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America

Chardonnay

$9.00229 Butterfield Station, Napa, 2005
This buttery, toasty Chardonnay shows apple and tropical fruit flavors with a hint of vanilla. A small percentage of Viognier and French Colombard add to the aroma and complexity of the wine. The grapes were sourced form Lodi, Lake, Monterey and other California appellations and underwent fermentation in French oak barrels.

$15.00288 Rombauer Vineyards, Carneros, 2006
Koerner Rombauer’s ancestors made wine in the Rheingau region in Germany and his great aunt, Irma Rombauer, wrote The Joy of Cooking. So, the Rombauer’s focus on wine as a complement to good food comes naturally. Full throttle with ripe kiwi / lemon custard fruit and rich American oak.

$16.00275 Invictus, Los Carneros, 2004
This lemon yellow Chardonnay is rich with pear, apple and ripe citrus fruit blanketed with a creamy layer of toasted oak and spice. Enjoy lush fruit and a hint of structure.

$26.00297 Newton, Unfiltered Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2004
Introduced in 1990, Newton is said to be the first unfiltered wine produced in California, and sets an industry benchmark. According to Robert Parker, as the wine sits in the glass, some of that famous gout de petrole emerges, which is a characteristic of Montrachets and Meursault-Perrieres.

$30.00244 Kistler, Les Noisetiers, Russian River Valley, 2006
Butterscotch, toasted almonds, butter, and smoke envelop a full bodied Chardonnay with toasted oak, roasted peach, apricot and butter flavors. Highly complex.

Sauvignon Blanc

$10.00239 Crauford, Highlander, Napa Valley, 2005
This wine is crisp and refreshing with citrus and tropical aromas – grapefruit, lemon, and mango – followed by a hint of green herb. Juicy lemon and peach fruit are offset chive herbs and racy acidity.

$14.00211 Cakebread, Napa Valley, 2006
Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is produced from grapes grown in estate vineyards in Rutherford, as well as from vineyards in St. Helena and Calistoga to the north. The mid- and up-valley sites deliver fruit of great character, producing a crisp, full-bodied, complex style of Sauvignon Blanc. For additional complexity, small amounts of Semillon and Sauvignon Musqué, the latter an aromatic clone of the Sauvignon variety, are blended in.

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Other American White Wines

$7.00902 Gewurztraminer, Mark West, Russian River Valley, 1999
This simple Gewurztraminer has stayed true to its varietal character, even with eight years of age. Aromas of spice, honey, lychee and orange marmalade intermix with peach and orange citrus and caramelized sugar to make a refreshing glass of wine.

$9.00217 Pinot Gris, Mac Murray Ranch, Sonoma Coast, 2005
Gallo makes this wine from grapes grown at actor, Fred MacMurray's ranch. Aromas of fig and melon meet white peach and honeydew melon, but it’s the citrus, spice and oak that adds both weight and interest to the wine, resulting in a round mouth feel with a spicy, cool finish

$9.00189 Chenin Blanc/Viognier, Pine Ridge, Clarksburg, 2005
The fruity floral signature of Chenin Blanc and the fragrant bouquet of Viognier make up this unique bottling. Pine Ridge was the first California winery to develop this blend of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Viognier. Fragrant aromas of tangerine, yellow peach, grapefruit, white nectarine and lychee mingle with bright flavors of peach, tangerine and pink grapefruit with a crisp finish that hints at lime.

$11.00273 Viognier, Rosenblum, Kathy's Vineyard, California, 2006
An exotic and seductive wine, beautiful aromas of apricots, peaches and citrus fruit are found in concert with vanilla bean and cinnamon. The palate is loaded with round flavors of honeyed orchard and tropical fruits as well as creamy vanilla and toasted oak notes.

$12.00213 Verdelho, Scholium Project, Naucratis, Lost Slough Vineyard, California, 2006
Scholium is from the Greek “scholion”, which signifies a modest project, undertaken for the sake of learning. The Scholium Project is the work of Abe Schoener. The fruit for this wine comes from the Lost Slough vineyard in the farming region of the Sacramento delta. The vineyard lies five yards below water level, and is devoted not to easy cash crops but to Verdelho, Arneis, and Orange Muscat. When yields are low Verdelho can create wines that have a mix of tropical and stone fruits.

