The Sunday Morning Sommelier: DELTA Sauvignon Blanc
Jul 4th, 2010
Name: DELTA Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2007
Alcohol content: 13%
Price: $12.99
Description per label: The Delta Wine Company is a partnership… blah, blah, blah. It’s pungent and gooseburryish on the nose with dry nettley fruit on the palate and an intense lingering finish on the palate. It is like…blah, blah, blah.
My mentor, Aldo – a source of constant inspiration.
Review: This yarn begins years ago after a long and intense sampling session. I was being challenged by a rather belligerent fellow sommelier. I would say ‘black cherry’ he would counter ‘chokeberry’. I would say ‘hints of pear’ he would argue ‘notes of peach’ – and so it went. When the conversation degraded to the wines of New Zealand, I calmly removed his spectacles and crushed them. We exchanged unpleasantries and I ended this four-hour dispute by pulling his Mr. Roger’s cardigan over his head and kicking him in the grapes. The net result being, I was banned from my favorite wine market for two months.
New Zealand wines can often be a gamble, as sheep tend to be the chief vintners at many wineries. But I’ll roll the dice with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. Upon twisting off the screw cap of this Delta blend and pouring a sample of the golden liquid, my opinion was quickly formed. The best part of this particular varietal was the pleasant, sweet and berry-like aroma. The taste was that of a watered-down dessert wine with a lingering, pale grapefruity finish. I think this is a fair entertainment wine to be brought out after “the good stuff” has been drained. Usually by that point in the revelry most guests will appreciate most any wine.
On the SMS scale (1-10) I would rate this blend a 4 without a blink.
Suggested pairings: Oysters, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Thai food and celebrating the birth of your weird friend’s fifth child.
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Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment
