Pine Ridge - Chenin Blanc / Viognier

Price: $12.99
Region: California
Year: 2007

Another two wine review week. First, the 3rd on my list of default wines. Now, if you've picked up anything since I started reviewing a wine each week, it is that I tend to favor red wine. OK, that's the understatement of the blog so far, I must agree. Actually, there are just very few white wines that I enjoy drinking. I know this probably excludes me from being considered anything close to a wine expert, but again, that's the whole point of the blog anyway. I just drink and review wines I like to drink, and for the most part, they happen to be red wines. That being said, this wine is definitely the exception.

I first came upon this wine when my wife and I visited Napa for our 10th wedding anniversary. We signed up for a private tasting at Pine Ridge, which ended up being one of our favorite wineries that we visited that week. After the tasting we purchased a few bottle of wine, and this happened to be one of them. We bought this one because the variety just happens to be my wife's favorite when it comes to white wine. The reason is because it tends to be less dry and more fruity then say a Chardonay. It is hard for me to describe the color of a white wine, but I would say when you pour a glass of this wine, you do notice it has a crisp look about it. When you then start to smell, the fruity smell its you right away. That is a trend that continues right into your first sip. One of my biggest reasons for not liking a lot of white wine is the initial bite that I tend to experience. This wine just simply does not have it. It has a fresh crisp flavor, and a great fruit flavor that reminds me of pears. It is a great wine to have on a summer evening along with some appetizers of crackers and cheese. I usually don't get to have more then a glass or two though, because it is one of the few wines that my wife will have more then a glass of, so I'll usually open up another bottle of red to let her enjoy her favoriate white wine.

Rating: 3.75 Corks (By far my favorite white)