$13.00295 Pinot Blanc, St Innocent, Freedom Hill Vineyard, Willamette Valley, 2006
St. Innocent began producing Pinot Gris in 1992. The style was initially modeled after the Pinot Gris from Italy's Friuli region. After visiting Alsace in the spring of 1998, Mark Vlossak became fascinated by the riper, more textural wines produced in Alsace. He now produces a Pinot Blanc and two vineyard designated Pinot Gris. The Pinot Blanc is fermented 95% in stainless steel-to preserve the fruit component, and 5% in mostly neutral barrels-to add textural complexity. After eight months of aging on the lees (in contact with its inactive fermentation yeast), it is bottled.

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Other American White Wines, Continued

$15.00243 Meritage, Conundrum (Caymus), White Table Wine, California, 2004
This might be the most aromatic white wine you’ve ever tasted. Conundrum was created from a unique blend of grapes to match the complexity and creativity of the dishes being invented by a new generation of chefs. The wine is made from a blend of six grapes that are vinified separately – some in stainless steel and some in oak – and blended together. Can you identify the grapes?

Australia

$8.00227 Sauvignon / Semillion, Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, 2004
Cape Mentelle is a focused wine with intense aromas of passion fruit, lemon rind and a hint of spicy oak. Some batches of Cape Mentelle Semillon receive extended skin contact during the winemaking process to enhance flavor extraction. The wine is mainly fermented in stainless steel tanks with thirty percent fermented in new French and American oak barrels to add complexity.

$9.00237 Riesling, Rocky Gully, Frankland Estate, Western Australia, 2006
"Bright straw. Racy, mineral-accented lime and grapefruit aromas offer impressive focus and a suave wet stone quality. Clean, energetic and juicy, displaying brisk, floral-accented citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Shows a peppery quality on the finish." 89 pts. Stephen Tanzer, Sept 2007

Austria

$8.00221 Grüner Veltliner, Veltlinsky, Graf Hardegg, 2004
This is classic Grüner with aromas of white pepper, celery and lentils joined by a firm steely structure built on citrus and green herbs. A refreshing glass of wine.

$10.00202 Chardonnay, Paul Achs, Trocken, Burgenland, 2005
With one foot in the New world and one foot in the Old World, fragrant aromas of melon and tropical fruit meet minerals and white chalk. Dry on the palate with a restrained profile of yellow citrus, lentil and white pepper. A lithe and structured Chardonnay with a long finish. Great value.

$15.00281 Grüner Veltliner, Weingut Stadt Krems, Wachtberg, 2006
This big Grüner Veltliner boasts fragrant herbs and citrus followed by sweet ripe citrus, bold white pepper and a hint of celery. The grapes for the wine come from forty-five year old vines, and were fermented in large wooden cask and stainless steel. Ask for this wine in a Burgundy glass.

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Chile

$8.00183 Sauvignon Blanc, Terranoble, Central Valley, 2007
Aromas of lime, gooseberries and tropical fruit are matched by the same with hints of green herbs, juicy acidity and a refreshing finish.

$12.00296 Gewürztraminer, Casa Marin, Casona Vineyard, San Antonio Valley, 2004
Gewürz is one of the most perfumed grapes in the world, smelling of pumpkins, ginger, cinnamon, rose petals, pot pourri and Turkish Delight with flavors of mango, papaya and lychee. Its “boudoir spiciness” makes it a great accompaniment to Asian food. Gewürz reaches its Zenith in the sweeter wines of Alsace and Germany, but good examples can be found in North America, New Zealand, and Chile.

France

$8.00238 Bordeaux Blanc, La Fleur du Roy, Gironde, 2006
Sweet, waxy notes of Semillon rise above green herb and melon fruit. The palate is equally complex with juicy greengage fruit, minerals and a hint of tannin tempered by the roundness of Semillon.

$9.00290 Viognier, Domaine de la Triennes, Sainte Fleur, Vin de Pays du Var, 2005
In the late 1980's Jacques Seysses, Aubert de Villaine and Michel Macaux searched for vineyard property in the south of France. They were driven by the conviction that great wines could be produced in Provence. This Viognier proves their point with aromatic notes of flower blossoms, jasmine and honeysuckle. The palate is rich, full bodied and dry with notes of apricot and peach. Viognier has grown in popularity in California, Argentina, Australia and the South of France.

$10.00247 Pinot Blanc, “Les Princes Abbés”, Domaine Schlumberger, Alsace, 2003
Because of the supple nature of Pinot Blanc, it is rarely unblended. Les Princes Abbés is no exception with equal proportions of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Auxerrois. The blend combines the freshness of one with the aromatic qualities of the other, and the result is close to a light bodied French Chardonnay.

