Huntington is a label that is part of the Hahn family’s portfolio of wines, which includes Hahn Winery, Cycles Gladiator, Hahn SLH Estate, Lucienne, Smith & Hook, Copa Del Rey, and Bin 36.  Along with this assortment of wine brands, the Hahn family also owns the Mugie Ranch in northern Kenya, where the Hahns reside for part of the year.  The Mugie Ranch is home to a school, a farm and a wildlife preserve.  The Hahn family takes the proceeds from the sale of Huntington wines to fund higher education scholarship programs for Kenyan children.

All of Huntington’s wine labels offer artist’s renderings of scenes depicting the Kenyan people.  This particular Huntington label showcases the Samburu ladies in blue, in a painting by the family’s own Gaby Hahn.  A noble approach to wine making, and a very worthy cause indeed, but it still begs the question:  how is the wine?

Huntington sources their sauvignon blanc from Dry Creek Valley, in the heart of Sonoma County.  The nose of this wine is very fresh and balanced, offering crisp green pepper and citrus, particularly lemon, along with some tropical notes.  On the palate the wine showcases a more elegant style of sauvignon blanc, in contrast to more intense styles from New Zealand and Chile.  But there is also a distinctly racy backbone of citrus that stands out – a welcome element here that spritzes things up.

The Huntington sauvignon blanc has a relatively high 14.1% alcohol level, but the wine remains balanced through the finish.  After tasting this wine for a bit, you’ll notice that it is considerably drier than many other sauvignon blanc’s at this price point.  It’s not unpleasant, and I feel it adds some maturity to the character of this wine.

The Huntington should pair well with lighter foods, but it’s certainly enjoyable on its own.   And oh by-the-way, it should serve your conscience well too.

A  Salute!

Wine: Huntington
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.1%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00

Find Huntington Sauvignon Blanc with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

The William Cole estate is situated in the Casablanca Valley, near the city of Casablanca.   There is also a William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena, California, but the wineries are unrelated.  William Cole Vineyards, the Chilean version, is owned and operated by William Cole, while William Cole Vineyards in St. Helena is owned and operated by William Ballentine, along with his family, including a son named Cole.  But that’s neither here, nor there.

William Cole Vineyards (the one in Casablanca, Chile) produces an array of traditional varietals, along with Carménére.  Their sauvignon blanc is sourced from cooler micro-climates that, William Cole claims, enable the wine to retain a natural acidity.  The grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks for a period of 15 days.

On the nose, the wine offers amazing and complex aromas of green bell pepper, along with an array of fruits, including grapefruit and peach.  On the palate the wine initially teases at following through on that robust nose, but the mid-palate and finish mysteriously fade away.  It comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.  The wine actually turns somewhat creamy, devoid of any real acidity.  It gives the sense of being somewhat out of balance.

This is a rather unique wine, offering a rich nose and fruity character, combined with a creamy and slightly mild finish.  It’s not as intense as some offerings from New Zealand, but should be considered by those looking for a tastier alternative to California versions of sauvignon blanc.  Just make sure you get the Chilean version of William Cole.

A  Salute!

Wine: William Cole Vineyards Columbine Special Reserve   
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $15

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

My experience with Robert Mondavi’s various wineries goes back many vintages.  And, I can say that I’ve never had a negative experience with any of their wines, whether they were from the main estate, from Woodbridge, or from their joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Opus One.  Regarding the latter, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a number of vintages.  And, I’m happy to report that the streak is in-tact.  While I’ll say up front that Woodbridge’s 2010 California sauvignon blanc would not be my first choice at this price point, because it’s not necessarily my style of sauvignon blanc, it does represent a great value.

The wine is not 100% sauvignon blanc.  Woodbridge blends a bit of French colombard and semillon, along with small percentages of a few other obscure white varietals.  However, the wine is 76% sauvignon blanc and this, according to California law, enables the wine to be classified as sauvignon blanc.

On the nose the wine offers sweet lemon-lime and crisp apple.  It’s an aromatic nose, and quite attractive, but it lacks some of the intensity that you might find in a southern hemisphere sauvignon blanc.  However, some zingier traits emerge on the nose as the wine opens and warms.

