All of the wines paired well with Mom’s (LaGayle) dinner of tomato basil soup, ensalada mixta, chicken tapenade, grilled garlic basil polenta cakes, roasted asparagus with balsamic browned butter, and topped off by orange sherbet with strawberries drizzled with simple syrup and ground black pepper for dessert.

The consensus favorite of the evening was the 2013 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. In the 1940’s, Nikola Nobilo emigrated from Croatia and planted some of the first commercial grapevines in New Zealand. He was one of the pioneers responsible for the worldwide popularity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

The other two wines in this tasting that deserve extra attention because of their high quality and excellent value are the 2013 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and the 2012 Efeste Feral Sauvignon Blanc from Washington State. These top three wines are outstanding and are great choices to enjoy on your deck on a warm evening or to complement lighter fare such as chicken or fish any time of the year.

From 1st to last in the group consensus rankings:

2013 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, straw yellow. Beautiful nose with grapefruit and lime aromas. More grapefruit and lime as well as vegetal notes come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with a very long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $8; Available elsewhere, $8 to $13

2013 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with grapefruit, lime, and fresh cut grass on the nose. More grapefruit, lime, and a touch of pineapple come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with racy acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with an extremely long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $12; Available elsewhere, $10 to $14

2012 Efeste Feral Sauvignon Blanc (Evergreen Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Gorgeous nose with lime, grapefruit, pear, and a touch of minerality. More citrus notes come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with tart acidity. Well-balanced with a very long, lingering finish. Very crisp and refreshing.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $20; Available elsewhere, $19 to $21

2013 Chateau Montet Bordeaux Blanc (Bordeaux, France): Pale, straw yellow. Nose is a bit tight at first, then pear and apple aromas come through. More pear, apple, and a touch of citrus come through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $10

2012 Woodinville Wine Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (Columbia Valley, Washington): Pale, straw yellow. Aromatic with apple, pear, lime, and a touch of minerality on both the nose and palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $15; Available elsewhere, $15 to $17

2012 Gilles Blanchet Pouilly Fume (Loire, France): Pale, straw yellow. Moderately aromatic with apple notes on the nose. More apple as well as pear and a touch of flint comes through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with lively acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Total Wine & More (Seattle, Washington), $18

Wine Tasting Dinner: Sauvignon Blanc from Around the World was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Since we visited New Zealand in 2005, we have followed Kim Crawford Wines closely. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste their 2013 Sauvignon Blanc in a blind samples tasting. It is outstanding and delivers serious bang for your buck.

Regular readers know that we are big fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the country’s flagship wine. And Kim Crawford Wines makes one of our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. It’s crisp acidity and refreshing grapefruit flavors are especially pleasing to our palates. The most amazing thing about Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is its remarkable consistency from vintage to vintage. And, speaking of vintage, the 2013 vintage has been hailed as New Zealand’s “Vintage of a Lifetime.”

Constellation New Zealand’s Chief Winemaker, Darryl Woolley, who has over 30 years of experience making wine in the Marlborough region called the 2013 growing season “exemplary”. In addition to being New Zealand’s driest growing season in about 70 years, the 2013 vintage also benefitted from the sunniest first three months of the year since 1930.

“We’ve had a perfect mix of warm, but not hot, days and cool nights. Rain fell at the right part of the growing cycle and, more importantly, did not fall during the critical period leading up to harvest. This resulted in a medium sized crop of exceptionally high quality grapes.” –Darryl Woolley, Constellation New Zealand’s Chief Winemaker

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is widely available in the United States and is an excellent choice for the warm spring and summer months.

2013 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with grapefruit, lime, and fresh cut grass on the nose. More grapefruit, lime, and a touch of pineapple come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with racy acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with an extremely long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $17.99; Available elsewhere, $11 to $19

New Zealand’s 2013 Vintage hailed as “Vintage of a Lifetime”: 2013 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

This spring, Brancott Estate introduced a new lighter wine range called Flight Song, which includes a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Grigio. These wines are produced using grapes harvested earlier in the season when their sugar levels are naturally lower. This leads to a wine that is 20 percent lighter in calories than a typical wine of the same variety.

