N/V Jean Farris Marito White

This $14 bottle is a blend of Seyval Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay. This is our first review of wine from Jean Farris Winery located in Lexington, Kentucky. We liked this place so much on our trip to Florida, we went a couple hours out of the way on the way home to stop, pick up some wine, and have brunch at the winery's restaurant.

White grapefruit, lime, and slate on the nose.

More of all that on the palate - white grapefruit, lime, slate, along with some orange zest and lemon qualities. Quite dry, well balanced acid, not terribly complex, but certainly rather tasty.

A short finish with soft grapefruit notes dominating.

A solid summer wine, good perhaps for people who like Sauvignon Blanc, and worth checking out.

Score: 87

2007 La Ferme Julien Cotes du Luberon

The quest for the wine century continues with this blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, and Roussane – not bad. Another Trader Joe's acquisition that ran around six bones.

Pineapple on the nose.

At first I got vanilla and pineapple, but as it opens lemon seems to dominate....I'm guessing this has spent some time in oak.

Lemons linger on the finish as well as some generic tropical notes as well as a bit of white pepper.

Not my style at all, but for this sort of white my palate is somewhat limited. The price is certainly right for experimentation.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah

2007 Colombelle Vin de Des Cotes de Gascogne

This was six bucks at Costco.

A fairly strong nose – orange, vanilla, and lemon with loads of floral notes.

Peach, pineapple, grapefruit, and a bit of spice with some lime zest.

Maybe some floral notes on the finish, but it's pretty mild.

This tastes like it could be a blend of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc but is apparently a blend of two less popular grapes – Colombard and Ugni Blanc. All this being said, while this is a fairly well structured wine, especially at the price, the combination of flavors here simply doesn't work for me. I'll rate this fairly highly because for six bones, the complexity is good -

Wine: 6
Value: Yes

2001 Big House Wine Company Big House White

I'll admit something has been confusing me about this line – I know this as being a product of Bonny Doon – an interesting wine producer, yet this and the last Big House wine we've had have had no reference to Bonny Doon on the label. It turns out the owner of Bonny Doon sold off this label and it's not a product of the Big House Wine Company who owns a bunch of wineries and has some connection to Coca-Cola – if you thought wine wasn't big business, you are wrong, good sir.

So anyway, Big House White – ten bucks or so – and a blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Malvasia Bianca, Orange Muscat, Muscat Canelli, and Marsanne.

A floral nose – with some orange blossom and chamomile notes and perhaps some grapefruit.

Fairly light in body, mostly mild white grapefruit – really, just about only white grapefruit.

White grapefruit on the finish with just a bit of floral – maybe some chamomile – notes and some grapefruit zest.

So this is where things get tricky because my number is going to look pretty low, but I still enjoy it. It's a simple, easy drinking, quaffable wine that's quite tasty, but it is by no means deep or interesting. There are no flaws other than there's just not much going on. This would be perfect with Indian or spicy Asian food.

Wine: 6.5
QPR: 8

2005 Voga Quattro Italia

This was $8 at Costco. We thought the Voga white was alright and I figured this was worth a shot – I seem to recall reading a good review of this one somewhere.

Chocolate and cherry on the nose.

A weird blend creates a weird wine – this one has Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. Little to no tannin, not much acid, berries – strawberry mainly – chocolate, and earth.

No real finish except for some mild oak notes and a slight bit of rotten strawberry that fade quickly.

$8 is a pretty good price for this bottle which I normally see for about $10 – but I still wouldn't recommend it. A bit more acid and a bit less may have given it some balance but without it, there's just not much here but flab.

N/V Sokol Blosser Evolution Lucky #9–10th edition

A blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Muller-Thurgau, Semillon, Muscat, Gewurtztraminer, and Sylvaner–-most “blends” consist of 2-4 varietals, so this one with nine is somewhat unusual. I got this one on sale for $11, but most of the time I see it around $15.

Good acid, a bit of sweetness but not overbearing, this is a nicely balanced wine. I’m going to guess most of the wine in this bottle is from Riesling. There’s just a hint of spice that must be coming from the Gewurtz, plenty of the typical green apple you get on a Riesling, a fair amount of peaches, a touch of apricot, a bit of the grapey taste you get from Muscat. Interestingly, I’m getting some grapefruit/tropical fruit that I at first said “it’s from the Sauvignon Blanc,” yet that varietal is not in the blend.

