Sokol Blosser White Riesling (2007)

Back in 2009, when Clare and I were visiting Willamette Valley vineyards on our honeymoon, we had the pleasure of getting a behind the scenes tour of Sokol Blosser, which is a great vineyard and winery in Dundee, Oregon.  After the tour, we returned to the tasting room, where were had the opportunity to sample some great wines, such as Sokol Blosser's Pinot Noir.  After finishing our tasting and as we were buying a couple of bottles of wine to take with us, one of the tasting room employees pulled out a little bottle of "ice wine."  The wine was Sokol Blosser's 2007 White Riesling.  He poured a little sample for each of us and, after we sipped the wine, we added a bottle to our order.

White Riesling grapes -- or Johanissberg Riesling grapes -- generally produce dry wines that are sweeter than other white wines.  However, when the vineyard allows the grapes to continue to ripen on the vines after the harvest, the flavor of and the sugars in the grapes becomes more concentrated.  The result is a much sweeter wine, with a higher alcohol content, that usually makes a good, if not great, dessert wine. 

Rather than open any bottle of bubbly to celebrate the new year, Clare and I decided to open our bottle of Sokol Blosser's 2007 White Riesling.  The wine pours a beautiful, light gold color.  As you take in the aromatic elements of the wine, you get a sense of candied peaches and apricots.  These aromas are also very pronounced in the taste of the wine.  As you drink the wine, you get a smooth, sugary experience of tasting apples, peaches and apricots.  You also get an interesting contrast, as you can also taste pears hiding behind the other fruit. As you drink the wine your tongue and mouth get coated with a sugary feeling that does last for a while. 

This dessert wine is very good and I would highly recommend it.  The wine is generally available for order over the Internet at $40.00 per bottle.

ENJOY!

Sokol Blosser Evolution (NV)

When Clare and I were enjoying our wine tour throughout Willamette Valley, Oregon during our honeymoon, our tour guide took us to Sokol Blosser Vineyards.  One of my co-workers suggested Sokol Blosser Vineyards, because her relatives are the family behind this winery.  Our tour guide was kind enough to  arrange for us to have a complete tour of the vineyard.  The tour provided us with the opportunity to see how Sokol Blosser made its wines -- from start to finish.  This was one of the most detailed wine tours that we took during our honeymoon  And, as our guide gave us the tour, she carried a backpack with some of Sokol Blosser wine, so we got a chance to try the wine as we learned about the winemaking process and the different wines that the vineyard produces.

While Sokol Blosser produces some amazing pinot noirs, it also produces an outstanding white wine -- Evolution.  This wine a blend of nine grapes, Some are well known grapes, such as chardonnay, gewurtz-raminer, pinot gris and white riesling.  Others are less known, like slyvaner, muller-thurgau, muscat canelli  and semillion.  The exact blend is proprietary, with the percentage of each grape used in the blend being a closely-held secret. 

When pouring Evolution, you are greeted with a clean, crisp white wine.  The wine is a very light in color, with a nose that includes peaches, vanilla and spice.  When you taste the wine, you definitely get the taste of peaches.  This is a very drinkable wine.

Evolution pairs very well with spicy foods, providing a refreshing taste after the burn of the spice.  As far as I am concerned, I'd drink this wine with any food. 

The vineyard includes the "tag line" for this wine is "Luck? Intention?" on every bottle.  As it goes, "it hardly matters," because this is one of the best white wine blends that I've tasted.  This wine is available at some restaurants and at Whole Foods.  It sells for $16.99 or $18.99.