“There are a number of ways to reduce the calories in wine but not all of these processes are natural and many of them affect the flavor of the wine. With Brancott Estate Flight Song, we use a natural winemaking approach to create a wine that is 20 percent lighter in calories. By doing this, we retain all of the distinctive Marlborough flavors that people expect from Brancott Estate,” says Patrick Materman, Brancott Estate Chief Winemaker

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the 2013 Flight Song Sauvignon Blanc and the 2013 Flight Song Pinot Grigio in a blind samples tasting. Both wines are good and are perfect sippers for the warm weather ahead. The Flight Song range is now available nationwide in the United States.

2013 Brancott Estate Flight Song Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with grapefruit, lime, and orange blossoms on both the nose and palate. Dry and light-bodied with very crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $14.99; Available elsewhere, $11 to $16

2013 Brancott Estate Flight Song Pinot Grigio (Marlborough, New Zealand): Very pale straw yellow. Nice nose with honeysuckle and citrus aromas. Lemon, lime, and floral notes come through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with lively acidity and a medium finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $14.99; Available elsewhere, $11 to $16

Brancott Estate Flight Song: A New Lighter Wine Range was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$20
• Must be widely available

Brancott Estate, located in Blenheim, New Zealand, was founded in 1934. Originally known as Montana Wines, Brancott Estate got its current name from Brancott Vineyard, which is its original Marlborough vineyard and home. In 1973, Brancott Vineyard was the site of the first Sauvignon Blanc plantings in Marlborough. Chief winemaker Patrick Materman joined Brancott Estate in 1990. Brancott is a founding member of New Zealand’s original sustainable winegrowing initiative established in 1995. Regular readers know that we are big fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the country’s flagship wine. Brancott Estate has long been one of our favorite producers. We had the pleasure to visit the winery when we were in New Zealand in 2005.

“Aromas of sweet, ripe fruit reminiscent of white stone fruit and citrus blossom are apparent with a crisp nettle freshness. The wine displays full fruit intensity with hints of pungency complementing the ripe fruit flavours and balancing well with the crisp acidity of the style. A well-rounded expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, showing all the natural characteristics of this world-famous region.” –Patrick Materman, Chief Winemaker

2012 Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale straw yellow in color. Aromatic with grapefruit and orange peel on the nose. More grapefruit as well as lime and freshly cut grass come through on the palate. Dry and light-bodied with tart acidity. Well-balanced with a long, refreshing finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $12.99; Available elsewhere, $7 to $15

A Wine for Tonight: 2012 Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

All four of these wines are well above average in quality, give you excellent bang for your buck, and are readily available almost anywhere you go to buy wine. We often buy one or more of these to keep in our hotel room when we are traveling to sip in the evening after a day of sightseeing.

Domaine Ste. Michelle is one of the largest sparkling wine houses in the United States, producing more than 300,000 cases each year. DSM has been producing sparkling wine for over 30 years, and Rick Casqueiro has been head winemaker since 1994. While this Brut is good enough to celebrate a special occasion, its price point makes it an excellent weeknight or Sunday brunch bubbly. Available at Total Wine and More for $7.57.

“Sparkling wine is a wonderful yet often overlooked accompaniment to food. Bright acidity and effervescence cleanses the palate, while the delicate flavors complement a wide array of dishes….” –Winemaker Rick Casqueiro

Regular readers know that as far as white wines go, we Wine Peeps love Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. But as far as LaGayle is concerned, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine period. And, Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc is one of her favorite wines from New Zealand. It is crisp, refreshing, and an excellent sipper no matter whether you are sitting on the deck on a sunny afternoon or curled up with a book on a winter’s evening. Available at Total Wine and More for $7.57.

“Intense aromas of pineapple, passion fruit and guava [and LaGayle would say grapefruit, too], complemented by flinty minerality and herbal notes of nettle and cut tomato plant. The nettle and cut tomato plant characters give richness to the palate, and there is an abundance of luscious fruit sweetness, especially passion fruit and pineapple notes. The wine has excellent presence and mouth feel, with balanced acidity and a generous finish.” –Nobilo

Riesling has become known as Washington State’s signature white variety. Washington is the largest Riesling producing state in the United States. And, Washington State’s own Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest Riesling producer in the world. Chateau Ste. Michelle makes a number of different Rieslings of different styles and price points, including this off-dry Columbia Valley Riesling. Available at Total Wine and More for $5.97.

