lfl@lzaz.UUCP (L.F.LARSEN) (12/03/85)
I've been looking at this newsgroup for awhile, looking for comments, recommendations etc.. I hope that there are really other people on this newsgroup. Basically, I'm looking for suggestions for an inexpensive white wine that I can drink regularly. I already know that I like sauvignon blanc, particularly Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc (Le Petite Etoile if possible, but the Sonoma is fine too). Recently I tried the Dry Creek Fume Blanc at a restaurant and I liked that a great deal. However, the St. Jean is ~$12 and the Dry Creek should be about $10 (based on the restaurant price of $18). I'd like to find something in the $5 range that is made in a similar style (very grassy, herbaceous, full, good body). So far, the less expensive sauvignon blancs that I've tried have been pretty weak (e.g., Glen Ellen) or not in the style that I'm looking for (e.g., Beringer). I don't want a thin watery wine (e.g., Fontana Candida) with no body or flavor. I like reds a lot, and I want a white that has some body, taste and complexity to it. Any suggestions?
silber@uiucdcsp.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/06/85)
If you have a chance, you could check out some New York State white wines.
Otter Hill, Widner, Wagner Vinyards, and Frank Vinyards are among some of the
better known names. These wines are often difficult to obtain outside of the
Northest, but are well worth it. Most of them are produced in the Finger Lakes
area of upstate New York. New Yorks best wines are its whites, and they are
certainly less expensive than comparable French or California wines.
Wagner in particular makes a fine and authentic (i.e. not dry like
California equivelents) Johanisburg Reisling. One label to be careful with
is Bully Hill. Walter S. Taylor is a very interesting man, and he produces
some very interesting not to mention vile wines (such as his "workers red")
He is a talented artist and illustrates his own labels, but his approach to
wine making is a little excentric -). A good guide to buying Bully Hill wines
is that the less on the back label the better. Anyway, good luck.
Ami Silberman
"Still looking for something cute to put here."leach@tolerant.UUCP (Geoff Leach) (12/07/85)
In article <428@lzaz.UUCP> lfl@lzaz.UUCP (L.F.LARSEN) writes: >Basically, I'm looking for suggestions for an inexpensive white >wine that I can drink regularly. > >I don't want a thin watery wine (e.g., Fontana Candida) with no >body or flavor. I like reds a lot, and I want a white that has >some body, taste and complexity to it. > >Any suggestions? But of course. May I recommend Chateau Graville-Lacoste? It's a Graves; nothing fancy, but a really delightful bottle. Made from sauvignon blanc, it has a flowery, slightly grassy, nose, crisp on the palate with full flavor, medium body and good finish. It's imported in the West by Kermit Lynch of Berkley, who sells a half bottle (so much more convienent for everyday drinking) for under three dollars. You might also like to try the Vouvray from Renee Loyau. Lynch describes it as having, "Honeyed nose of great character; flower blossoms. Great depth on the palate. Will age a lifetime." I can speak for the truth of everything but the last sentence. I doubt that I will be able to restrain myself. Recent price: $6.95 for a fifth. Finally, there's a Sancerre: Les Perriers. A beautifully typical example of the variety. Good fruit, a little grass, medium finish. $6.95 the fifth for this one. Good drinking. Geoff Leach
andy@tolerant.UUCP (Andy Laursen) (12/07/85)
> In article <428@lzaz.UUCP> lfl@lzaz.UUCP (L.F.LARSEN) writes: > > >Basically, I'm looking for suggestions for an inexpensive white > >wine that I can drink regularly. > > > >I don't want a thin watery wine (e.g., Fontana Candida) with no > >body or flavor. I like reds a lot, and I want a white that has > >some body, taste and complexity to it. > > > >Any suggestions? > > But of course. May I recommend Chateau Graville-Lacoste? It's > a Graves; nothing fancy, but a really delightful bottle. Made > from sauvignon blanc, it has a flowery, slightly grassy, nose, > crisp on the palate with full flavor, medium body and good finish. > It's imported in the West by Kermit Lynch of Berkley, who sells a > half bottle (so much more convienent for everyday drinking) for > under three dollars. > > You might also like to try the Vouvray from Renee Loyau. Lynch > describes it as having, "Honeyed nose of great character; flower blossoms. > Great depth on the palate. Will age a lifetime." I can speak for the > truth of everything but the last sentence. I doubt that I will > be able to restrain myself. Recent price: $6.95 for a fifth. > > Finally, there's a Sancerre: Les Perriers. A beautifully typical > example of the variety. Good fruit, a little grass, medium finish. > $6.95 the fifth for this one. > > Good drinking. > > Geoff Leach > I have also tried Chateau Graville-Lacoste and recommend it. In general I find the low priced (under $7) white Graves a better value than their Californian counterparts (maybe the French haven't figured out that there is a huge yuppie market for sauvignon blanc!) However, I do like Californian wines so if you like an herbaceous quality, try Groth from Napa (retail about $9 but usually on sale at Liquor Barn for around $6) or Duckhorn (I think I paid about $7 for this one). I also like Concannon and R J Cook. A wine I tasted last night that is very nice for the price is Congress Springs Pinot Blanc. The retail price is $8, but this wine has a lot to offer. It has the flinty finish of a French Chablis but has quite a bit more oak in the mouth (not much in the nose). This wine isn't hugh, but it is nicely balanced. And why we're on the subject of inexpensive good wine, the Vincelli Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent value. It's around $4 but has all the umph of a much more expensive cab! Andy Laursen Tolerant Systems ucbvax!tolerant!andy
jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (12/07/85)
There are some *excellent* Sauvignons Blanc! The definitive S.B. is that
from Robert Mondavi. R.M. coined the name 'Fume Blanc' for sauvignon blanc. It's
rich and full-flavored.
Another very good one is Duckhorn. It's spendy but rivals the Mondavi for
varietal body, aroma, and flavor.
If you can find wines in your area from Chateau Ste. Michelle in
Washington State, try their Sauvignon Blanc. The Yakima Valley of Washington
can produce some fine S.B.
Stick to the north coast counties of California (Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino)
for the best ones. I don't recall a definitive sauvignon blanc from Monterey
County. Maybe other netters can comment.
Jere M. Marrs
Tektronix, Inc.
Beaverton, Oregon
tektronix!tekgvs!jerem
I just noticed you specified inexpensive. Forget the above
recommendations. The Chateau Ste. Michelle will be fairly low cost.
Sauvignon Blanc is sufficiently susceptible to growth variations and
vinification methods that you usually get what you pay for.
-jmsilber@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/08/85)
Sorry, that should read "Otter Springs" and "Heron Hills" as names of N.Y. wineries.
gt4395b@gitpyr.UUCP (Christodoulou,Michael Joseph) (12/09/85)
Call me a bohemian, but I've always enjoyed the Riunite line.
And you can get those for 5 bucks a bottle.
Sure, it's no good for impressing people, but then, that's not
why I drink it.
-- Mike Christodoulou --