Lovely Whites

Not a fan of whites? Having had one too many bland white wines that had to be ice-cold to be drinkable, I tended to steer away from them until I discovered Acacia Winery. This small, friendly winery at the southern end of Napa has some stellar Chardonnay and my favorite Viognier ever. The Chards have a nice range from less complex to very oaky, almost bacony, and and all with a wonderful velvety finish. However, the wine that I obsess over, that I think about most, is their Viognier. The first time I tasted it, I thought I'd bitten into a very ripe peach. Subsequent time spent with this lovely, full-bodied, near-perfect Viognier yielded a deeper appreciation of its more subtle qualities. Some grapefruit/lemon hints, a wonderful nose and and very graceful finish are some of its finer points. This wine pairs well with just about any lighter dish, especially crab and pasta with white sauce.

Another absolute must-try white is Bennett Lane's Maximus White Feasting wine. First Street Wine in Livermore, CA introduced me to this wine during a tasting, and it was love at first sip. This is a bordeaux-style wine that has a much complexity as a red wine. It is a BIG white, a powerful mouthful of YUM. The nose is much more subtle, and gives you just a hint of what's to come, with a lemon, peach, sugared-violet and slightly oaky scent that begs you to try it...just try it! The front is creamy and lightly tart, the middle has more of a citrus bite, and the finish - this is what gets me every time I drink this wine. Smooth as peach skin, with a much bigger punch of smoky oak, and a lingering of lemon and that sugared-violet you get in the nose. This wine pairs well with so many foods, Feasting is an excellent name for it. We've tried it with everything from a white pizza to a creamy butternut squash risotto, and just loved it. It's great for sipping, but it really comes alive when paired with food.

I brought both of these wines, the Acacia Viognier and the Maxiumus White Feasting, to a family gathering in Park City a few weeks ago, and everyone loved them. Even the red drinkers wanted more. Too BAD! I'm saving the rest of my bottles for me, selfish wine wench that I am!