumed, cedary fruit. White Napa wines are excellent with fresh-grilled fish and chicken, but can also cope with more spicy and creamy flavors. Many Napa reds will overwhelm delicate cuisine, but rich red meat and cheeses do make good companions.

Comes mostly from California, France, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its highly acidic wines are often suggestive of herbs or grass. Light to medium bodied and usually dry, European versions are generally not oaky while California Sauvignon Blanc can take on many of the qualities of Chardonnay. France has two classic wine regions for the Sauvignon Blanc gape: Bordeaux and the Loire Valley The Bordeaux wine is called Bordeaux Blanc and the two best known of the Loire wines are called Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes blended with Sémillon.

Attributes:

Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt

Scharzhofberg, Germany

Riesling Eiswein

375 ML

2004: Tanzer Rating: 93

bright, crisp

stone fruit

Food Matches:

Attributes:

Dominio de Atauta

Ribera del Duero, Spain

Tempranillo

750 ML

Food Matches:

a region in north central Spain (south of Rioja) known primarily for its Vega Sicilia but is now producing terrific wines from Tempranillo grapes.

This Spanish grape gives wines deep color, low acidity and only moderate alcohol content. In recent years the Ribera del Duero region has been producing wonderful wines featuring this grape; in older, more traditional regions such as Rioja, the grape is blended with others.