The first taste activates a broad area of the palate.  This usually indicates a well-balanced and complex wine.  More sour apple and lemon-lime are available on the palate; but, the real story here is the acidity, or I should say the lack-there-of.  It’s not that this wine is devoid of acid.  There is sufficient acid here to adequately balance the wine.  But many value priced sauvignon blancs from alternative geographies are offering more power and intensity at similar price points, and, I believe they are also raising the bar for what consumers will expect out of this varietal.  That said, this more elegant style, eschewing acid and intensity for graceful fruit and softer mouth-feel, is indicative of Mondavi’s various interpretations of the varietal.   In the tasting notes, Woodbridge claims a zingier style, but my guess is that you will disagree with their claim.  2010 saw mild conditions in Lodi, where the fruit is sourced, along with slightly higher rainfall and cooler temperatures.  We will definitely revisit the 2011 to see if the style remains consistent, or Mother Nature has handicapped the 2010.

We’re really mincing details here, mostly because it’s Robert Mondavi’s legacy we’re talking about.  This is a good wine for the money and, as mentioned, a great value.  If your style is more elegance than intensity, this is your wine.

A  Salute!

Wine: Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 86
Price: $7.99

Find Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi 2010 Sauvignon Blanc with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

The other day we reviewed a Vinho Verde from Great Sense and tonight we’re checking out another one, this one from Casa de Vila Verde.

Like many European vineyards, Casa de Vila Verde has a long history, going back to the mid-17th century within the same family.  And like many European producers, the winery was modernized within the past 20 years — in this case it was in 1996.  While in the US it’s fascinating to learn about vineyards with such a history, the story is so prevalent in Europe that when I speak to wine writers there they find it cliché.  Maybe it is, but I still appreciate the family heritage that goes into many wines in the region versus the corporate heritage we find on many of the shelves in the US.  That’s not to say there aren’t family wineries in the US, there are many of them, but very few with the extensive history of those from other regions.

The aromas on this wine are like fresh squeezed lime over green apples, with a whiff of honeysuckle in the background.  The palate has really nice, vibrant acidity with flavors of fresh apple, lime and a touch of mineral.  The finish is nice too, with plenty of citrus and mineral flavors lingering on.  This one doesn’t offer the fizz you would find in many Vinho Verdes, but the acidity gives plenty of life to the mouth feel.

Wine: Casa de Vila Verde Vinho Verde
Variety: White blend
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $10.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

I’ll be honest.  I went into this review a little biased.   Having already reviewed a few of their wines, including their 2009 cabernet sauvignon and 2009 pinot noir, I’m somewhat familiar with the story behind this winery.  They’re relatively new on the block, and still cutting their stylistic teeth on their first few vintages.  And while working with power reds like pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon offers some margin of error, pinot grigio does not.

But I’m here to report that this wine pleasantly surprised me.  Pinot grigio is not a complex wine, and examples from Napa can come across even more muted than more genuine, Italian versions.   But this wine offered vibrancy, along with complex fruit that one rarely sees in this varietal.

On the nose, the wine is a bit vegetal, with hints of grass and celery.  But it also serves up a soft lychee-like fruit that is pleasant and somewhat exotic.  Overall, the nose is far more potent than I would have expected, and quite inticing, too.  However, it doesn’t offer the same level of crispness that Italian versions would normally offer.

On the palate the acidity in the wine takes time to show, but once it does, the wine offers up a slightly sweet and vibrant style, if only slightly off-balance.  The winemaker’s notes tout tropical citrus, but I failed to pick up any tropical fruit.  There is plenty of sour apple and a touch of sweet lime as well.  Still, the wine offers more complexity than I’ve found in other pinot grigios at even twice the price.

This style will appeal to most lighter-bodied, white wine drinkers, but I expect that most pinot grigio purists won’t find this wine appealing.   If your tastes appeal to more exotic sauvignon blancs, but you’re looking for an even better value, the Flip Flop 2010 deserves a try.

A  Salute!

Wine: Flip Flop
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price: $7.00

Find Flip Flop 2010 Pinot Grigio with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

When I first started this website a lot of people commented that I must love Trader Joe’s because of all the bargains they have on wine.  And as much as I wanted to love Trader Joe’s, I just never became a big fan.  Most of the wines I tasted from them were nothing special, albeit they were dirt cheap — which is something I always love.  Plus there’s something about the folks working there that just seems inauthentic to me… they’re way too happy and remind me of flair-clad servers at TGI Fridays.

