Another year is about to come to a close, and that has many of us looking back over the past 12 months. And while there is much that I, myself, can reflect on, I thought that I’d take a moment here to reflect on one of the things near and dear to my Winey Mom heart: wine.
After all, it is the holidays, and with the holidays come the celebrations. With those celebrations come eating. And with eating…yup, you guessed it: the drinks.
Without further ado, as a public service to all of us staring down dinners to cook and appetizers to set out, here is a list of my favorite white wines from the past year. Next week, I’ll list the reds and of course, some of those sparkling wines. They can be found throughout Northeast Ohio at your favorite wine store.
Downton Abbey Bordeaux Blanc (2012, 12%, France). Downton’s Bordeaux Blanc is a light and citrusy blend of 70% Muscadelle and 30% Semillon Blanc. 
Tropical fruits, kiwi, white grapes make up the nose on this one. The taste is tart and juicy at first sip, with lime and white grapefruit flavors with a touch of minerals to give it some zip. It finishes on a lemon note, very tart and very crisp. This would pair well with salads or shellfish but would be wonderful on its own. Mark your calendar for January 4th, when Downton Abbey season 5 hits the USA. (If you know me, this is a cause for much great rejoicing.) This one is at World Market stores, by the way.
Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc (2012, Marlborough, New Zealand, 12.5%). The first thing to hit you with this wine is a very aromatic bouquet of lime, kiwi, sea air and minerals. The taste was all juicy and tart with just a teeny hint of sweet in there somewhere. I would compare it to drinking a key lime pie. The flavors roll through your mouth: first is the lime, then lemon then a bit of kiwi. It finishes off with some green peppers (kind of a surprise, but it worked after all that fruit.) Crisp and lively – it was one of the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I have ever had. It pairs wonderfully with shellfish (think shrimp cocktail for all those appetizer parties). It’ll run anywhere from $10-$12 and is an amazing buy, in my winey little opinion.
Chloe Pinot Grigio (2012, 12.5%, Italy). I first bought this wine because one of our dogs is named Chloe. Which is as good a reason as any, as far as I’m concerned. The nose on this one is tangerine. Not an overpowering nose. 
Actually, I’d describe it as very faint. But that doesn’t matter because once it hits your mouth, this wine is crisp and lively. Flavors of peach and lemons lead to a touch of honeysuckle. The tangerine shows up again in the finish. Overall, this is a flavorful Pinot Grigio, as opposed to a tart Pinot Grigio. None of the flavors overwhelm the others, so you have a nice blend of sweet and citrus fruit and some flowers. You’ll like Chloe Pinot Grigio if you like a white wine that refreshes, but isn’t overly tart.
Steelbird Unoaked Chardonnay (13.5%, 2012, Napa, CA) True to its name, this wine is fermented for 5 months in stainless steel tanks. It’s a very pretty spring green color – sort of a golden green – and has lush aromas of mango and apricot and very ripe pears. It tastes of yellow apples with a hint of that pear. It ends on a toasty note. The wine feels very round in your mouth and there is a wonderful touch of velvet running through the middle of it. The tastes were well layered with fruit and grape skins all pitching in here. I liked this wine a lot. If you don’t want your Chardonnay big and buttery and oaky and woodsy, you will love this. The fruits are there, but not in an overly sweet way. Just true fruit flavors blended together in a big old steel tank. It retails for about $10.
Fog Head Chardonnay (2012, 13%, California). This Chardonnay gives off a nose of mellow oak, pear and yellow apples. The taste is bright and round and full of pear with hints of vanilla and nutmeg. There’s a bit of butter and oak, but 
not overly much. And it all ends in a juicy smack that reminded me of a sour apple lollipop. Yum. This is the perfect white when you are trying to please Chardonnay fans who cannot agree on the amount of oakiness they want in their glass. The oak here gives the wine just enough moxie to stand up to the oak lovers, but not so much that you are overpowered by it all. A wonderful wine at an amazing price. (I paid $7.99 on special – you will normally find them for around $9.99.)
There are lots and lots of favorites on my list, but these are the ones that stood out in 2014. They all originally appeared in one form or another on my blog, The Winey Mom.
Do you have a favorite white wine from the past year? If so, list it in the comments and share the sipping fun!
Merry Christmas and cheers!
