Yalumba 2007 South Australia Viognier

Pale greenish straw color.

Floral smell with peaches.

Tastes like the juice from a can of peaches, but drier. Nice concentration!

This is one of the nicest Viogniers I've had. For $10.99 it compares favorably with a $50 Condrieu. I'd happily, nay, gleefully buy it again.

Like Viognier in general, I find this benefits from serving at warmer-than-refrigerator temperature. They go quite bland when too cold.

Concannon 2005 Central Coast Petite Sirah Limited Release

Very dark purple/red color. One of the most commonly-used adjectives for Petite Sirah is "tooth-staining" and it seems quite believable when viewing this wine.

Rather closed nose, aromas of black cherry and herbs.

Black cherry, berry and plum flavors, little bit of oak.

The next day the nose is a bit more open, I'd add oak to more obvious fruit smells. The oak flavor is a bit stronger as are tannins, there's something like a strong cup of tea in the finish.

Fruity and appealing, I don't regret paying $13.49.

Domaine Ste Michelle non-vintage Columbia Valley Blanc de Blancs

I've recently sampled a range of sparkling wines from California. Tonight, I begin tasting examples from Washington state.

Pale straw color, small vigorous bubbles.

Green apple smell, bread dough notes.

Ripe canned pears, apples, hints of peach.

This is noticeably sweeter than a brut Champagne would be but I'm learning to appreciate New World sparklers for what they are and criticize them only for what's wrong, not for how they compare to something else. With that in mind, this is a nice chardonnay-based wine, but the delicacy that could be there is lessened somewhat by the high dosage. For $17.99, it's a bargain.

Kumeu River Village 2004 Kumeu Pinot Noir

As pale as a red/orange wine can be and still be distinctly not a Rosé. Just a bit darker than Schumaker-era Ferrari red.

Black cherry smell with leather, maybe freshly-turned loam.

Black cherry flavor with pleasant but (I find it) difficult to characterize organics.

Simple but satisfying, smells and tastes better than it looks. Not a great buy for $16.99 but not a terrible one either.

Francis Coppola 2007 California Blanc de Blancs Sofia

Unusual presentation: no cap over cork, the bottle wrapped in pink cellophane.

Pale straw color, small bubbles.

Floral smell, green apples.

Tangy green apple flavor, melon, dry to a fault. Thin.

The grapes used are unusual for fizz: Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat.

A unique wine. meant, I think, for feminine customers. For $19.29, I won't buy again.

A disappointment since my favorite person is named Sophia, but this doesn't remind me of her.

Brancott 2007 South Island Pinot Noir

Medium ruby color.

Black cherry and red raspberry smells.

Tart cherry and raspberry flavors. Moderate oak.

Pleasant but undistinguished. For $15.79, I expect better.

Scharffenberger non-vintage Brut

Pale straw color, vigorous bubbles, small and fine.

Fresh clean citrus smell, restrained hints of toast.

Grapefruit flavor, no excessive sweetness. Simple and pleasant, citrus flavors and smells dominate.

This is one of my favorite New World sparklers to date. What I most like about it, I think, is the clean expression of balance of pinot noir and chardonnay without including so much sugar that "Brut" would seem a lie. I think $19.99 is a fair price, all things considered.

Happy New Year!