“Our Columbia Valley Riesling is a blend of Riesling from throughout Washington’s Columbia Valley. We craft it to be a refreshing, off-dry Riesling vintage after vintage. The wine delivers sweet lime and peach character with subtle mineral notes. This is our ‘any day Riesling’ that is a pleasure to drink and easy to match with a variety of foods.” –Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

Penfolds is one of the oldest and most well respected wineries in Australia. Today, Penfolds is most famous for its top of the line Grange wine that often sells for $500 or more. This Koonunga Hill wine is from one of their value lines. Nevertheless, according to some experts,  it is a wine that can age for 20 years, which is remarkable for a wine at this price point. Available at Total Wine and More for $7.97.

“Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet is very much a reflection of the Penfolds winemaking style and philosophy. Sourced from premium vineyards across South Australia, the wine is known for its full-flavoured style with excellent Shiraz and Cabernet fruit, firm yet well-rounded structure and balanced oak. Made as a traditional ‘Australian blend’, the Shiraz component provides fleshy fruit flavour while Cabernet provides a frame of fine grained tannins.” –Penfolds

I highly recommend that you put a few bottles of each of these wines in your cellar (wine rack, closet, or wherever you keep your wine), and you’ll have some very enjoyable evenings without breaking the bank.

Good Everyday “Go-To” Wines Under $10 was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Since we visited New Zealand in 2005, we have followed Kim Crawford Wines closely. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and 2011 Pinot Noir in a blind samples tasting. Both wines are very good and deliver serious bang for your buck.

Regular readers know that we are big fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the country’s flagship wine. And Kim Crawford Wines makes one of our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. The most amazing thing about Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is its remarkable consistency from vintage to vintage. It’s crisp acidity and refreshing grapefruit flavors are especially pleasing to our palates.

Pinot Noir is a finicky grape that will not grow just anywhere. New Zealand is one of the few places in the world where it does remarkably well. Pinot Noir is the number two most planted variety in New Zealand, after Sauvignon Blanc. The country’s temperate, maritime climate provides ideal conditions for growing Pinot Noir. In my opinion, New Zealand Pinot Noir has found its niche in style somewhere between the elegance of Burgundy and the sometimes-intense herbal and gamey notes of Oregon Pinot Noir.

2012 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with grapefruit, lime, and grass on the nose. More grapefruit, lime, and grass as well as lemon zest come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with very crisp acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $14.99; Available elsewhere, $11 to $18

2011 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir (Marlborough, New Zealand): Deep ruby red in color. Nice nose with strawberry, raspberry, and cinnamon aromas. Bright red fruit and spice come through on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity, smooth tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $17.99; Available elsewhere, $14 to $20

Kim Crawford: 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and 2011 Pinot Noir was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

The day before the conference, Colby and I had the pleasure to attend a culinary bus tour hosted by Wines of Chile. We had a fabulous afternoon enjoying Portland’s diverse food options paired with some wonderful Chilean wines. That evening we attended a Welcome Reception hosted by the Oregon Wine Board where we had the opportunity to try a number of Oregon wines.

Things really kicked into high gear on Friday with the official start of the conference and a keynote address by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. In a departure from previous conferences, the winery visits were held on Friday afternoon and evening rather than on Saturday. These wine country visits are always a highlight of the conference. When we boarded the bus, we did not know where it was going as each bus had a different destination throughout Oregon wine country. Our bus enjoyed a lovely visit to Sokol Blosser Winery in Dundee where we tasted, ate dinner, listened to live music, and took a vineyard tour with representatives from seven Dundee Hills wineries.

This year, we had two Live Wine Blogging segments (Whites & Rosés on Friday and Reds on Saturday) which featured wines poured for us by winery representatives in a fast and furious “speed dating”-like format.

Saturday morning and early afternoon was devoted to breakout sessions on a variety of topics. I won’t bore you with the details, but we found most of the sessions very interesting and informative. We hope to incorporate some of the suggestions and ideas we formulated during these sessions to make Wine Peeps even better. And once again, there was an emphasis on social networking and interacting with our readers. (So if you aren’t already, please follow/like us on Twitter and Facebook.) Rex Pickett, author of Sideways, gave the keynote address on Saturday afternoon. Later that evening, Alan Kropf of Mutineer Magazine presented the 2012 Wine Blog Awards. Congratulations to all of the winners!

