Yeah I wanted to like this wine before I tried it but then I tried it and then I loved it and now I'm gonna tell you about it. The Hapa Blanc is a Rhone-style blend consisting predominantly of Grenache Blanc along with Roussane. Kaena is the baby of winemaker Hawaiian native turned California transplant, Mikael Sigouin. Kaena is Hawaiian for "potential for greatness" and if the Hapa Blanc is any indicator, I believe Mikael has achieved his goal. It is darker straw in color with slight orange highlights and a golden rim. The nose moved from key lime pie to crushed rock to white chocolate almond bark to a brand new car smell with no traffic.
This wine is fluid fluid. It swivels and sways and doesn't like to be pinned down over the few hours it hangs with you. It disappears way too quickly and leaves you wanting more. I got tastes of honey dew, honey, sliced and dew-kissed peaches, coconut and butterscotch that still ended dry. But what I loved absolutely most about this wine was what was absent . . . Citrus. I didn't pick up any citrus on this wine! Not like there is anything wrong with citrus in white wine but that the Hapa Blanc can be this complete and balanced without it is no doubt a feat. With 100 cases produced a year, we are lucky to have access to this lovely wine on Oahu. I can't wait to try to find the grenaches and grenache rose from Kaena when I hit up Santa Ynez in a few weeks. Please pick up this wine if you can find it and if you don't like it, I'll put 15 bucks in your paypal.
This wine is fluid fluid. It swivels and sways and doesn't like to be pinned down over the few hours it hangs with you. It disappears way too quickly and leaves you wanting more. I got tastes of honey dew, honey, sliced and dew-kissed peaches, coconut and butterscotch that still ended dry. But what I loved absolutely most about this wine was what was absent . . . Citrus. I didn't pick up any citrus on this wine! Not like there is anything wrong with citrus in white wine but that the Hapa Blanc can be this complete and balanced without it is no doubt a feat. With 100 cases produced a year, we are lucky to have access to this lovely wine on Oahu. I can't wait to try to find the grenaches and grenache rose from Kaena when I hit up Santa Ynez in a few weeks. Please pick up this wine if you can find it and if you don't like it, I'll put 15 bucks in your paypal.
P.S. This woosh of roundness on the front end followed by the tingle of acidity on the finish reminds me of this love for smoking expressed in Jets to Brazil's "Sweet Avenue."
this cigarette it could seduce
a nation with its smoke
crawling down my tired throat
scratch a part of me that's purring
softly stirring
P.P.S. Watch a great interview with Mikael on the Wine Down here.
No comments:
Post a Comment