Anyway, while it seems like everyone I meet associates Trader Joe’s with dirt cheap wine, they are not the only one in that game.  The folks from Aldi sent a few of their wines our way to taste and I’d say they’re giving TJ’s some competition.  I’ve never been an Aldi shopper, so I had no idea they were carrying wines and I was a little surprised when they showed up.

I’ll admit that I was a little bit skeptical at first.  But as I looked them over, I saw a few things that were both intriguing and reassuring.  First, I was surprised to see the regions on the wines, Chianti, Napa Valley and Mosel.  Then I was reassured when I checked the alcohol levels and found them to be appropriate for the styles.  Sometimes I’ve found that really cheap wine will have an alcohol level that’s lower than normal, resulting in thin, bland wine, but that wasn’t the case here.  I also liked the backside of the labels, which has helpful graphics for folks who don’t know their wine well yet.

Now I will say that none of these wines absolutely blew me away, but none of them were bad either.  And for the dirt cheap prices, they are some bargains!

Gonfalone Chianti 2009

I’m a big fan of Chianti, but if I have a choice I’m usually going to select a Chianti Classico versus a Chianti.  I expect that a lot of wine consumers aren’t clear on the differences between Chianti and Chianti Classico and that’s an unfortunate circumstance of the names being so similar.  And I could confuse you even more by going into the other sub-types of Chianti.  But basic difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico is the region of production.  While Chianti comes from a rather broad region in Tuscany, Chianti Classico comes from a more limited region, selected for the quality of its grapes.  There are some other differences too, but I’ll leave it at that for now.  And while I tend to prefer Chianti Classico, I was pleasantly surprised by this Chianti from Gonfalone.

The nose on this wine is nice.  It shows well balanced raspberry, nutmeg, strawberry and perfume aromas with moderate intensity.  The palate is dry and offers plenty of ripe fruit flavors, like raspberry, plum and sour cherry, plus a little bit of spice.  Where it misses is on the acidity, which is more restrained than I would expect for a Chianti, although it’s not terribly off the mark.  The finish is decent, with lingering raspberry tea flavors.  Overall, it smells and tastes nice, but lacks some vibrancy due to the restrained acidity.

For the price, this is an extreme value.

Wine: Gonfalone Chianti 
Variety: Chianti
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $5.99

Walker Napa Valley Red Wine 2007

The color is a brownish, brick red.  It doesn’t have the bright red color of most young red blends, but then as a 2007, it ‘s not so young anymore.  I was actually a touch surprised to see them carrying a 2007.  Although it doesn’t say this anywhere on the bottle, this wine is a blend of merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon.

The nose on this wine shows cherry and plum aromas, as well as quite a bit of oak, which takes on nutmeg and cedar characteristics in this one.  The oak is a little heavy, but not offensively so.  The palate is medium bodied, which is exactly what the label says.  It does have some nice fruit flavors on the palate that give a touch of sweetness and touch of tart, such as raspberry, plum and strawberry.  There are some subtle tannins too.  The finish is a continuation of the fruit flavors with a bit of residual sugar leaving a slightly sweet flavor on your tongue.  This isn’t a wine that I’m going to rant and rave about, but it’s OK for what it is and still quite a value.

Wine: Walker
Variety: Red blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $7.99

Landshut Riesling

When I saw this wine I cringed a bit because I’ve tasted far too many bad, sweet rieslings in the past and I was skeptical.  But then I saw that it was from Mosel, which gave me some reassurance.  But the proof is ultimately with what’s in the bottle and I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

The nose is a little tight, but shows expecable aromas for a riesling, like honeysuckle, apple and lime.  The palate is sweet, with peach, apple and lime flavors.  It has enough acidity to bring it to life on your tongue, although a little more acidity would help the overall balance with the sweetness.  It finishes long, with lingering sweet apple flavors.

Wine: Landshut
Variety: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 9.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $4.99

Disclosure: These wines were received as a media sample.

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed a pinot grigio, so we need no more reason than that to check one out today.

This one comes from Voga Italia and they win the award for coolest, sexiest bottle I’ve seen all week.  When I first saw this bottle I thought it would just be a screw cap, but there’s actually a synthetic cork underneath the cap.  So, fair warning, don’t take this one on a camping trip without a corkscrew or you may find yourself beating the bottom of the bottle inside a boot to remove the cork.  Anyway, once you get the cork out, you can reseal the bottle with the screw cap.

