Apologies for the late rattage. After my nearly hundred-hour workweek, sleep caught up to me before I could finish my report.
I was super excited when I opened my e-mail last Wednesday (or was it Thursday… It has been a long week..) and found out that I would be a lucky lab ratter for a (hopefully) delicious wine.woot gem!
I have been building my cellar with the assistance of wine.woot (and at the behest of SHMBO) for a few years now, and have come to enjoy a wide range of varietals. White wines, however, tend to be the quencher of choice for my wife, and I prefer a chewier red. Unfortunately for you, she is pregnant (but yay me!), so you’ll have to take the commentary from the second string ratter this week (thought I’d get in my Sunday football reference—I intend to finish the bottle with some Fritos, French onion dip, and a little Redzone—A pairing not likely to be equaled for some time…)
Although I definitely enjoy drinking wine, rarely do I have to bust out words like minerality or mouth feel. But here goes (please forgive any misuse of the terms below)…
First impressions: Fun label with a touch of whimsy, but serious enough to know that this is not your garden-variety pinot grigio. No foil capper over the cork—unique. This wine must have a little personality. Rich straw color with a hint of green peeking through if the light hits the bottle just right. Can’t wait to get this into the fridge.
Later that evening:
Nose-very little quaffable aroma right out of the fridge. Some citrus coming through and maybe a hint of minerality (wet stone and cork), I asked the wife (who was more than happy to smell and may have even wet her lips…), and she said, “smells like a pinot grigio.”
Upon first sip (5 minutes removed from the fridge), Intense (like “wowza!”) lemon with a bright, almost overpowering acidity. Definite lemon rind on the back of the tongue and the mouth feel was crisp and slightly aggressive, but definitely not unpleasant. There was a slight spritz right out of the fridge hinting at freshness and the steel fermentation that faded as the wine warmed giving way to a silky smooth mouth coat. As the wine warmed over the course of an hour, the slightest hint of oak (very subtle, almost vanilla—maybe this was the wet stone I smelled earlier) peeked in to say hello. The “in your face” lemony citrus also slowly subsided leaving room for hints of lime and sour apple to poke through. I don’t remember ever drinking a white that evolved this much—definitely not a one note white.
Second glass (and no, a glass of wine doesn’t usually last an hour in front of me, but I am making the sacrifice for you…) There is a little bit more cork, oak and lemon poking through in the nose. The lemon is still aggressive on the tongue, but fades quickly in the mouth allowing more apples with the (very slight) vanilla oakiness that was just starting to appear earlier to dance around and be the star of the party for a while. The wine is still incredibly crisp and fresh, and the same enticing silky smooth mouth coat lingers after every sip.
The bright acidity and lemon of this wine would pair perfectly with a creamier sauce or a heartier white fish (an hopefully the French onion dip that I will be breaking in to soon…).
Final verdict: “Holy QPR wootman!” At less than $13 per bottle shipped, this is a screaming deal. I have never had a white that danced around as much or revealed as many layers as this one. As a primarily red drinker, this wine could make a convert out of me. If for some reason you purchase this wine and (on the VERY off chance that) you do not like it, whomsoever you gift it to will be extremely happy!