King Estate Winery hosted dinner on Saturday evening. In my opinion, it was the best dinner we’ve had at any of the Wine Bloggers Conferences. They brought their own culinary staff to prepare a delicious five-course meal paired with their wines. For more details about the dinner, including recipes, check out the website they created just for the event.

While I enjoyed all of the keynotes, sessions, events, and tastings, the best part of the conference was getting to meet so many of our fellow wine bloggers in person and see some friends we had made at previous conferences.

Many thanks to Allan Wright of Zephyr Adventures and Joel Vincent of Joel Vincent Productions for organizing this wonderful conference and to all of the sponsors for your support in making it a reality.

We are already looking forward to the 2013 conference in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada!

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted during #WBC12. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region are listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Santa Rita Triple C, Maipo Valley, Chile, $40, QPR: 5
2009 Brittan Vineyards Basalt Block Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $45, QPR: 5
2009 Rodney Strong Alexander’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, California, $75, QPR: 5

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2009 Decibel Sauvignon Blanc, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, $13, QPR: 5
2011 MontGras Quatro, Colchagua Valley, Chile, $14-15, QPR: 5
2010 King Estate Riesling Vin Glacé, Oregon, $15, QPR: 5
2010 Odfjell Orzada Old Vine Carignan, Maule Valley, Chile, $18, QPR: 5
2010 Loma Larga Lomas de Valle Syrah, Casablanca Valley, Chile, $18, QPR: 5
2010 Argyle Eola-Amity Hills Riesling, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $18, QPR: 5
NV Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi, Sonoma County, California, $22, QPR: 5
2011 Miguel Torres Estelado Sparkling Rosé, Maule Valley, Chile, $25, QPR: 5
2009 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley, Chile, $25-30, QPR: 5
2008 Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $27, QPR: 5
2010 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $30, QPR: 5
2007 Argyle Knudsen Vineyard Brut, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $50, QPR: 5
2011 Milbrandt Vineyards Ancient Lakes Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington, $20, QPR: 4
2010 Milbrandt Vineyards Northridge Vineyard Malbec, Wahluke Slope, Washington, $25, QPR: 4
2010 Stoller Reserve Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $28, QPR: 4
2010 Winderlea Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $38, QPR: 4
2007 Amity Vineyards Winemaker’s Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $40, QPR: 4
2010 Brittan Vineyards Basalt Block Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $45, QPR: 4
2010 Archery Summit Premier Cuvée Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $48, QPR: 4
2008 Domaine Drouhin Laurène Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $65, QPR: 3
2010 Winderlea Legacy Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $75, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2011 PEPI Sauvignon Blanc, California, $9, QPR: 5
2011 NxNW Horse Heaven Hills Riesling, Washington, $12, QPR: 5
2010 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Claret, California, $17, QPR: 5
2008 Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile, $18-20, QPR: 5
2010 Los Boldos Vielles Vignes Merlot, Cachapoal Valley, Chile, $20, QPR: 5
2009 Amity Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Oregon, $22, QPR: 5
2009 NxNW Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington, $25, QPR: 5
2007 August Cellars Portus Augustus Dessert Wine, Oregon, $25 (375ml), QPR: 5
2011 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile, $12-14, QPR: 4
2009 Argyle Brut Rosé, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $30, QPR: 4
2010 Longhand (Bev Mo Vnyd Partner) Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, California, $30, QPR: 4
2010 Lange Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $32, QPR: 4
NV Sokol Blosser Evolution White Wine, America, $15, QPR: 3
2011 King Estate Signature Pinot Gris, Oregon, $16, QPR: 3
2009 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $38, QPR: 3
2010 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $40, QPR: 3
NV Domaine Chandon Etoile Sparkling Rose, Carneros, California, $50, QPR: 3
2011 Stoller Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $20, QPR: 2
2008 Styring Reckless Petit Verdot/Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Oregon, $35, QPR: 2
2010 Winderlea Willamette Valley Chardonnay, Oregon, $36, QPR: 2

