Spring brings with its arrival a bounty of newness. From the crisp, fresh smell of a spring morning to the weekend crowds gathering at the local farmer’s market to pick out the freshest produce, there is a certain brightness in the air. It also signals the release of a whole new slew of white wines. This spring brings with it the 2008 vintage and although it was a very difficult vintage for many growers in Northern California owing to late frosts, wildfires and other pesky factors, there are some amazing white wines coming from the 2008 vintage.
April frost kicked off what would result in a dramatic 2008 growing season in Northern California. Some growers lost entire crops to the frost. If that weren’t enough, the wildfires that raged through California in June and July took their toll on the grapes. Then a heat wave in late August left many rushing to pick their grapes as everything ripened at once. Despite these challenges, many are finding that the 2008 vintage is serving up some great wines and although we will have to wait a bit for the reds, some of the white wines are just now making an appearance.
One of the first 2008 white wines that I tasted this year was the 2008 Crocker & Starr Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Retailing for about $28 and with limited availability, this Sauvignon Blanc rarely disappoints. The style is a bit fleshy and floral with good crisp acidity and it has all the flavors we love – peach, melon, pear and nectarine. A great start to tasting our way through the 2008 vintage! www.crockerstarr.com
After spoiling ourselves with the Crocker & Starr, we decided to seek out some more widely available whites from the 2008 vintage and found ourselves trying the 2008 Cline Pinot Grigio. The fruit for this wine comes primarily from the Sonoma Coast and Carneros. This is a very approachable and refreshing white and a great buy at $12. www.clinecellars.com
Another great Pinot Gris, this time from the Napa side of Carneros, is the 2008 Etude Pinot Gris. Although the winery is located on the Napa side of Carneros, the grapes for this wine come from Etude’s estate vineyard in Sonoma Carneros and from a vineyard in Napa Carneros. The result is a bright, crisp wine with hints of citrus and peach flavors and good stone minerality. This is another one that is a bit hard to come by and a splurge at $24. www.etudewines.com
This is just a small sampling of what’s to come with the 2008 vintage. It seems that the vintage is off to a strong start and we’re looking forward to more to come. As we all taste our way through these wines, we’d love to hear your favorites from the 2008 vintage in Northern California.
Written by Linzi
No comments:
Post a Comment