EAST COAST PALATE

Friday evening, the week comes to a close, seven wines from some of California's finest facilities await at Georgetown's gourmet grocer, Dean & Deluca.  This is what I call work.  It is a delicious, palate-pleasing experience, a chance to taste some of the high-end part of my portfolio.  With the help of Emmie, Graham, Dan, and of course the kitchen staff at the store, we all enjoyed a few hours of luxurious relaxation...
The wine: 
1.  Roederer Estate Brut;  This bottle of bubbly does a tremendous job emulating a veritable champagne.  It's a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown in the Anderson Valley.  Its nose is remeniscent of macaroons fresh out of the oven.  Its acidity is crisp, playing nicely against the toasty, yeast aromas.  A-

2.  Grgich Hills Estate 2007 Fumé Blanc;  A 100% Napa Valley Sauvignon blanc with about 6 months of sur lîes aging, which means that the yeasts that turned the juice to wine are present, settled down at the bottom of the barrel, dead but not done.  Every few weeks the winemakers will perform a batonnage, in which the wine in the barrel is stirred with a stick, allowing the yeast hulls on the bottom to swirl up into suspension, releasing subtle flavors.  All this is done in neutral barrels (usually these have been used in four or five vintages and now won't impart heavy oak flavor to the wine).  The end result is a crisp, lemony wine with a bit more body than a typical Sauvignon blanc.  A-

3.  Grgich Hills Estate 2006 Chardonnay;  Normally I avoid oaky California Chardonnay, but this has an impressive balace.  The creaminess is cut with a zesty acidity, and the fruit aromas of apricot, pear, and apple make the buttery woodsy scent less offensive.  If your a fan of toasty, oaked-out Chard, this wine will make you very happy.  The bottom line is that it is very well made.  B+