I’m not as familiar with the other varietals in this blend so I’m sure some of these qualities come from those as well.

Many would call this a “summer wine” and I tend to agree, it’s a good one to bring on a picnic and such. That being said, I believe the acid and touch of sweetness would’ve worked well at Thanksgiving dinner as well.

An excellent balance, a complex palate, a lingering fruity finish...this is an excellent wine and even at $15 would be worth buying again.

N/V Stone’s Throw Winery Field Blend White

Stone’s Throw is a winery in Door County, Wisconsin. Most of the wineries in the area focus on fruit wine, but this one gets their grapes shipped in from California and consider themselves to be a bit more serious.

The Field Blends are the cheapest wines they offer in red and white at $10 a pop. No varietal information, just a miscellaneous blend that is from a field not designated for one type of grape.

Basically, we have a very simple, easy drinking, and perfectly acceptable wine. Citrus notes, a bit of lemon and even some citron. A hint of acid to balance it out a bit, but not a whole lot....this is a fruity, sweet wine that’s perfect for a picnic or BBQ on a hot day.

If I had to compare this to a varietal, I’d say I pick up a hint of Pinot Grigio....sweet, quaffable, and good with salads, burgers, and the like.

If you want something you can just drink and enjoy without worrying about the subtle hints on the nose and such, this is a good wine to have.

2005 The Stump Jump White Blend

This is a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Marsanne and Rousanne.

To me, I get a lot of the Sauvignon Blanc. I don't taste much Riesling and there are some unique tastes that I assume come from the Marsanne and Rousanne.

The nose is mild with tropical fruit with a bit of grapefruit cutting through.

The palate has grapefruit on it, of course...a bit of orange zest as well. It's a fairly dry wine and has plenty of acid so this is a food friendly wine.

My palate prefers a bit of sweetness somewhere in there, and though this has the sharp fruit, there's not a whole lot of sugar which is why though I don't hate it, this really isn't something I'd have again.

It's not bad, don't get me wrong...as a dry white that I'm not offended by, this is almost a ringing endorsement, I just am the type who has to really love something to stick with it.

2004 Two Brothers Big Tattoo White

Big Tattoo White...hey...I have tattoos, maybe I should try it? Yep, that's the mentality, and for $8 I stand by it.



Peaches and orange zest. Sweet, but not cloying, and plenty of acid to balance it out. This is an excellent summer wine...which is why we cracked it open before winter arrives. This is a bargain and strongly recommended.

2005 Domaine de Pouy Vine De Pays Des Cotes De Gascogne

That's a whole lot of title for what is basically "French White Table Wine."

I picked this up at our local wine shop, the guy working commented it's his favorite inexpensive, fruity, French White wine. I chuckled at all the qualifiers until I thought about how my favorite Iron Maiden Blaze Bayley era 70s prog rock cover b-side is "Doctor Doctor."

So, yes, here we are. $8 for a bottle of French wine? I was skeptical, but it came with not only that recommendation, but another from the woman at the shop who knows our tastes very well.

This is a "Vine De Pays" which basically means it's a "country wine"...a wine from France. No specifics are given on the label--I believe that they can't give specifics, legally.

What I discovered is that this is a blend of Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Gros Manseng. It originates from the Bas-Armagnac region. Not familiar with Armagnac? If you like spirits (brandy, in particular), next time you go to a French restaurant ask for a glass after you've had your meal.

I get some citrus on the nose while Fran gets Granny Smith apples...citric acid I suppose.

There are certainly minerals and grapefruit both on the palate and the finish. I taste a bit of pear on the finish as well. This is a wine that I feel just makes you think...there's a surprising complexity here, it's all citrusy mind you, but what kind of citrus? Do I taste grapefruit, or is it orange, maybe tangerine, I know, tangelo, is that lime?

If I had to compare this to something, it's not unlike a Sauvignon Blanc really: not sweet, but fruity, a bit of minerals, citrus and acid. Overall, it's just a really nice balanced wine. For $8, it's a steal and I see buying it again.