But ultimately, it’s what’s in the bottle that really matters.  And I have no complaints about what’s in this bottle.

This wine has some really nice pear and floral aromatics, with moderate intensity.  The flavors are mostly pear and apple, but it also offers some lime and subtle peach notes.  The acidity is sufficient, but not dramatic.  The finish is nice and long.  Overall, it’s a pretty nice wine.  And it will look stylish sitting on your shelf before you drink it.

My wife liked this one too and said it paired well with peanut butter.  That’s not a pairing I would have picked, but I could see it working.

Wine: Voga Italia
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $10.99

Find Voga Italia Pinot Grigio with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

I’ve been meaning to write up this review for several weeks as I actually tasted these wines two months ago, but other things kept coming up.  Shame on me.  But getting this posted late is better than not at all.

These are all grüner veltliner from Austria, a wine I acquired an appreciation for when I visited Austria in 2010.  For those who haven’t had grüner (as it’s called for short), it’s food-friendly white wine known for it’s high acidity and mineral characteristics.  The aroma of pepper is also a common “tell” for a grüner.

It’s actually a really good salad wine.  Grüner has a reputation for going well with vegetables, including the ever-problematic-pairing-vegetable asparagus.  I love asparagus, so it’s good to know that I can always trust a grüner to go well with it.  I’m also an advocate of multiple wine pairings with a meal.  For example, have a grüner veltliner with your salad and a red Cotes du Rhone with your entree.  I know it can get expensive to open a couple bottles, but give it a try for a special occasion when you have friends over.

All of these wines are at the upper end of our typical $20 price limit — and a couple are over that limit.  But they’re all good.  There’s not one in this batch that I’d turn down.

Leth Steinagrund Grüner Veltliner 2010

This gruner comes from Wagram, which is a good region to find value-based grüner veltliner.  There are some tasty wines to come from this region, but it’s not considered a top tier region — in other words, it doesn’t have “DAC” status.  However it borders some of the top DAC regions and takes advantage of microclimates from the Danube river, which runs through the middle of the region.

The nose is a little tight on this wine, but it does show some lime aromas.  The palate is also somewhat subtle, but it does have a nice peach flavor to it, as well as some citrus notes.  The acidity is sufficient.  And the finish is medium in length.  It’s a decent, although somewhat simple Gruner.

Wine: Leth Steinagrund
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $18.00
Find Leth Steinagrund with Snooth

Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner 2010

This one comes from a little further upriver in the Traisental DAC.  Actually, the Danube only hits the top edge of this region, with the majority of it residing south of the river.

The nose on this wine is lovely, with pepper and lime aromatics.  It smells refreshing.  Although some might argue that is smells more like a sauvignon blanc than a gruner veltliner. The palate has excellent acidity, with pear, apple and light citrus flavors.  It has a touch of sweetness, which is most noticeable on the finish.  Speaking of the finish, it’s plenty long and very enjoyable.  This is a nice wine for the price.

Wine: Huber Traisental
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $18.00
Find Huber Traisental with Snooth

Pfaffl Haidviertel Grüner Veltliner 2010

Now we venture further north in Austria to the Weinviertal DAC, which is the largest wine region in Austria running from the north of the Danube river up to the Czech border in the north and the Slovakian border to the east.

There is definitely some of the classic pepper aromas on the nose, along with other floral notes and a hint of tropical fruit.  The palate has sufficient acidity with crisp apple and mineral flavors with a touch of spice on the mid palate.  The finish brings in a bit more mineral and a bit of peach.

Wine: Pfaffl Haidviertel
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $22.00
Find Pfaffl Haidviertel with Snooth

Türk Kremser Weinberge Grüner Veltliner 2009

Türk is from the Kremstal DAC, which is a relatively small region, just west of Traisental with the Danube dividing the region in half.  In addition to creating some awesome gruner here, the town of Krems, at the center of the region, is just lovely.

This wine shows spice and herbs on the nose, with pepper (of course) being among those.  The palate has good concentration, with apple, lemon and lime flavors.  The acidity is good.  It shows some good mineral characteristics on the finish.