$11.00220 Sancerre, La Poussie, Loire, 2005
The Sancerre appellation surrounds the village of Sancerre in France's Loire Valley. It's located 120 miles south and slightly west of Paris, where Sauvignon Blanc first gained a huge following before skyrocketing to popularity in New Zealand and California. This wine is assuredly Old World with hints of green herb and mineral flanked by bracing acidity and refreshing gooseberry and lime citrus.

$12.00277 Bourgogne Blanc, Remoissenet, Renomée, 2005
Remoissenet Père et Fils, is an old and established name that was known for its white wines. Since the retirement of its founder and manager of 30 years, Roland Remoissenet, the domaine is making a name for itself with red wines. When Roland retired in 2005 at the age of 75, he sold the company to New York financiers and developers Edward and Howard Milstein, together with Maison Louis Jadot and Toronto-based Halpern Enterprises.

$13.00235 Pinot D’Alsace, Zind Humbrecht, 2005
Rich pear and baked apple aromas with a hint of honey lead to candied citrus, apricot and warm spices with a medium body and bone dry finish. Juicy acid lends a firm grip and zesty finish.

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France, Continued

$18.00215 Savennières, Baumard, Clos du Papillon, 2003
This wine made from Chenin Blanc is textured, rich and extremely mineral, with aromas of smoked almonds, apricots and white flowers. When it ages, it develops voluptuous aromas of beeswax and honey. The Clos du Papillon, vineyard has been called ‘Le Montrachet’ of the Loire Valley. Clos du Papillon is a geological spot where the soil is complex, producing a wine with exceptional elegance.

$29.00204 Meursault, Olivier Leflaive, Narvaux, 2005
The most common descriptors attached to Meursault are toasted hazelnuts, honey and vanilla for its aromas and creamy for its texture. Despite having an olive-oil like texture Meursault is balanced by a precise mineral character, stoniness and a more refined overall palate than, Chassagne-Montrachet. Although, it has no Grand Cru vineyards, Meursault’s reputation comes from its Premier Cru vineyards, the best known of which are Les Charmes, Les Genevrières, and Les Perrières.

Germany

$8.00257 Riesling, Hans Lang, Trocken, Rheingau, 2005
A dry Riesling with aromas of minerals and hay backed by lemon/lime citrus and a hint of peach.

$11.00250 Riesling, Selbach - Oster, Kabinett, Mosel-Sarr-Ruwer, 2006
“Johannes Selbach, this estate's winemaker and director (as well as Terry Theise's man-on-the-ground in Germany) is on fire. His wines are top flight and yet his winemaking appears to be improving with each vintage. Readers should note that Selbach's wines typically appear substantially better after a few years of cellaring.” – Pierre Rovani, Wine Advocate. This Kabinett bursts with aromas of fresh pencil shavings and lime citrus, followed by lime and peach on the palate.

$17.00178 Scheurebe, Schmitt's Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl, Spätlese Trocken, Franken, 2004
This dry white is for serious German wine drinkers only. You won’t find Scheurebe in many single varietal wines, although it does appear in some of the best Austrian TBA’s. Scheurebe is a cross of Riesling and Sylvaner and makes wines that are crisp, aromatic and fruity. Wines made from Scheurebe are often described as having a hint of blackberries in flavor. This full bodied, dry incarnation, is no exception.

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Italy

$8.00285 Pinot Grigio, Stella, Umbria, 2006
Lively citrus and a crisp finish make this Pinot Grigio from Umbria pleasing and refreshing.

$10.00208 Soave, Anselmi, San Vincenzo, Veneto, 2006
Roberto Anselmi is one of Italy’s leading white wine producers. Frustrated by the low quality in the Soave region, in 2000 he left the Soave DOC. His wines are now labeled as IGT Veneto. Anselmi takes a quality minded approach with densely planted vines and low yields. He has three versions of Soave, which at best, are reminiscent of greengage plums, citrus and almonds.

$11.00253 Arneis, Blangé, Ceretto, Piedmont, 2005
This is a clean varietal expression of Roero Arneis with nectarine and lemon custard aromas defined by bright acidity and balanced by an underlying creaminess.

