Attributes:

Guenoc

Lake County, United States

Sauvignon Blanc

750 ML

2005: CGCW Rating: 86

clean, fresh

pleasant

2005: WineSpectator Rating: 85

light

2005: WineAndSpirits Rating: 85

clean, crisp

honeydew

2004: WineSpectator Rating: 85

green apple

2004: CGCW Rating: 86

ripe

2002: WineSpectator Rating: 83

bright

2002: WineSpectator Rating: 83

tart

floral

apple

2002: CGCW Rating: 83

muddled

citrus, grass, peach

Food Matches:

Comes mostly from California, France, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its highly acidic wines are often suggestive of herbs or grass. Light to medium bodied and usually dry, European versions are generally not oaky while California Sauvignon Blanc can take on many of the qualities of Chardonnay. France has two classic wine regions for the Sauvignon Blanc gape: Bordeaux and the Loire Valley The Bordeaux wine is called Bordeaux Blanc and the two best known of the Loire wines are called Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes blended with Sémillon.

Lake County is one of the smaller inland wine regions in California. Surrounded to the west by Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, and to the south by Napa Valley, Lake County's small concentration of vineyards lie in the Clear Lake AVA. The vineyard's here are nestled between steep hills to the west the lake shore. Main varieties grown in this area are Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

Attributes:

Bodegas Vina Vilano

Spain

Rose

750 ML

2006: WineEnthusiast Rating: 80

bright

2005: WineEnthusiast Rating: 81

light

2002: WineSpectator Rating: 78

tart

rustic, simple

Food Matches:

This mountainous country possesses more vineyard land than any other country on earth, and ranks third in wine production after France and Italy. Spain is best known for its red Riojas and its Sherries, however other wines and regions are quickly gaining notoriety. Like France, Spain divides wine into categories; table wine at the bottom level and quality wine at the top, with a large emphasis on geographical origin. VdM (Vino de Mesa) is a basic table wine. VC (Vino Comarcal) wines are a level up. VdlT (Vino de la Tierra) refers to one of the country’s 25 distinct regions, and each wine possesses a local character. At the top level, only about fifty wines are considered DO (Denominacion de Origen). These wines come from the best-known regions and are the equivalent of France’s Appellation Contrôlée. DOC (Denominacion de Origen Calificada) is reserved for wines that adhere to the most stringent regulations. So far, Rioja is the only wine to gain the Calificada classification.

Attributes:

Chateau Langlet

Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux - White

750 ML

Food Matches:

A region in western France that grows famous red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes and white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle grapes. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux has a maritime climate with warm summers and fairly mild winters as well as an abundance of rain during harvest time. When young, the finest red Bordeaux wines have a deep cranberry hue and aromas of blackcurrants, plums, spice, cedar, and cassis. For the first ten years or so these wines can be very dry, with tannin masking the fruity flavors. Eventually the wines turn garnet, and develops an extraordinarily complex bouquet and flavor as well as softer tannins. The finest red Bordeaux wines still take 20 years or so before reaching their maturity. Two distinct red wine production zones exist within the Bordeaux region; the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Left Bank vineyards are located west of the Garonne River and the Gironde Estuary, into which the Garonne empties. The Right Bank vineyards are east and north of the Dordogne River and east of the Grionde Estuary. Of the various wine districts on the Left and Right Banks, four are the most important for red wines: Haut-Médoc; Pessac-Leognan, St-Emilion, and Pomerol. For white wines, the most important are Graves and Pessac-Leognan.