2013 Santa Sofia Montefoscarino Soave

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley

North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net

2013 Santa Sofia Montefoscarino Soave 

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The other night we went to the ballgame with old friends and stopped by our house afterwards for a glass of wine and a little dessert, to cap off the evening.  I opened a bottle of 2013 Santa Sofia Montefoscarino Soave Classico, and we all thought it was quite nice.  Santa Sofia has been making wine since the early 1800's in the area near Verona, Italy, and this wine is typical of Soave, composed mostly from the Garganega grape, with a little Chardonnay and Trebbiano blended in to round out the flavor of the wine.  This Soave was aged in stainless steel, and has a clean finish, with an alcohol content of 12%.

 

The nose is appealing with a flowery bouquet.  The flavor is fresh with citrus overtones atop the typical Soave flavor of almonds, which underscores an abundant fruit basket, accented by tropical notes suggesting melon and pineapple.  It almost reminds one of a cross between Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, which means that if you like either, you would probably enjoy this one as well.

 

While we enjoyed the Santa Sofia as an Aperitif, I think it would pair well with cold shellfish or antipasto, and would also make a good companion for chicken or veal piccata.  Norm's score is 87.

 

Score: 87

Price: $10 - $13

Norm

 

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2013 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley

North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net

 

2013 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc

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The folks at Geyser Peak have had a consistent winner with their Sauvignon Blanc for several years in a row now, with scores always in the high eighties to low nineties, and the 2013 edition is no exception.  This is a good hot weather wine, sourced from grapes primarily from California's North Coast, and fermented in stainless steel for a clean and crisp finish. The style is typical of California Sauvignon Blanc, and pairs well with a variety of foods.

The nose is fragrant with fresh fruit and citrus notes that proclaim a bright and delightful anticipation of the abundant flavors to come.  The taste is apples and melon underscored by a nice citrus kiss of lemon, and a trace of grapefruit.  The finish has a touch of vanilla and is slightly dry, with a hint of the grassy nature of Sauvignon Blanc at the end.  As mentioned before, this is a clean and crisp wine with an alcohol content of 12%.

The Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc would accompany a variety foods from oysters on the half shell to chicken salad.  We enjoyed it with a fillet of grilled salmon and a fresh garden salad.  Norm's score is 88.

 

Score: 88

Price: $10 - $14

Norm

 

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Available online at:

http://pineisland-eagle.com/

Also AOL"The Patch" at:

Dunwoody, Buckhead, Sandy Springs,& others: dunwoody.patch.com/‎

 

 

WINE – God’s Proof of his love for humanity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011 Smoking Loon Steelbird Chardonnay

Norm's Tasting Notes
by: Norm Bentley

North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net

 

2011 Smoking Loon Steelbird Chardonnay

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I used to tell customers at my wine shop, that the best characteristic of an inexpensive wine was the absence of any bad characteristics.  Once in a while though, a wine like the Steelbird Chardonnay comes along with no bad characteristics, and also some good ones, which is hard to come by these days in a Chardonnay for less than ten dollars.  Even more unusual is an under ten dollar Chardonnay on the retailer's shelf which is more than two years old. The 2011 Smoking Loon Steelbird was their special 11 year (steel) anniversary edition, and if you look around you can still find it in the local marketplace.

 

A little extra age has brought out a little more complexity in this well-rounded, big fruit Chardonnay.  The nose is a combination of the fruit basket combined with a large bouquet of flowers, which grab at your senses as soon as the bottle is uncorked.  There is a noticeable citrus breeze floating atop a generous sampling of tropical fruit in its abundant flavor.  The finish is crisp and clean, and begs for another sip.  Best of all it is an inexpensive Chardonnay that tastes like Chardonnay.  Of late, I have sampled some pleasant tasting wines which do not represent their varietal nameplate, so this is a refreshing bottle of wine in more ways than one.  The alcohol content is 13.5%.

 

The "Chardonnay Queen" and I sampled a bottle with fresh caught trout while we were in Matlacha,Florida at the "Little Cottage by the Sea".  To validate our first impression, we enjoyed another bottle with some of the trout that we brought home, and proved that the first was no fluke.  Our vacation in Florida was wonderful, with good fishing, good food, and good wine, all at bargain prices.  Norm's score is 88.

 

Score: 88

Price: $8 - $10

 

Norm

 

facebook.com/NormsTastingNotes

 

Look for Norm's Tasting Notes on Twitter

 

http://normwine.blogspot.com/

  

Available online at:

http://pineisland-eagle.com/

Also AOL"The Patch" at:

Dunwoody, Buckhead, Sandy Springs,& others: dunwoody.patch.com/‎

 

 

 

WINE – God’s Proof of his love for humanity