$12.00224 Vermentino, Mesa Giunco, Sardegna, 2006
--a white-wine grape thought to be related to Malvasia. Vermentino is grown on the neighboring Italian island Sardinia and on Italy's mainland in the Liguria region. Sardinian renditions are similar to those from Liguria, but not as acidic. Vermentino is Sardinia’s most successful grape. The nose is floral with yellow citrus on the palate.

$13.00280 Tocai Friulano, Clivi Brazan, Ferdinando Zanusso, Collio Goriziano, 2002
This is a non interventionist wine; made without the use of oak, racking, filtering or cultured yeast. The grapes, predominantly Tocai with some Malvasia, come from vines up to 70 years old. Secondary aromas of honey, minerals, leather and nuts are indicative of six years of age. The wine coats the palate with a silky texture showing less bracing acidity than most Friuli whites.

$18.00279 Fiano di Avellino, Planeta, Cometa, Sicilia, 2006
Planeta’s first winery, Ulmo, together with an old family farmhouse, is situated on the banks of the Arancio Lake in the eastern portion of Sicily. The soil there is deep and chalky – ideal for the production of whites. Cometa achieves its richness through partial fermentation (10%) in oak barrels and the remainder in stainless steel over a 20 day period. Intense and luscious with aromas of white peach, pineapple, tangerine, peppermint, and Mediterranean scents of chamomile and wild thyme.

$20.00187 Campanaro, Feudi di San Gregorio, Campania, 2002
“The 2002 Fiano d’Avellino Campanaro, a selection of the best Fiano grapes, is large and complex on the nose with its weighty mineral-tropical aromas. The palate, with a late-harvest richness and dimension, offers pineapple, mango, passion fruit, and butterscotch in a long, sustained, and rich style…” Wine Advocate, 91 pts.

$21.00261 Terre Alte, Livio Felluga, Rosazzo, Colli Orientali del Friuli, 2002
Terre Alte is considered one of Italy’s most prestigious white wines. A balanced blend of Tocai Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon grapes, estate-grown at Rosazzo in the historic Terre Alte vineyards. The wine yields complex aromas of flowers, minerals, and sweet yellow citrus matched by intense pink grapefruit citrus, chalk, and green herbs softened by a touch of honey-like nectar.


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Italy, Continued

$24.00266 Sauvignon de la Tour, Villa Russiz, Collio, 2004
Villa Russiz is one of Italy's finest producers of white wines. French varietals where brought to Italy during the late 1800s when many vineyards where replanted after being devastated by phylloxera. The grapes for Sauvignon de la Tour are selected from a prime vineyard located at the top of a hill overlooking the winery. The result is a supercharged Sancerre-like wine.

New Zealand

$9.00203 Sauvignon Blanc, Te Tera, Martinborough Vineyard, Marlborough, 2006
Delivers a winning combination of wet stone minerality and fruit intensity. Pink grapefruit, tart nectarine and aromatic guava flavors have a lingering, nervy vibrancy. Drink now. 5,000 cases made. – Wine Spectator, 91 pts.

$11.00226 Sauvignon Blanc, Craggy Range Winery, Te Muna Road Vineyard, Martinborough, 2005
Unlike most New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs that you’ve tried, this one is from Martinborough, not Marlborough. The Te Muna Road Vineyard grows on stony, limestone soil next to the Huangarua River, lending the wine rich ripe flavors of limes, peaches and apples, with a dry herb character.

Spain

$8.00241 Chardonnay, Monjardin, El Cerezo, Navarra, 2005
This clean, crisp, unoaked Chardonnay will light up your palate with tangy yellow citrus framed by fragrant meyer lemons and minerals. Grown in limestone soils, the wine is similar in style to Chablis and is a great value. The vineyard is named El Cerezo because of a lone cherry amongst the vines.

$13.00182 Albariño, Do Ferreiro, Rias Baixas, 2006
Enjoy aromas of flowers, melon, peaches and a hint of the ocean. On the palate the wine is bone dry with Riesling’s lime flavor complemented by Sauvignon’s herbal character. The finish is lengthy and laser like. The small (5 hectares) estate of Do Ferreiro farms organically and ferments with natural yeast from its vineyards which range in age from 50 to 200 years.

$15.00207 Viura, Plácet, Palacios Remondo, Rioja, 2006
The vineyards at Bodegas Palacios Remondo, located in the Rioja Baja D.O., are organically farmed and the wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined. The 2006 Placet is made from 100% Viura aged in large old oak foudres. It has floral, juicy fruit aromas with a touch of spice and honey, along with abundant quantities of ripe, melon-like fruit and a silky texture.