La Petite Perriere 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, France

 

I want to apologize for this label image. When I get a better one, I will replace it. This wine is a great example of Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is a light straw color. The aromas are wonderful; notes of melon, apricot, citrus, grapefruit filled the glass. The palate mirrored the nose with those same wonderful fruit flavors, along with a nice round mouth feel. I paired this wine with a Tilapia fish wrap and it was wonderful! This wine would pair well with seafood, fresh goat cheese and light appetizers. I would have loved to have prepared crab cakes with this wine to see the concept of wine pairing and culinary delight in motion! According to the information on this wine, it is a Certified Green wine.  Note: This wine was a sample provided by Pasternak Wine Imports http://www.pasternakwine.com

Los Vascos 20011 Sauvignon Blanc, Chile

This wine is a light straw color. The nose has aromas of citrus, primarily grapefruit and grassy notes. The palate mirrors the nose with all the grassy and citrus flavors along with some mineral notes on the finish. There is a nice amount of acidity which makes this a great wine to pair with fresh goat cheese, oysters and grilled fish. Note:  This wine was a sample provided by Pasternak Wine Imports http://www.pasternakwine.com

Rodney Strong Vineyards 2010 Chalk Hill, Estate Chardonnay

I must admit Chardonnay has not been one of my favorite wines to consume for a while. Why do you ask; because most of them have been unbalanced due to the "oak monster." I hate to have a glass of chardonnay and feel like I'm taking a "lick" of a cut oak tree. This wine was the opposite. The wine was a straw color. The nose was filled with notes of apple, lemon, a hint of pear and vanilla spice. The palate has those same flavors that you experience in the nose. The mouth feel was creamy , yet still had a freshness, which to me says that it is a "balanced" wine. This wine also has a nice finish, it lingers for a while. I really enjoyed this wine, because it restored my faith in chardonnay. The fruit was the star and the oak influence gave the wine balance, not a ton of oak. I like a wine, any wine that can stand on its own or be paired with food. This wine can do both! I would pair this wine with seafood, chicken and light cheeses. I can truly see this as a wine that I would put a little in my roasting pan when I roast an herb infused chicken. It would keep my chicken moist and add some flavor. Can you imagine how the pan drippings would taste if you thickened it to make gravy? Hint:  I use celery stalks as a roasting rack in my roasting pan, and add a bay leaf and a bit of wine if I have some on hand or water to add flavor and moisture when I roast a chicken. Well, thank you Rodney Strong Vineyards for restoring my faith in chardonnay. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Rodney Strong Vineyards http://www.rodneystrong.com SRP $20.00

Bogle Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir, CA

This wine is a deep garnet color. The nose is filled with aromas of sour cherries, raspberries, cola notes along with hints of earth and spice. The palate is filled with those flavors exhibited in the nose of berries, cola, hints of cedar, earth and vanilla. There are some tannins, but they help this wine to be big enough to be paired with grilled meats as well as salmon. This Pinot Noir has some weight on the palate, and is a big enough Pinot Noir that I paired it with grilled flank steak. It was a wonderful pairing. This wine is also a "bang for the buck" wine, so you can keep a few bottles on hand for entertaining or to pair with your dinner. Note: This was a sample provided by Bogle Winery http://www.boglewinery.com SRP $11.00

When I prepared my flank steak, I gave it a pounding with my meat mallet and let it marinate in Stubb's Beef Marinade for at least an hour or so and used Victoria Taylor's Cracked Black Pepper Rub http://www.vgourmet.comon each side when grilling my flank steak. I grilled my flank steak inside on a cast iron grill pan due to the summer heat. Cook until your desired doneness; but flank steak does not need to be grilled too long, and it should be sliced against the grain. Try this pairing and tell me what you think!

Cheers,

Lorrie

Bogle Vineyards 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, California

Before I write this review, I would like to tell my readers and the wineries who provide samples to me, that the reason why I have not posted in a while is because I had a tumor removed from my right eye last month. I have endured many challenges with my sight for some time now. It has been 4 weeks since the surgery and well lets just say, I have to check for typos more than the ordinary person. So, please don't think that you are forgotten; you are never forgotten. With that said, and a eye that needs a lot more healing, I'm going to post today, and everyday ( if the eye permits) until I catch up. Thank God for tasting notes, pen and paper. I also thank God that my eye was cancer free. Red wine must really help in fighting cancer. If that is the case, I thank all red wines, each and every one of you!

Okay, summertime is my time for Sauvignon Blancs. The temperatures have been so high in Little Rock, AR, I have been drinking lots of Sauvignon Blanc. This Sauvignon Blanc by Bogle is what I call a "bang for the buck" wine.

The wine is a light straw color. The nose has aromas of citrus zest, primarily grapefruit zest with hints of lemon grass. The lemon grass is the grassy notes that you find in most Sauvignon Blancs. The palate was filled with those same citrus, grapefruit , key lime flavors with a clean, fresh mouth feel along with a nice amount of acidity. The price point makes it great wine to serve at a pool party or any summer entertaining event, because it is a crowd pleaser.

 This wine would be great to sip alone or pair with food. I am still on my fresh goat cheese on a thin slice of french bread kick, for a quick no cook pairing. But this wine would pair well with a grilled white fish like Tilapia with a squeeze of lemon juice, or any grilled or pan seared white fish. I also think a great pairing would be any appetizer with spinach and artichokes in puff pastry or fillo dough. You can purchase the sheets and cut them into small squares and place them in mini muffin tins and fill them with whatever you want, and pop them into the oven. The instructions are on the back of the fillo dough package. I use Athens brand,  http://www.phyllo.com they have wonderful suggestions for appetizers on their site.

Note:  This wine was a sample provided by Bogle Winery http://www.boglewinery.com SRP $10.00

Try it and let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Lorrie