EAST COAST PALATE

Every Saturday there are tastings at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits from two to five.  This is the the easiest way to learn about new wines and put your palate to practice...
From right to left (light to bigger) in the picture here are four wines that offer different styles, smells, and flavors:


2008 Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc:  This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, full of zestiness, with key flavors like lemon and grapefruit.  About 1/3 of the wine was put into barrels to age, to soften some of the acidic sharpness, then blended back with the rest that stayed in stainless tanks.  The end result is a fresh Sauvignon Blanc that still has good acidity, yet comes at the palate in a more mellow way.  This normally costs $17, but was on sale for just under $13.

2006 Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay:   Chardonnay is a grape that can be vinified in a number of ways, a fact which splits Chardonnay drinkers into two schools: those that dig oak, and those that don't.
This bottle delivers a blend of half barrel-fermented and half stainless-steel-ferments grapes, resulting in a wine that still has nice body and a beautiful golden color, but is smells more of fresh fruit than it does of butter and barrels.  There are some lovely citrus, pear, apple, and even pineapple aromas here.  For someone like me (I tend to steer clear of California Chardonnay) this is a nice medium between the two ends of the Chardonnay spectrum. 

2007 Erath Pinot Noir:  For those that haven't tried Oregon Pinot Noir, you are missing out.  This wine shows just a glimpse of the whole world of Pinot that is growing continually in Oregon's Willamette Valley. 
This wine is light in body, and color.  It has earthy, leathery smells that meld well with a soft cherry aroma.  The wine is silky smooth in your mouth and, though its finish isn't big, it leaves a spicy aftertaste.  For pairing wine with Thai food or salmon, this would be perfect.

2007 Planeta Segreta:  A Sicilian blend consisting of mainly Nero d'Avola, this wine has body, lush fruit aromas, crisp acidity, and great overall balance.  There is Syrah, Merlot, and a touch of Cab. Franc in the blend.  The pruney, blackberry aromas are strong on the nose, with undertones of cranberry and rocks.  The minerality makes a huge play once the wine coats your mouth; it has substance, an almost chalky viscosity that makes you take this wine seriously.  This bottle could compliment so many types of food, from cheese to chicken, pizza to prime rib. 

Question for today:  Do you go out to shop where you know you can taste wines?  If not, you're neglecting your palate-maintenance.  If so, where do you go, and why?

So my dad now is a member of the WSJWine Discovery Club, which has great deals on wines and provides some interesting, educational literature about wine and everything that comes with the territory.  The best part about this club is the price for a case.  The one my dad just ordered cost $70, which, sans shipping, comes to just under six bucks a bottle.  Fantastic value that provides quality wines and a lot of info to back them up.  Check this out further at www.wsjwine.com.

This 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Esk Valley is herbacious and delicious.  There are aromas ranging from lemon peel and starfruit to grassy fields and green peas.  The nose is fresh and vibrant, then that first sip goes down clean like water for a second before the tart zest emerges, bringing a nice structure to this wine.  I enjoy the unique, but not overly vegetative smell, as well.  This is a crisp, refreshing B+ bottle.  I'm wondering if there are other places around D.C. and MD to find it.  Google, here I come.
For all those that take time to enjoy white wines, what are your thoughts on wines that smell slightly like canned green peas?  Is that something immediately off-putting, or does the stink intrigue you like it does me?  Share your thoughts.

Technically speaking, last night I really was in New Zealand, attending a charity wine auction sponsored by the Washington D.C. Rotary Club.  There was plenty of good food and wine to choose from, but only two wines stood out to me as being noteworthy:  The Lil' Rippa Pinot Noir and the Lil' Rippa Sauvignon blanc. 
The latter, a crisp Sauv. blanc loaded with crisp zestiness, was the perfect glass to kick off my evening of meeting a few of the members of the club.  The pinot noir was a wine I returned to after some eating and bidding on silent auction items, but it startled me with how dank and deep the aromas were.  Bacon fat and musty basement smells mingled with some fresh red berry... a for-sure A wine in my book.  Now I just need to find out where I can find it aroud here...shouldn't be too hard