Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc

I've been on a big kick with South American Sauvinon Blanc lately, and thanks to the Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc, I have something to feed my addiction. This Chilean white wine is repeatedly finding it's way into my fridge and onto my table. With a great, crips citrus flavor, this wine goes great with seafood, chicken, pork, or just on the deck on a hot day. The light coloring is about the only thing light about this full-flavored, yet clean tasting Sauvignon Blanc.

My local store carries this for a lowly $7, a steal for anybody in the market for an inexpensive white wine that they can pair with anything. A bit of research shows that it does sell for upwards of $15, but I wouldn't recommend paying that much for it, not because it isn't worth it, but because you can find it for less. And isn't that always the point? I give the Root:1 Sauvignon Blanc 4.75 stars out of 5.

Find this wine online at WineZap.com

Clos du Bois Riesling

This weekend I partook of numerous wines, but right now I want to talk about the Clos du Bois Riesling that I drank with some friends for dinner on Thursday night. First of all, while the name might be misleading (it's French for "enclosure in the wood"), this is actually a wine from California. I picked this wine up at my local store for $13, as my fiance' and I were having friends over for dinner and our taste in wine differs greatly from theirs.

The Clos du Bois Riesling had plenty of citrus flavors, but leaned more towards the sweet side of the Riesling varietal (which was part of the reason I had purchased it for our guests). While it wasn't sickly sweet like some German Rieslings can be, it certainly wasn't crisp and dry. I paired this dinner with grilled chicken covered in BBQ sauce, and while it wasn't bad, I think I might have enjoyed it more had I paired it with something spicy, like Asian cuisine. All in all it wasn't a bad wine, but unless you're more into the sweeter Rieslings, I'd say you might want to avoid this wine unless you plan to pair it with something spicy. I give this wine 2.5 stars out of 5.

Find the Clos du Bois Riesling online at WineZap.com

Mirassou Chardonnay

Having already tried and reviewed the Mirassou Pinot Noir, I thought it would be a good idea to try one of Mirassou's white wines. This, it turns out, was a mistake. I really wanted to like the Mirassou Chardonnay, I tried to like it, the nose was good, the initial taste was crisp and refreshing....and then I swallowed and got a rough finish. A rough finish on a dry red can be somewhat acceptable, not great, but acceptable, however, a rough finish, the kind that hits you right on the back of the tongue and almost makes you do the bitter beer face, on a white wine is not acceptable.

Thinking the wine just needed food I paired it with a pasta dish I had made (wheat pasta, grilled chicken, and sun-dried tomato alfredo), only to find that the meal did nothing to help me enjoy the wine any more. While I spent less than $10 on this wine, I still feel as though I wasted my money for the simple fact that I didn't enjoy the wine.

If you're in the market for a chardonnay with hints of oak and you can get past the rough finish, then this might be your wine, but if you're anything like me and you like your steel aged chardonnay's to be crisp and clean, than you should really avoid the Mirassou Chardonnay. I give this wine 1 star out of 5. It's just not worth the eight bucks you'll spend on it.

Find Mirassou Chardonnay at Wine Zap

2006 Target Wine Cube Sauvignon Blanc

This is the second boxed wine that I've reviewed on this blog, and I have to say, I'm much more impressed with this one that I was with the Fisheye Shiraz. Target has taken the idea of the boxed wine and completely reimagined it. Not only have they redesigned the box, they've created a series of accessories including a stand that raises the cube high enough to easily place a glass beneath it for serving, but a cover that both insulates the wine and hides the "box" appearance beneath a stylish black covering with openings for the spout and the type of wine listed on the box.

The Sauvignon Blanc offered by Target is a good selection for anybody looking to either move away from the sweeter whites with something safe, or throw a party. In fact, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the Wine Cube setup was how convenient it would be for a party. While the wine itself is nothing to write home about, neither is it something I would be ashamed to offer at a huge outdoor picnic or informal cocktail party. It's easy and convenient and the subtle citrus flavors should be enjoyable to most white wine drinkers.

I'm not saying that this wine is anything even approaching amazing, but for around $15 for 3 liters of wine (that's roughly 3 bottles), you really can't go wrong with this wine when looking to entertain a number of people or just to have a basic "house" white on hand for your own enjoyment when you don't want to open up the good stuff. I give this wine 3.5 stars out of 5 for presentation alone.

2006 Santa Rita Reserva Sauvignon Blanc

For my first wine I begin with the 2006 Santa Rita Reserva Sauvignon Blanc. A pleasant white wine from Chile (that’s in South America), this Sauvignon Blanc has a nice mix of citrus flavors, most notably grapefruit.
I purchased this wine at a local wine & beer store for $15.99, a good $4 under my budget of $20. To go with this wine, I had a salad for dinner which included baby spinach, romaine lettuce, feta cheese, a fat-free sun dried tomato dressing, and grilled chicken. The grapefruit and citrus flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc was a nice compliment to the slight salty flavor of the feta cheese and and the earthiness of the dressing.
While it was certainly a quality Sauvignon Blanc, it probably could have used another year of aging to take away some of the fruitiness of the wine. If you do try this one I’d say sit on it for 6 months to a year to let it really age.
I give the 2006 Santa Rita Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 3 stars out of 5.