Wine: Türk Kremser Weinberge
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $20.00
Find Türk Kremser Weinberge with Snooth

Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009

Now we’re getting into what I consider top notch territory for gruner.  And this wine gives you just a hint of what’s possible from this region.

The nose on this wine has a strikingly nice balance of spice and fruit, presenting a bouquet of peppered apples and melon.  The palate brings out apple flavors up front, evolving into peach and honeydew melon on the mid-palate and into the finish. The finish also brings a salty mineral characteristic.  The acidity on the palate is good, as is the concentration of flavors.  It also does offer a touch of spice on the palate.  This is a really nice Gruner.

Wine: Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 90
Price: $25.00
Find Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009 with Snooth

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

This week we’re doing some odds and ends.  Reviews of wines that we don’t have a full line-up to do a full series, but we have one or two we want to highlight.  Today, it’s a double-header review with two wines from Soave.

Soave is a relatively small wine appellation in the Italy’s Veneto region, which is in northeastern Italy.  It’s a beautiful region, with rolling hills, churches, bell towers and even some castles.  Soave is primarily made with two grape varieties.  The primary grape is garganega, which is the only grape is some Soave.  And Trebbiano di Soave is the second most-used Soave grape.  Both of the wines we’re reviewing today are 100% garganega.

There are actually four different designations for Soave, but we’re only tasting two of them today, a Soave DOC and a Soave Classico DOC.  I know… the non-wine-geek readers are already going cross-eyed reading about DOC’s.  You just want to know if the wine is good or not, so let’s get to that.

2009 Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC

As a Soave DOC, this is an entry-level wine from the Soave region.  And it’s a pretty tasty one too.

This wine has a straw-like aroma to match its straw color.  It also shows some pear aroma and some yeast, like a loaf of rising bread.  The palate has a distinct honey flavor, but without the sweetness of honey, along with some pear, and green apple.  The acidity is sufficient and gives it a vibrant tanginess.  The finish is like a salted green apple, bringing out a touch of mineral on this wine.  Long into the finish the yeast adds an aromatic note to the aftertaste.  This is a nice wine.  It’s interesting, fun, distinct and enjoyable.

Wine: Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC
Variety: 100% Garganega
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $7.99

Find Cantina di Monteforte “Re Teodorico” Soave DOC with Snooth

2009 Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC

Soave Classico DOC is considered a step up from the Soave DOC and tends to have a little more structure and ageing potential.

Some consumers may find this wine similar to a chardonnay, although it certainly has it’s nuances that set it apart.  It is light, fruity and refreshing on the nose, with peach and pear aromas.  The palate also shows some peach and pear flavors, along with some melon.  The finish brings a touch of almond flavor, which is a common trait in Soave and one of the things that sets it apart from other wines.  It also shows a bit of mineral on the finish.  It’s a nice wine and would pair well with a pork tenderloin.

Wine: Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC
Variety: 100% Garganega
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $12.99

Find Le Albare “Il Casale” Soave Classico DOC with Snooth

Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

The weather is starting to turn to autumn, but we’ve had a few more warm days recently here in Cincinnati so I’m going to take advantage of it to continue reviewing tasty summer wines.  But this is one that you don’t have to limit to summer drinking.  If you’re a pinot grigio fan, this is one you’ll enjoy any time of year.

This past weekend I was invited to a crab boil, so I wanted to bring a good shellfish wine.  So, I took my tasting notes on this one and enjoyed the rest with some crab.  That said, I did not taste this one blind as we usually do.

The Tenuta Ca’Bolani pinot grigio comes from the Aquileia in the Friuli appellation in Italy.  This area has been prized for its wines since Roman times.

When I’m drinking a pinot grigio, I’m not looking for intense fruit flavors.  What I’m looking for is a very dry white wine with crisp acidity and interesting mineral characteristics to give the wine depth.  And that’s exactly what I found in this wine.

The nose is really nice, with lime, melon and mineral aromas, plus some herbal/hay notes that added some complexity and interest. The palate is nice and tart, just like I like a pinot grigio, with exceptional acidity.  The flavors are light, but enjoyable with notes of lime, granny smith apple and chalk.  The finish is relatively long and brings a touch of sea salt, along with a continuation of the lime flavor.

Wine: Tenuta Ca’Bolani
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $12.99

Find Tenuta Ca’Bolani Friuli Pinot Grigio with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.