#3 in the Whole Foods Holiday Top Ten Wine List - the 2008 Marqués De Riscal Rueda Selección Especial.
You want a good, solid Spanish white for the holidays? This one is it.
I was really impressed with the nose - peach, pear and cedar, with a hint of grandma's old mothballs (which, for me, is nostalgic and since it wasn't overwhelming on the nose, brought back very fond memories of my grandmother and her wardrobe-saving white balls of winged creature demise). The nose is a bit over-oaked, thus the woodsy, cedar components, but the mouth doesn't pull much of that oak into the blend. It does change from nose to mouth, transforming into lemon, peach, grapefruit, cream and butter. It's light in color, with just enough acidity and very little heat (which has been consistent for all the top ten wines thus far).
It did strike me as being a bit more like a Sauvignon Blanc than a Verdejo with a light crispness and grassy lemons, but that was mostly when it was cold and straight from the refrigerator. So, let it sit and warm up a bit and you should be able to capture some more complexity.
What Whole Foods has to say: We bought all of this refreshing, full-bodied Spanish wine, but we'll share! Old-world Verdejo comes alive in a straw-colored wine brimming with fruit and fennel. A huge value, serve as an aperitif or with tapas or roasted chicken. Pairing it with Fourme d'Ambert or Drunken Goat cheese brightens its flavor.
What you should do: Buy it. I think this is a timely wine and one that you can have with Thanksgiving dinner. A relatively light and refreshing wine, it would be a nice complement to the Helfrich Riesling, which is sweeter, but definitely a nice wine to pair with pre-dinner cheeses. Plus, between the two wines, you'll impress your guests with your international wine savvy.
My rating: 86
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a free sample.
You want a good, solid Spanish white for the holidays? This one is it.
I was really impressed with the nose - peach, pear and cedar, with a hint of grandma's old mothballs (which, for me, is nostalgic and since it wasn't overwhelming on the nose, brought back very fond memories of my grandmother and her wardrobe-saving white balls of winged creature demise). The nose is a bit over-oaked, thus the woodsy, cedar components, but the mouth doesn't pull much of that oak into the blend. It does change from nose to mouth, transforming into lemon, peach, grapefruit, cream and butter. It's light in color, with just enough acidity and very little heat (which has been consistent for all the top ten wines thus far).It did strike me as being a bit more like a Sauvignon Blanc than a Verdejo with a light crispness and grassy lemons, but that was mostly when it was cold and straight from the refrigerator. So, let it sit and warm up a bit and you should be able to capture some more complexity.
What Whole Foods has to say: We bought all of this refreshing, full-bodied Spanish wine, but we'll share! Old-world Verdejo comes alive in a straw-colored wine brimming with fruit and fennel. A huge value, serve as an aperitif or with tapas or roasted chicken. Pairing it with Fourme d'Ambert or Drunken Goat cheese brightens its flavor.
What you should do: Buy it. I think this is a timely wine and one that you can have with Thanksgiving dinner. A relatively light and refreshing wine, it would be a nice complement to the Helfrich Riesling, which is sweeter, but definitely a nice wine to pair with pre-dinner cheeses. Plus, between the two wines, you'll impress your guests with your international wine savvy.
My rating: 86
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a free sample.
Gadget
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