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
NV Riunite Lambrusco, Emilia IGT, Italy, $6, QPR: 5
2011 Domaine du Tariquet Classic Cotes du Gascogne, France, $9, QPR: 4
NV Hope Family Wines Troublemaker Blend 3, Paso Robles, California, $20, QPR: 4
2009 Amity Vineyards Eco-Wine Organic Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $22, QPR: 4
2011 Esporao Duas Castas Semillon Viosinho, Portugal, $13, QPR: 3
2010 King Estate Signature Pinot Noir, Oregon, $27, QPR: 3
NV R.Stuart & Co. Brut Rosé d’Or Sparkling Wine, $38, QPR: 3
2011 Recuerdo Wines Torrontes, Argentina, $15, QPR: 2
2010 Cornerstone Cellars Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $30, QPR: 1
2009 Brittan Vineyards Syrah, Oregon, $40, QPR: 1

Highlights and Final Thoughts from the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

During the conference, we participated in two Live Wine Blogging sessions (Whites & Rosés on Friday and Reds on Saturday) which featured wines poured for us by winery representatives, often the winemaker or owner themselves, in a fast and furious “speed dating”-like format. We tasted and reviewed the wines live, posting comments on Twitter. Since many of you may not have been viewing the Twitter stream at that time, I am posting a recap here.

Here are the wines we tasted during the Live Wine Blogging – Whites & Rosés session, listed in the order we tasted them, with my Twitter-style notes as well as Quality and QPR ratings:

2011 Recuerdo Wines Torrontes 2011 (Argentina): Apple, lime, touch of grapefruit, very crisp.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15

2011 Esporao Duas Castas Semillon Viosinho (Portugal): Just launched, avail 6 states. Pear, minerality, creamy.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $13

2011 PEPI Sauvignon Blanc (California): Made for food, found often in restaurants. Tons of grapefruit, lime, crisp & refreshing.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $9

2009 Decibel Sauvignon Blanc (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand): Beautiful wine, grapefruit, lime, creamy.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $13

NV Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi Sparkling Wine (Sonoma County, California): 89% PN, 8% Chard, 3% Muscat. Luscious apple, pear, yeast. Delish!
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $22

2010 Cornerstone Cellars Chardonnay (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Pear, creamy yet crisp, minerality, begs for food.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $30

NV Sokol Blosser Evolution White Wine (America): Grapes from OR, WA, CA. Blend of 9 varieties. Very aromatic!
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $15-18

2011 Domaine du Tariquet Classic Cotes du Gascogne (France): Ugni Blanc-Colombard blend. Floral, citrus, mineral.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $9

2011 Milbrandt The Estates Ancient Lakes Dry Riesling (Evergreen Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington): RS: 0.4% Dry, wet stone, lime, crisp. Lovely!
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

NV Domaine Chandon Etoile Sparkling Rosé (Carneros, California): Toasted nuts, raspberry, strawberry, creamy.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $50

While there were many good wines, as you can see from the Quality ratings, our favorites were the 2009 Decibel Sauvignon Blanc, the NV Gloria Ferrer Va de Vi Sparkling Wine, and the 2011 Milbrandt The Estates Ancient Lakes Dry Riesling.

Live Wine Blogging is a fast-paced process but lots of fun. I’ll be posting a recap of the Reds session next week.

Cheers!

Live Wine Blogging Recap from #WBC12 – Whites & Rosés was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$20
• Must be widely available

Regular readers know that as far as white wines go, we Wine Peeps love Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. But as far as Mom (LaGayle) is concerned, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine period. And, Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc is one of her favorite go-to wines.

The Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc is consistent from vintage to vintage and widely available. It is crisp, refreshing, and an excellent sipper no matter whether you are sitting on the deck on a sunny afternoon or curled up with a book on a winter’s evening.

In the 1940’s, Nikola Nobilo emigrated from Croatia and planted some of the first commercial grapevines in New Zealand. He was one of the pioneers responsible for the worldwide popularity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

“Intense aromas of pineapple, passion fruit and guava, complemented by flinty minerality and herbal notes of nettle and cut tomato plant. The nettle and cut tomato plant characters give richness to the palate, and there is an abundance of luscious fruit sweetness, especially passionfruit and pineapple notes. The wine has excellent presence and mouthfeel, with balanced acidity and a generous finish.” –Nobilo

2011 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Pale, greenish straw yellow. Very aromatic with grapefruit, pear, and grassy aromas. Grapefruit, grass, and lime come through on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with very tart acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish. Very crisp and refreshing.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Metropolitan Market (Seattle, Washington), $10.99; Available elsewhere, $8 to $15

A Wine for Tonight: 2011 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc was originally posted on Wine Peeps. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.