Six Alternative California White Wines

 

We all know California is famed for their incredible Chardonnay but at yesterday’s “Discover California Wines” grand tasting we here at Wine Times decided to go out and seek the more diverse whites made in the state and see what else it had to offer in terms of white wines. As summer approaches here my ability to drink reds becomes more and more inept as I start thinking cool, refreshing drinks rather than complex, full bodied wines.

In a room featuring over 25 California wine regions with over 300 wines I thought I’d be able to find a few that would get me excited. I had already by some fluke ended up having lunch tutored by local wine guru Chris So and Eric Pope, Regional Director of Emerging Markets for the Wine Institute of California where they had already served me my favourite white wine, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier. Thus, I will not add this to the list as, albeit I love the wine, you know this already and I should tell you about the others that were there!

The US is the fourth largest exporter of wine to Hong Kong, after France, the UK and Australia and around 90 per cent of wines exported from the States to here are from California. The state has seen an increase in popularity over the last 5 or so years with the increase in quality and diversity on the market largely apparent.

 

I started off with a Bogle Vineyards Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg California which was a big, manly white wine with a big fruity nose. A very pleasant, full bodied white with big fruit and one that would be more appreciated with food rather than a drink-alone wine. In all, a very sophisticated drop of wine from Wine Culture here in Hong Kong (md@wineculture.com.hk). Next I found seductively good Viognier from a source I never thought made very good wines, Delicato. I remember seeing once that Delicato was one of the biggest vineyards in the world and, thinking most of their wines must be mass-produced and not very good. Well, the Viognier is really good, a little off dry and extremely palatable – a great summer wine for sure and available from Summergate Fine Wines (info@summergate.com)

Next we headed to Healdsburg to taste J Vineyards Pinot Gris which was floral and aromatic with a great balance of sweetness and acidity, the mark of a decent wine for sure. It had good fruit on the palate and left a long lingering flavourful finish (available from Edrington Hong Kong – Frederick.lau@edrington.hk). This was swiftly followed up with J Lohr’s Bay Mist White Riesling from San Jose and available in Hong Kong from Golden Gate Wine (www.goldengatewine.com). When the first note you make is “wow” then you know the wine was good! I could smell honeysuckle on the wine and the flavour was fat, juicy and ripe apricot – in all, I wrote that the wine is “leg-crossingly good”, so I guess I enjoyed it!!

 

Wanting to try a Sauvignon Blanc I headed to Rutherford County and tasted the St. Supery Estate Sauvignon Blanc. It seems to me that many Sauvignon Blanc around the world are trying to emulate the aromatics of New Zealand these days, and this was certainly true of this wine. However, although there may be some similarities on the nose, the palate was entirely the opposite of what I expected with some sublime grapefruit flavours and a long, soothing finish. This, is a great Sauvignon Blanc and available from East Meets West in Hong Kong (Gregory.bielot@emw-wines.com)

Lastly, I wanted to see what Pinot Grigio tastes like as it’s something that for some reason, I have avoided like the plague for the last few years – in fact, I can’t remember the last time I even tried one, let alone ordered one in a bar or restaurant. Heading to Napa Valley I sought out Luna Vineyards, one I had never heard of before, and tasted their 2011 Pinot Grigio. It had light, savoury flavours and was completely non-offensive, light, easy drinking and certainly a summer wine as, when chilled down to ice bucket temperature, this will just fall down your throat all too easily. Nothing complex about it at all, just one for simple and pleasurable drinking. Available from Prime Cellar Hong Kong (jenneylee@primepac.com)

So, although there is a wealth of great California Chardonnay there is also a whole range of other whites that often get sadly overlooked when people are buying California whites. Yes, I do love the oaky Chardonnay and Fume Blanc from the state but it has so much more to offer the open-minded wine lover. So next time, think different and go for one of the more interesting grape varieties from the region, you may just find exactly what it was your palate has been missing all this time!