Mark Tarbell
Special for The Republic
Jun. 10 2008 3:00 pm
With temperatures over 100, the taste for wine shifts to the lighter and leaner styles. Summer favors lower-alcohol or freshly made wines. Happily, lower-cost wines tend to lack richness, ripeness, alcohol and winemaker manipulation. All those taste profiles are combustible in the heat, so it's great news for us.
Simple German Rieslings are some of the best heat busters around, but they are not to everyone's taste and it can be a risk to bring one to the next pool party. The picks of this week are a little more recognizable, while still fitting the hot-weather bill.
2007 FishEye Pinot Grigio, California ($7-$9) - At 12 percent alcohol, this is a good warm-weather choice. The color is supposed to be white, but it's actually a pale silver-yellow. A color like this indicates a light, young wine. The aroma is citrus and sea breeze. It's simple but pleasant. The taste has lemongrass and is crisp with a bright, tart, citrus acidity. It has a feel of the citrus tartness being added during fermentation rather than from the vineyard. 85 points
2006 Hogue Fume Blanc, Columbia Valley, Wash. ($8-$10) - Fume Blanc is a term coined by the late Napa Valley wine great Robert Mondavi to recast his Sauvignon Blanc, which wasn't popular at the time. The nickname is derived from Pouilly-Fume, a Sauvignon Blanc-based wine from the Loire Valley. This wine has "spritz," a fine gassy look that could mean more zip on the tongue. The aroma is warm with some melon and lime zest. The taste is simple, light and dry with slight citrus tones. This wine is 12.8 percent alcohol, and anything under 13 percent gets my vote for a summer wine. 84 points
2006 Francis Ford Coppola Presents: Bianco Pinot Grigio, California ($10-$13) - Rosso and Bianco are the "value" level wines from the Coppola winery. Winemaker Scott McCloud is doing a super job up and down the line. This wine has color for a Pinot Grigio, a light ring gold, which indicates more sunshine and ripeness on the grape in its youth. The aroma is broad, ripe Meyer lemon with some green herb. The taste is balanced and clean with good structure and tartness from the lemony acidity. It's the most balanced they've made to date. 87 points
2007 Man Vintners Chenin Blanc, Coastal South Africa ($10-$14) - This may be harder to find in the Valley than the others, but it's imported by Vineyard Brands, which has a good presence in the market. Chenin Blanc is not a widely known or popular grape. It's most famously produced in the Loire Valley in France, but I've had the best modern styles from South Africa. This is one; Mulderbosch is another. The color is silver-yellow with a hint of green. This indicates there is youth and tartness in the taste ahead. The aroma is a bountiful blend of floral, light-green herb and honeydew. The taste is concentrated in fruit, dry and warm. Serve well-chilled when it's over 100 out and you'll be very happy indeed. 87 points
2007 Mulderbosch Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa ($12-$15) - A Rosé made with Cab is unusual. This is from the Stellenbosch Region of South Africa. The color is a bright, clean pink. The aroma is a bit green-peppery, herbal and musty. The taste is clean and simple with lovely red berry fruit in the finish. 87 points
2006 Perrin "Reserve" Rosé, Cotes du Rhone, France ($9-$13) - Southern Rhone and Loire Valley are the areas in France known for their dry Rosés. This one is from winemaking's great Perrin brothers. They also own Chateau de Beaucastel and Tablas Creek in the United States. This is their value-level line, which includes a nice little red. The color is a vibrant deep pink, and the aroma is focused and has dried strawberry tones. The taste dances across the tongue. This is a fun Rosé, light but tasty. 86 points
Reach Tarbell, owner of Mark Tarbell's in Phoenix at wine@tarbell.com.
